Film / Laid to Rest

This is the future, everything is chrome.

"Death. Polished"

Laid to Rest is a 2009 Slasher Movie written and directed by F/X guru Robert Hall.

The plot concerns an amnesiac simply named The Girl, and later, Princess, who awakens in a coffin with a head wound and amnesia. Minutes after she wakes up, she encounters ChromeSkull, a skull-masked psychopath who tapes the murders he commits with his shoulder-mounted video camera. She escapes the killer and is taken in by Tucker, a middle-aged man who lets her stay with him and his wife Cindy, but unfortunately for them, ChromeSkull still wants the girl. After Cindy is killed, Tucker and Princess try to flee, their only aid being a skittish man named Steven. Along the way, the girl tries to remember who she was and why she was brought here, all the while, things go progressively downhill.

A sequel entitled ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 was released Video On Demand before coming out on DVD/Blu-ray September 20th, 2011. While there were plans for a third film, they fell through due to the crowdfunding campaign for it failing and Robert Hall's death in 2021, though in 2023 it was announced by ChromeSkull's actor, Nick Principe, that he and artist Fábio Simão would be publishing a comic book prequel-sequel titled The Reflection of Fear.

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This series provides examples of the following tropes:

• Absurdly Sharp Blade: ChromeSkull's signature weapon is a vicious-looking knife that seems to cut through whatever it is used on.
• Abusive Parents: While being operated on, ChromeSkull seems to relive a memory that implies that his mortician father ordered him to touch a dead body and telling him not to fear it after the younger ChromeSkull walked in on him.
• Amnesiac Hero: Princess.
• And Starring: With Richard Lynch and Lena Headey.
  • Introducing Angelina Armani, Special Appearance by Danielle Harris, With Gail O'Grady and Brian Austin Green in 2.
• Antagonist Title: 2.
• Ascended Extra: Tommy arrives fairly late in the first movie, but manages to survive it and plays a bigger role in the sequel.
• Asshole Victim: Nobody's gonna cry when ChromeSkull beheads Preston after agreeing to "teach him".
• Ate His Gun: Mrs. Cromeans's death in 2.
• Ax-Crazy: ChromeSkull, and Preston in the sequel. Both are vicious, relentless murderers who just love to kill people — especially women — as gruesomely as possible.
• Badass Bystander: The store clerk attempts to stop Chromeskull with a shotgun but fails.
• Bad Boss: In 2, it's revealed that Jesse Cromeans, aka ChromeSkull, runs an organization that cleans up after him and makes sure he doesn't get caught. He kills one of his employees/accomplices for trying to take his place.
• Bald of Evil: ChromeSkull, and later Preston in 2.
• The Baroness: Spann in 2.
• Batman Gambit: Realizing ChromeSkull's obsession with his mask, Steven replaces his special glue with acid, knowing that in his haste to get it back on when it inevitably came off, Chromey wouldn't bother checking over his supplies, even though they were briefly taken from him.
• Batter Up!: ChromeSkull is seen using this once as a weapon on Princess, who later uses one to attack ChromeSkull. 2 sees a spiked bat being used by Jess and Tommy.
• Big Bad Wannabe: In 2, Preston has aspirations to replace ChromeSkull, going so far as to don his outfit and get his tattoo... and then he gets brutally murdered.
• Black Eyes of Evil: The mask somehow causes this, even though there doesn't actually seem to be any kind of barrier between it and the eyes.
• Blank Slate: Princess is even described as such by Tommy in 2.
• Blood from the Mouth
• Blood Is Squicker in Water: Princess showering the blood off in 2.
• Blood-Splattered Innocents
• Boom, Headshot!: The death of the store clerk. ChromeSkull turns his shotgun on him just as he is about to fire, turning his head into a nice bit of salsa.
• Bulletproof Vest: A blink and you'll miss it scene at the end of 2 reveals ChromeSkull has taken to wearing one.
• Camera Abuse: As ChromeSkull is cutting the bound girl's head off, some blood gets on the camera; soda also gets sprayed on it when ChromeSkull is trying to get to Princess in the convenience store cooler.
• Camera Fiend: ChromeSkull, and Jess in 2.
