The "Hatchet" Franchise

[StevePulaski]

Hatchet (2006).

A swamp-explorer meets Victor Crowley in Hatchet.

Rating: ★★★

Is Hatchet truly a good horror film? Not really. Is it a throwback to when horror was horror. But does it stand out amongst the remakes that we've had for the last several years? Absolutely. This is by no means a great film, but what we've had to tolerate for so long makes this appear as a golden light shining down on the genre itself.

Adam Green truly has a passion for the horror genre, and is clearly trying to revive it. Hatchet comes labeled with the tagline "OLD SCHOOL AMERICAN HORROR," and in its own right, it very well is. It reminds me of Friday the 13th where you either love it or hate it. It's very brutal, very gory, and very grotesque. But it has a nostalgia factor that doesn't always come equipped with modern horror films. It isn't intolerable as much as it is ambitious.

In the beginning of the film, a father and son (played by horror icon Robert Englund, and Blair Witch star Joshua Leonard, respectively) are beaten and brutally mutilated by a very large and intimidating monster like creature in the middle of the woods. Fast forward to present day, and the film focuses on a group of people who take a haunted swamp tour on the Louisiana bayou. There is an old wise tale about a deformed killer named Victor Crowley (Hodder). Long story short, he killed the father and son, and now he is rumored to haunt the woods and the bayou. The father's daughter Marybeth (Feldman) attends the swamp tour in hopes to find her father's body.

There's the premise, now on to bigger things. The gore, on one hand, is very well done. No CGI or any digital effects as far as I can tell, and everything looks and feels right. The atmosphere is nice, of course I've always been biased towards a woodsy setting. I live near one and always get a little worried at night because you can't see past the entrance. The woods has always been a great setting for horror because you never know what lurks in there after hours.It's much scarier than an abandoned house, but not far behind the woods is the ocean.

The true fun of Hatchet is the nostalgia. It's a simple and entertaining slice 'em and dice 'em film. Laid to Rest, which came three years later, was also in the same spirit, but failed to provide the efficient backstory this one has brought upon us. There isn't much to say negatively about a film that just wants to take you back before everything was about the money and for the true scares. It works on most every note.

Starring: Joel David Moore, Tamara Feldman, Deon Richmond, Mercedes McNab, Parry Shen, Joel Murray, Tony Todd, Robert Englund, and Joshua Leonard. Directed by: Adam Green.

[StevePulaski]

Hatchet II (2010).

Kane Hodder reprises his role as Victor Crowley in Hatchet II.

Rating: ★★

The original Hatchet film was not perfect as much as it was a breath of fresh air to viewers who were bored and disgusted with Michael Bay's remakes. Hatchet II further expands the story of Victor Crowley but does it in such a way that is becomes tiresome. Adam Green, an honestly admirable director, is also considering making two more sequels to follow this one. Unless he can find a way to successfully add more to the storyline, it might just be load, aim, reiterate.

Green directed one of my favorite films of 2010, Frozen. It's one I've continually referenced, and have stated that it could very well be one of the best claustrophobic horror films ever made. Even with a limited release it stood out as the best of its kind in a year that was filled with bigger successes like Buried and The Night Chronicles: Devil. Even in the original Hatchet, Green put his actors and actresses to good use, just like in Frozen. He can effectively get the most out of his actors and his script which is something more directors need to accommodate.

But the problem in Hatchet II is hard to define. It seems uninspired, bleak, and starting to enter the world of modern horror. The original film creatively invented its tagline stated it was "OLD SCHOOL AMERICAN HORROR" while Hatchet II doesn't boast the same concept. It just seems like now that it's on the map, it's becoming more of a modern horror series rather than an old school series.

The film picks up immediately where the original left off. Marybeth (now played by Danielle Harris rather than by Tamara Feldman like the original) barely escapes an encounter with Victor Crowley, and is rescued by a creepy fisherman named Jack Cracker (Buechler). After learning her last name and recalling the history, he throws her out of his cabin leading Marybeth to seek help from Rev. Zombie (Todd). Zombie tells Marybeth the history of her father and Victor Crowley, and sets up an expedition to find the beast. Whoever kills the monster will be award $5,000.

