R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned
A resurrected sheriff returns to save humanity from a gateway to hell.
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned is a 2022 buddy cop science fantasy film directed by Paul Leyden, who co-wrote the screenplay with Andrew Klein. Produced by Universal Home Entertainment, it is based on the Dark Horse comic series R.I.P.D. and acts as a prequel to the 2013 film.
The story follows Sheriff Roy Pulsipher, who is killed by a gang led by Otis Clairborne in Red Creek. After ascending to the afterlife, Roy enters the Rest In Peace Department office, shakes hands with manager Hano, and commits to fighting Deados. Sent back to Earth, he lands in an outhouse, gets trampled by buffalo, and meets his partner, Jeanne d'Arc. Roy suspects the criminals he shot are Deados. Together, Roy and Jeanne intercept a prison transport, identify a Deado by a burn on his upper body, and eliminate two criminals. They question the third, Slim Samuels, about Clairborne’s plans.
In a deserted town, Roy and Jeanne appear as two different avatars: Roy as a Black woman and Jeanne as a white woman, and check into a hotel run by Mayor Julius Butterfield, who hesitates to take them in. Butterfield and employee Beverly have a cough caused by a curse or supernatural effect related to the gateway. After Butterfield betrays them for a gas mask, Roy and Jeanne are imprisoned. Roy reunites with Angus, his daughter Charlotte’s fiancé. Clairborne plans to use prisoners to open a gate to hell, as Deados cannot do so. Beverly frees Slim, who clears his name, and Slim frees Roy, Jeanne, and Angus. Jeanne overcomes her fear of fire, leaps over the gate, and closes it with a drop of Jesus’ tears she found centuries earlier. The demon Astaroth, possessing Clairborne, remains. Roy finds more tears, coats his bullets, and shoots Astaroth. Slim and Beverly become sheriff and deputy, arresting Butterfield for Roy’s murder. Roy attends Charlotte’s wedding to Angus. He tries to say goodbye to Jeanne, but his minimum 100-year contract keeps them together.
The cast includes Jeffrey Donovan as Roy Pulsipher, Rachel Adedeji as Avatar Roy, Penelope Mitchell as Jeanne d’Arc, Evlyne Oyedokun as Avatar Jeanne, Jake Choi as Slim Samuels, Richard Brake as Otis Clairborne, Tilly Keeper as Charlotte, Stephanie Levi-John as Beverly, Richard Fleeshman as Angus, Kerry Knuppe as Hano, and Péter Fancsikai as a bank accountant.
In August 2022, it was announced that the prequel had been filmed, starring Donovan, M
- Release format
- Digital platforms, Blu-ray, and DVD
- Release date
- Digital: November 15, 2022; Blu-ray and DVD: January 10, 2023
Quick Facts
- Director
- Paul Leyden
- Screenplay
- Andrew Klein / Paul Leyden
- Producer
- Ogden Gavanski
- Based On
- Rest in Peace Department · Peter M. Lenkov
- Starring
- Jeffrey Donovan / Penelope Mitchell / Jake Choi / Richard Brake / Rachel Adedeji / Kerry Knuppe / Evlyne Oyedokun
- Music
- J. Peter Robinson
- Cinematography
- Bruno Degrave
- Editing
- Kevin Armstrong
- Studio
- Universal 1440 Entertainment
- Distributor
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- Released
- 2022 · 11 · 15
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film's opening credits show Otis Clairborne opening a gateway to hell in search of gold, as a result of which a mysterious being takes possession of him. A few months later, Sheriff Roy Pulsipher is killed by a gang of criminals led by Otis Clairborne in Red Creek. As in the first film, Roy enters an office of the Rest In Peace Department (R.I.P.D.) on his ascent to the afterlife. After looking through the weapons, Roy commits himself to the R.I.P.D. by shaking hands with the office manager Hano to fight Deados. He is sent back to Earth, lands in an outhouse in an open field, is overrun by buffalo and meets his partner, Jeanne d'Arc.
Since Roy is certain that he has shot one of the criminals who is still alive, he assumes that they
Reader's Guide
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned is a direct-to-video prequel to the 2013 film R.I.P.D., released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 15, 2022. Directed by Paul Leyden from a screenplay he co-wrote with Andrew Klein, the film stars Jeffrey Donovan as Sheriff Roy Pulsipher, Penelope Mitchell as Jeanne d'Arc, Jake Choi as Slim Samuels, Richard Brake as Mayor Otis Clairborne, and Kerry Knuppe as Hano. The plot follows a resurrected sheriff who returns to Earth to save humanity from a gateway to hell, with Jeanne d'Arc ultimately closing the gate using a drop of Jesus' tears. The film received a 25% positive rating from 4 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 3.1/10, and was given a negative review by Paste. Its significance lies in expanding the R.I.P.D. franchise with a prequel story, though it garnered limited critical attention.
Did You Know?
- The film was released directly to Blu-ray and DVD on November 15, 2022.
- It serves as a prequel to the 2013 film R.I.P.D., based on the Dark Horse comic book series.
- The cast includes Jeffrey Donovan as Roy Pulsipher and Penelope Mitchell as Jeanne d'Arc.
- On Rotten Tomatoes, 25% of 4 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.1/10.
More in Paranormal films 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record