• Camping a Crapper: Preston gets Princess in the motel bathroom in 2.
• Cane Fu: Tucker uses his cane to knock around ChromeSkull.
• The Cavalry Arrives Late: The local police arrive at the convenience store just after Princess and Tommy leave it, and the FBI arrive at the factory just before the credits in 2.
• Cell Phones Are Useless: Abused as much as possible. Princess accidentally unplugs the funeral home phone, neither Tucker or Steven have one, and ChromeSkull's cellphones are password protected.
• Chain Pain: ChromeSkull gets Preston with some hooked chains (which he strings him up with) in 2; Tommy later uses one to choke ChromeSkull.
• Chekhov's Gun: Steven has a bottle of tire sealant and sarcastically suggests they spray it in ChromeSkull's ear. ChromeSkull kills him by spraying it into his ear until his face explodes(?!).
  • Cindy's line asking Tucker if Princess is a drug addict and/or prostitute. We later find out that, yes, she was both.
• Chekhov's Gunman: The corpse that Princess finds in the funeral home was Steven's mother.
• Chrome Champion
• Cool Car: ChromeSkull Mobile and the bizarrely pimped out Jones Funeral Home hearse ("Last Ride").
• Cool Mask: Despicable monster that he is, ChromeSkull has a damn awesome mask.
• Cover Drop: It's ChromeSkull's chest tattoo.
• Cowboy Cop: Tiny in 2.
• Creator Cameo: Robert Hall is the diner patron in the video of Jess that Spann shows ChromeSkull in 2.
• Creepy Mortician: Mr. Jones.
• Criminal Mind Games: ChromeSkull sends copies of his murder tapes to the authorities.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: ChromeSkull hands these out like candy. He deservingly (almost) ends up on the receiving end of one himself when his mask adhesive is replaced with acid and Princess smashes his face in with a metal bat.
• Cue the Sun: The ending of the first film.
• Dark Is Evil: ChromeSkull always dress in black.
• Darkness Equals Death: In 2, Max gets killed when Preston rushes him while a light bulb flickers and goes out; when it comes back on, Preston's blade is embedded through the side of his head and into his eye.
• Dead Star Walking: Lena Headley in Part 1.
• Decapitation Presentation: When he's finished beheading Preston, ChromeSkull turns his chained severed head around to face Jess and Tommy.
• Dies Wide Open: Tucker's death.
• Disabled Means Helpless: Jess is going blind in 2. It makes her a relatively easy pick for ChromeSkull, though she does manage to fight back at least a little.
• Disposable Sex Worker: Subverted with Princess. She was a prostitute who was hired by ChromeSkull so he could kill her. She lives in the end. Played straight in 2, where she is killed off by Preston.
• The Dragon: Preston in 2. After he is disposed of, Spann replaces him.
• Dragon Ascendant: Preston believes this to be him, after ChromeSkull's near fatal attack by Princess, and tries to become the next ChromeSkull. Too bad the real killer sees Preston's goal differently...
• Driven to Suicide: Mrs. Cromeans in 2, after discovering that her husband is a prolific, bloodthirsty serial killer.
• Drives Like Crazy: Steven's mother, to the point that he needed to install something to quell the accelerator.
• Dual Wield: When ChromeSkull beheads Preston in 2.
• Duct Tape for Everything: Jess uses some on her leg wound in 2.
• Ear Ache: Steven getting a can of tire sealant jammed into his ear.
• Easy Amnesia: Princess lost her memory when ChromeSkull whacked her in the head with a baseball bat.
• Enhance Button: Preston uses this to get Tommy's license plate number in 2.
• Evil Makes You Monstrous: Well, that and acid.
• Eye Scream: ChromeSkull sustains a lot of damage to his right eye, while Deputy Russell's body is missing his left one. Steven's are the first thing to go when ChromeSkull pumps his head full of tire sealant.
  • In 2, there's one of ChromeSkull's eyes being reinserted, and Max getting knifed in the side of the head.
• Eye Open: Princess.
• The Faceless: ChromeSkull, at least until 2.
• Facial Horror: Johnny and Deputy Russell lose their faces, while ChromeSkull's melts away and is smashed in.