My favorite character was probably Colton Dunn who provided comic-relief with his token black guy schtick. Normally, I disapprove of comedy being in a horror film, but the original had its share of goofy humor and, as I recall, some of the early slashers had little ounces of comedy to occupy them. Not enough to be called the dreadful "comedy-horror," but enough to satisfy. Dunn provided a likeable persona, up until he was slaughtered in seconds.

Hatchet II is fast paced, but lacks suspense. Much of the woodsy scenery is back, which gives the film a plus, but nothing is truly built up as much as it is just a strong musical chord causing us to jump. The gore is back, and still Green hasn't used a touch of CGI from what I can tell. The gruesome element is still here, and some of the deaths are just mean-spirited and nasty. Nothing wrong with that.

The gore is doubled, just like the title, and it seems that if there's any reason to watch Hatchet II is because of the grotesque killings Green has thought up. The storyline is nice, but unnecessary. They're fueling a character that is rather simple with a lot of grimy backstory that truly isn't needed. I like information in films, I like quite a lot of it. I'm not saying the premise is complex, it's just bloated and rather cliche.

Horror icon Kane Hodder is one of the few people that reprises his role. He plays Victor Crowley, and does it with loads of makeup and energy. Hodder has most always been the highlight of every film he was in, and is probably the best person who ever sunk his feet in Jason Voorhees' shoes.

Hatchet II is short and sweet, and doesn't make you feel your time was robbed. The creativity is there, but its purpose and roots are starting to diminish. We could see the obligatory sequel(s) coming a mile away, but just because there are sequels, doesn't mean we have to grown at them. Adam Green should remind us that.

Starring: Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Parry Shen, Tom Holland, R.A. Mihailoff, Colton Dunn, and AJ Bowen. Directed by: Adam Green.

[StevePulaski]

Hatchet III (2013).

Danielle Harris.

Rating: ★★★

When a horror franchise takes a turn for the worst, it scarcely ever catches itself and rebounds back to quality entertainment for its sequels. This reason is precisely why I'm so stunned that I'm awarding Hatchet III three stars. I'm reminded of its predecessor, a dull and gory affair that emphasized on the monotony of the horror genre, and showed that even if you bill yourself as a favorable homage to the films of the eighties that you'll need to work on not having familiarity breed contempt.

Hatchet III, however, is simply fun as we revisit (and hopefully for the final time) the swamps of New Orleans where Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) lives. Crowley is a deformed killer who exists to haunt the swamps in search of his father's remains. We begin immediately where Hatchet II left off (just like with that film, respectively), where Marybeth (Marybeth Dunston) escapes the swamplands only to be arrested at the police station for coming in bloodied and with a weapon after fighting off Crowley. However, Crowley is still alive in the woods, and accompanied by an investigative journalist who is blacklisted for believing in the man and a police officer, Marybeth and the rest of the police force venture out to the swamps to take out Crowley once and for all.

Hatchet II was a little redundant and smothering with its endless obsession with gore and violence, and its dizzying plot developments that lacked pacing and suspense. Hatchet III is the closest thing to slowburn horror in the slasher genre I've seen recently, giving the film enough time to build up adequate suspense before the arrival of the long-awaited madman. It's fair to say the "catch the killer" plot with an abundance of police officers and methods of blunt force is overdone and repetitive, but I find this to be is more competent approach to a sequel rather than an approach that truly does bring a hatchet-job to a solid idea.

The film was directed by BJ McDonnell and was penned and financed by the franchise's creator, Adam Green, whose film Frozen I named one of the best horror films of the year in 2010. Green, whatever way you want to slice it (pun intended), he has an incorruptible love for the genre and he's showing it in a way that isn't disrespectful or quietly smarmy. He's making rawer, gorier horror films, that kindly drift away from the overcompensating and redundant confines of the paranormal and exorcism plots that plague theaters every year. Whether or not people get his work, as well, doesn't seem to faze him either. He's just seems to be happy his work is getting around and his love for the horror genre is being expressed accordingly.

The Hatchet franchise has been something of a roller-coaster, but never a burden. All the films run at a concise eighty minutes, give or take, and they all feature enough gore and inanity to satisfy on some level.With the third installment, Green has reconnected with his footing, which is a great mix of gratuitous gore and stable plotting; and, not to mention, terrific performances by the likes of Derek Mears and Sid Haig (who gives probably the best performance since Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects).

Starring: Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, Zach Galligan, Caroline Williams, Derek Mears, and Sid Haig. Directed by: BJ McDonnell.