Halloween Horrors 12 - Hatchet

I love Monsters. I love Gore wrought by big screaming monster men. I love Hatchet. This is a fun horror film that serves both as a reminder of the glory years of Slasher and Masher Mayhem but also proves, without a doubt, that a low budget horror film can be truly effective. Even if it is *GASP* released by Anchor Bay Entertainment pretty much direct to video. That is a damn shame, because this is the kind of film that horror fans AND casual movie goers that want a good horror film for Halloween to share a date night that will certainly result in some laughs and leg squeezes!


Reviews are everywhere for Hatchet and they are universally good. I had passed on this thanks to a less than exciting cover and that dreaded Anchor Bay release (boy, those first ones REALLY put the whammy on me). Good pal Dan Taylor of Exploitation Retrospect gave me the DVD and that is one incredible endorsement...so last night I finally popped it in. The music is great (and I loved the use of "This Is The New Shit" by Marilyn Manson), the cast is funny, the monster is effective and the effects are outrageous. Believe the hype.

But what I can add as a personal experience is that this film makes me smile for one particular person. John Carl Buechler. Seeing his name over that Marilyn Manson song was cool, and then watching his work shine like never before was very exciting for this Friday the 13th fan. Part 7 - The New Blood is one of my favorite films that never really was. I liked the script, for all it's deficiencies, because it was trying something unique in a formula that had worn itself down to the proverbial bone. Jason looked cool, the music is rolling and the characters are ready to be chopped down by our hockey masked maniac. And then very little actually happens. Well, it happened and we never got to see it. I've seen the video taped footage that should have been there and for F13 fans it is really amazing work. So suit up this new maniac, who reminds me of a hybrid of Jason in F13 2 and F13 7, and lets get body cracking. It even helps that Kane Hodder is running around in the Victor Crowley suit-he brings that same menace that he perfected with Jason Vorhees to it's fullest potential. Crowley doesn't really sneak around, he is like Jason minus the ninjitsu skills.Yep, you want a good Halloween movie? Try Hatchet!