• Fade to Black
• Failed a Spot Check: Examples are the blood on the police cruiser, Jamie's body in the yard, Deputy Russell's body, Anthony's severed head in the cooler, etc.
• Fair Cop: Throughout 2; Detective Holland was even played by former porn starlet Angelina Armani.
• Fan Disservice: There is no Fanservice, there is only this.
• Fiction 500: ChromeSkull.
• Final Girl: Princess, and Jess in 2.
• Flashback: Princess playing with the doll she takes her name from, and a glimpse of ChromeSkull's childhood in 2.
• Flashback with the Other Darrin: In 2, with Princess.
• Footprints of Muck: Anthony notices ChromeSkull's bloody footprints, right before getting his head sawed off.
• For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: The ending to 2 and no one is the wiser.
• For the Evulz: ChromeSkull is a pure sadist and sick maniac who loves filming and killing innocent people simply to amuse himself.
• Geek: Steven, and one of the minions in 2 (he's even credited as "Geeky Lackey").
• Glasgow Grin: Princess and Detective Holland are given this in 2.
• Go Mad from the Revelation: Mrs. Cromeans understandably doesn't take the realization that her husband is a vicious Serial Killer very well.
• Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Steven's cry of "Sugar!"
• Gorn: ChromeSkull is easily one of the most brutal horror villains of recent years.
• Gory Discretion Shot: Princess bashing ChromeSkull with a baseball bat.
• Gross-Up Close-Up
• Gutted Like a Fish: Jamie's death; also happens to Princess and Laurie in 2.
• Halloween Episode: In 2, Tommy watches some home movies of him and Anthony making one Halloween, and the actual film seems to end on the holiday.
• High-Pressure Blood: So much so that ChromeSkull uses it as mace.
• Hollywood Acid: Steven replaces ChromeSkull's mask glue with some.
• Hooks and Crooks: Preston gets some through the shoulders, and an officer is knocked into a wall of them, in 2.
• Honor Before Reason: Tucker going home alone to cover up Cindy's body.
• Identity Amnesia: Princess.
• Immediate Sequel: 2 kicks off with Princess and Tommy leaving the convenience store, and shows what happens afterward.
• Impaled Palm: Jamie, when trying to get Johnny's cell phone.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Mr. Jones's death.
• Important Haircut: Preston shaving himself bald in 2.
• Implacable Man: ChromeSkull. The closest thing to an explanation is a scene showing him shooting up on something after being given an eye injury courtesy of Princess.
  • It is also possible that ChromeSkull injects himself with various performance-enhancing drugs and varied painkillers.
• Impossibly Cool Weapon: The knife star in 2.
• Improbable Weapon User: ChromeSkull uses tire sealant on a victim in the first movie, and slashes a cop's throat in the second movie and uses his blood for mace to blind the other cops.
• In-Universe Camera
• Jack the Ripoff: Preston in 2.
• Kill Steal: Preston kills Princess in 2. ChromeSkull does not. Take. This well. At all.
• Knee Capping: Steven manages to stab ChromeSkull in the knee with a tire iron, while Jess gets a knife thrown through her leg in 2.
• Line-of-Sight Name: Princess gets her nickname from the first thing she remembers, a childhood doll named Princess Gemstone.
• Literally Shattered Lives: In 2, ChromeSkull kills a particularly unfortunate police officer by dunking his head in an electroplating bath and then smashing it.
• Lock-and-Load Montage: The opening.
• Los Angeles: Where ChromeSkull decides to relocate to at the end of 2.
• Made of Plasticine: Sometimes, other times ChromeSkull does seem to be putting some real effort into cutting through bone and sinew and whatnot.
• Malevolent Masked Men: ChromeSkull, and Preston in 2
• Mask of Sanity: The Stinger of 2 reveals that ChromeSkull has a wife, but only uses her as a cover for his murderous outings. She takes the news of what he really does when he's away about as well as you'd expect.
• Matchlight Danger Revelation: Jess grabs the dropped flashlight in 2 and turns it on, just in time to see ChromeSkull throttling Tommy.
• Meaningful Background Event: Throughout 2.
• Menacing Stroll
• Middle-Management Mook: Spann in 2, though in the end she is promoted to The Dragon.
