Title: Name
First Non-Festival Release: Septmeber 2, 2026 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Writer: Jonathan Frank, Scott Mann
Runtime: 98 Minutes
Starring: Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney, Virginia Gardner
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
After the unexpected success of indie survival horror Fall, 2026 is getting a sequel. Leaning on the intense feeling of anxiety, dizziness, and terror that heights can inspire, Fall 2: Deadpoint takes fear to new heights with a different vertigo-inducing destination.
Haunted by her sister Shiloh’s (Virginia Gardner) death, Jax Hunter (Harriet Slater) goes through the motions in her dull, despondent life. When a chance visit from one of Shiloh’s old friends, Luce (Arsema Thomas), ignites a fire inside her to face her fears and gain closure, Jax agrees to travel with her to Thailand to climb Mount Kwan’s infamous plank walk. They find a guide in ex-pat Jon (Tom Brittney), who agrees to take them despite the danger. When scattered showers pour down heavy rain and earthquakes rattle the ground, sections of the mountain break off into a landslide breaking many of the already rotting planks. With Jax and Luce left to dawdle on the few remaining planks of wood while their guide is nowhere to be found, the duo must use all of their strength and wit to make it down in one piece.
Inferior to its predecessor but not especially egregious, Fall 2: Deadpoint is a mixed bag of survival horror goodness.
Taking the dizzying heights of the first film over to its next fictional conquest, Fall 2: Deadpoint expands its premise just enough to warrant a continuation. The geography of this sequel allows for much more variety from the film. Instead of being confined to one single platform, the hapless adventurers have a little bit more wiggle room on the mountain. Rather than a perpendicular puzzle for the women to solve, Fall 2: Deadpoint opts for a horizontal challenge. With just a few remaining metal bars nailed into the side of the mountain, the climbers must figure out how to reach a radio attached to a backpack dangling on the furthest beam to signal for help. This simple change gives more dimension to the anxiety-inducing camerawork.
Playing gleefully with its subjects, Fall 2: Deadpoint puts the two through a similar gauntlet of physical and psychological endurance to the first pair. Their limited supplies show escape just out of reach and their novice skills make it difficult to navigate any next steps. Oxygen deprivation and vertigo force the two to intently keep track of their bodies and minds. The film hits many of the same beats as the first, complete with a scene of locals inadvertently overlooking their calls to help but Fall 2: Deadpoint takes the story a bit further. A divisive third act twist sets the tone for whether the sequel will work for any given audience member. It feels silly and shoehorned, making Fall 2: Deadpoint harder to get behind.
Fall 2: Deadpoint, instead of prioritizing more grounded storytelling, focuses on delivering as many disorienting, palm-sweating sequences as possible. From the base of the mountain to the planks to what lies beyond, the sequel is unafraid to raise the stakes. Precarious, rotting wooden beams, jagged metal support rods sticking out of the side of the cliff, and ancient, creaking rope bridges make every movement feel dangerous. It replays the same playbook as the first but adds more human melodrama to spice up the vertigo. The scenes are certainly effective, even if they aren’t particularly inspired. It’s easy to get someone’s heart racing when they are deathly afraid of heights, so for some, Fall 2: Deadpoint works regardless of its narrative prowess.
Its weakest element comes through in its uneven character development. The three leads, Jax, Luce, and Jon, are given sufficient background to be interesting characters but rarely go anywhere. Luce’s recklessness and fear of death are at odds with Jax’s responsibility and trepidation, but not much is done to develop their more frictional confrontations as the film inches towards its bizarre climax. Jon’s absence for most of the film makes it difficult to account for several important questions while also leaving little room to pay attention to his own arc. By the time Fall 2: Deadpoint reaches its zenith, its conclusion feels rushed and unsatisfying given the previous development.
Fans of the first Fall will be disappointed with some of the decisions but Fall 2: Deadpoint otherwise delivers on its stomach-dropping premise. Cinephiles seeking more meat from the story and characters should adventure elsewhere, as Fall 2: Deadpoint shines mostly in its Final Destination-eseque framing of the misadventure. Cliches and stereotypes aside, Fall 2: Deadpoint is an effective, fun survival horror that works if you are on its specific wavelength.
Overall Score? 6/10