• Mirror Scare: Princess briefly hallucinates ChromeSkull in Steven's bathroom.
• Mistaken for Cheating: When Tucker's brother-in-law hears about Tucker being seen picking up a girl (Princess) he worries about this and heads out to inquire.
• Momma's Boy: Steven.
• Monster Misogyny: ChromeSkull specifically targets women, and only offs men when they get in his way.
• Mr. Exposition: Steven is the one whose familiar with Chromeskull's legend and goes online to help Tucker and Princess find out more.
• No Indoor Voice: CHROMESKULL TEXTS MUST ALWAYS, ALWAYS BE IN ALL CAPS.
  • He types normally when conversing with Spann, though.
• No Name Given: Princess and ChromeSkull, though with the latter Princess finds outs that ChromeSkull's name is Jesse Cromeans, which at first could be an alias. However, during The Stinger of 2, his wife was introduced as Mrs. Cromeans, cementing that his name is in fact Jesse Cromeans.
• No-Tell Motel: Where ChromeSkull initially captured Princess.
• Nothing Is Scarier: Preston whispering into Jess's ear the things ChromeSkull does to his victims in the coffins in 2.
• Numbered Sequels
• Of Corpse He's Alive: ChromeSkull does with the body of Steven's mother.
• Of Corsets Sexy: The weird gold thing that Princess has on at the beginning.
• Off with His Head!: The bound girl and Anthony, and Preston in 2.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Princess and ChromeSkull again. ChromeSkull's real name can be briefly seen on some papers and Princess's name, albeit, rather smudged, is on a sheet for a missing person. There's also Tiny in 2.
• Once is Not Enough
• Over-the-Shoulder Carry: Preston does this with Tommy, and ChromeSkull with Jess, in 2.
• The Password Is Always "Swordfish": Averted. We never find out what the password to ChromeSkull's cellphones are, despite multiple guesses by the characters (and yes, they did try ChromeSkull).
• Perky Female Minion: Spann in 2.
• Perky Goth: Allie in 2.
• Perpetual Frowner: Preston.
• Phone-Trace Race
• Politically Incorrect Villain: ChromeSkull calls his female victim "piggies," and is heavily implied to rape them.
• Previously on…: The opening of 2, as a reference to the slashers of The '80s.
• Psycho Knife Nut: ChromeSkull's main weapon is a vicious-looking knife that he puts to all sorts of brutal use, including sawing off various parts of people.
• Punk in the Trunk: Steven finds his mother's body in ChromeSkull's trunk.
• Rage Against the Reflection: When ChromeSkull sees he's taken on a strong resemblance to Cropsy in 2, he goes berserk, punches a mirror repeatedly, and buries his face in his hands.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Preston claims that he finds his boss's methods — which are heavily implied to involve rape — "gross" when he's telling Jess all about what he does to his victims, though he seems to be deriving some pleasure from her fear.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Princess.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Preston and ChromeSkull, respectively.
• Red Shirt:
  • Laid to Rest: Johnny, Jamie, the still-living previous victim, and Anthony.
  • 2: Allie and Laurie.
• Red Shirt Army: The police in 2.
• Refuge in Audacity: A good chunk of the kills are this. They're so over-the-top and brutal that they segue right into the impressive. The practical effects use help.
• Right Behind Me
• Sadist: ChromeSkull draws out his murders for as long as possible, ensuring that his victims all die the most violent, utterly painful deaths. We never get to see his expression through it all, but he's clearly having a blast.
• Self Stitching: ChromeSkull does this, after removing a bullet.
• Serial Killer: ChromeSkull, of course, although he sometimes acts more like a spree killer, at least in his pursuit of Princess. And Preston wants to be one. His boss has other plans for him.
• Serrated Blade of Pain
• The Sheriff: Bates in Laid to Rest.
• Shoot the Shaggy Dog Story: The first film, due to the death of Princess, and maybe Tommy in 2.
• Shout-Out:
  • In the teaser clip for the sequel, ChromeSkull is seen getting his mask while whistling "Spanish Ladies". Of course, it takes on another meaning when you consider his propensity for murdering women... though in the film, ChromeSkull's associate Preston is the one doing the whistling.
  • Tommy in 2 had been living with a woman named Laurie, like Tommy Doyle and Laurie Strode.
  • One to Jason X. The electroplating bath is reminiscent of the liquid nitrogen near the beginning of the film.
• Shower Scene: Princess in Laid to Rest, and 2 (though only the latter has nudity).
• Silent Antagonist: ChromeSkull never utters a word in both movies expect sometimes grunting. He only communicates through messages. It's never stated if he's mute or if he does it in order to not be recognized by his voice.
• Silent Snarker: ChromeSkull has his moments, including one when right before he kills the store clerk in the first movie, he lets an audible sigh.
• Sinister Scraping Sound: When ChromeSkull is looking for Princess in the barn, and again after he sticks her in another coffin.
• Slashed Throat: Sheriff Bates's death, and two officers’ deaths in 2.
• Slow-Motion Pass-By: Between Tommy and Mrs. Cannon in 2.
• The Smurfette Principle: There's only one female law enforcement official of any importance in 2.
• Snuff Film: ChromeSkull records the murders he commits with a shoulder-mounted video camera.
• Sound-Only Death: The responding officers getting shot at the beginning of 2.
• Spiky Hair: Anthony.
• Standard Evil Organization Squad: ChromeSkull's minions in 2.
• Steven Ulysses Perhero: Jesse Chromeans.
• Stocking Filler: Allie in 2.
• The Stinger: After the credits in 2, it's revealed that ChromeSkull has a pregnant wife who believes her husband keeps going on extended business trips. When confronted with what he's really doing by the FBI, she kills herself.
• Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Princess at the beginning of 2.
• Swiss Bank Account: Doctor Kerr in 2.
• Sword Sparks: When ChromeSkull is rattling the cage with his new weapon in 2.
• Take Me Instead: Tucker tries this when ChromeSkull captures Cindy, to no avail.
• Tantrum Throwing: Tucker, upon returning home, trashes his bedroom.
• Tattooed Crook: ChromeSkull, and Preston in 2.
• Tears of Blood: The eye injury Princess gave ChromeSkull acts up at the sheriff's station.
• This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: BRING THE TAPE NOW BITCH.
  • "Can't get to the phone right now, so leave a message, biatch."
• Those Two Guys: Anthony and Tommy.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: But only if you are the villain.
• Title In: 3 Months Later in 2.
• Too Dumb to Live
• Torture Cellar: The barn in Laid to Rest, and the factory in 2.
• To the Pain: "You know what? You're so lucky... that he's not here to taste you yet. You're really fucked tonight. You're really fucking tough. He's gonna do horrible shit to you. You know that? Horrible fucking things. Gross, gross fucking things. I mean, they make me sick."
• Tracking Device: Getting your hands on one of ChromeSkull's cellphones is actually a bad thing since they can synch up.
• Trunk Shot: Used when Tucker, Steven and Princess are digging through Steven's trunk.
• Turn of the Millennium
• The Unreveal: Princess's real name is blurred out on her missing persons sheet, though just enough is visible to discern that it might be Amy, or some variation of Ann (Anne, Anna, Annie, etc). We also never see ChromeSkull's face, or learn his cellphone password.
• Video Phone: There's one set up in the factory in 2, though ChromeSkull, being ChromeSkull, only types.
• Villain Ball: In 2, ChromeSkull ignores Preston and fires him when he tries to warn him that the police could find him. They do, although he narrowly gets away.
• Villainous Breakdown: ChromeSkull in 2 has one after seeing his disfigured face in the mirror.
• Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Tommy throws up when he uncovers Princess's body in 2.
• Wait Here
• Wall of Weapons: The cage in 2.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Tommy's fate at the end of 2 is left ambiguous.
• You Have Failed Me: ChromeSkull fires Preston, and later kills him for killing Princess.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Mr. Jones, who was letting ChromeSkull use his barn and coffins for money.
• You Are Already Dead: Jamie manages to run to the house and spotted Cindy's body before realizing she has been disemboweled.
• Your Head A-Splode: The deaths of store clerk (via shotgun) and Steven (via tire sealant).
• You Wake Up in a Room: Or a coffin, to be precise.

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