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I only got this movie a while ago on an hunch.
And I do not regret it.
While the director/writer of the piece, Adam Green harks back to the era of 80's movies he manages to recreate it with so little fault that you let the occasionally slip up pass by.
Whilst originally the lure of watching this was to see Tony Todd, Robert Englund and Kane Hodder it didn't take long for my attention to lead away from them and toward the characters you know are inevitably going to get killed off.
The storyline is simplistic which adds as unlike previous predecessors it does not attempt to manipulate or twist and turn to the point you don't know where you are headed.
The Killer is a awesome creation and makes for some of the darkest moments of the movie. The one downside to this movie is timing, but if you can get past the trivial part, its worth the ride.
Blood, guts and gore flies and after the first death things just get more and more messed up. And lastly for me what elevated this movie above many others currently abtaining the market is the Special Features are worth watching.
There are hidden gems that will have new and appreciating fans laughing so much they will not know what's hit them.
For all the faults that could be seen, it is in one description. Funny, original and a worthy movie in the Horror genre. I guarantee that one day the creation of Victor Croweley will be mentioned in the same breath of air as Kruegar and Jason.
A brilliant, post modern take on 80's Horror that will stay sharp in young minds. Absolutely Brilliant.
Not at all what I expected. The story was great, music good as well, most of the acting was acceptable, the design of Victor Crowley was awesome. This film starred 3 legendary actors; Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley and his father; Robert Englund as the one girl's father; and Tony Todd as a voodoo store owner. This was a comedy-horror film, which only suits Army of Darkness. And I'm not a big fan of comedy-horror films. Another thing that I really liked and I know most other people did, were the executions. The executions were amazingly awesome. Tons of blood and gore and really creative.
Posted By: 0zzyCrowley at 11:43am, October 23, 2008
Holy fuck amazing midnight movie. I describe this movie to friends as an 18A (basically a Canadian R) version of "Are you afraid of the Dark?" haha. Gore is amazing, deaths VERY original
Posted By: MikaylaTHEend at 5:21am, October 14, 2008
Wow best good old school horror movie, in awhile. I watched the rob zombie remake of halloween right after and honestly it had nothing on Hatchet. And if you watched the extra features, it is insane. the prop man built the gas powered belt sander the killer took to the girl's face. yea, makes you want to work in the props department. lol.
Posted By: HisNextVictim at 6:08pm, October 11, 2008
Great gore, good acting, its amazing that a horror movie gets these credentials these days :P
Hatchet
(Circuit City Exclusive 2 Disc Version)
(8.5/10)
Pros:
*Harks back to the golden age of the 80's Horror.
*Horror Icon Kane Hodder not only is in it, but he plays two roles!
*Even has it's humorous moments without diluting the frights.
Cons:
*In a way, it's just a revival-like copy of the non-CGI slasher era.
Nothing really new to see here.
*A slight misuse of Tony Todd and an overuse of Joel David Moore.
*An ending that may leave you wanting more.
Well, at least I feel a hundred times better about picking this one up than I do about Halloween '07!
This was fun. Simple, brainless fun. There is nothing ground-breaking here, a story you've seen over and over again, but it sticks out much more. Very interesting kills that I haven't quite seen before. The "no CGI" rule here is a pleasant surprise, especially to a fan like me who lived when there was no CGI available in the first place.
I'll admit this movie isn't perfect, it has flaws. Victor Crowley's look is odd. I kept wondered if the makers of the 1980 movie "The Elephant Man" would eventually sue, his look is that close. And even though the mix of humor and horror was very well distributed, it did tend to lead itself dangerously close to "Scream/Scary Movie" territory, a place that I don't want to visit during a film with gore effects to be taken seriously, but luckily like I said, it was at a good level. Also, the lead was played by Joel David Moore, a six-foot plus looking geek that I first saw as the Matrix-obsessed game programmer in the comedy "Grandma's Boy", and that was hard for me to shake at times, this kid truly reeks of second-banana geek, not horror film leading man. And what about "The Sopranos" like ending? Good...bad? I'm still not sure....
Anyway, I bought this for only $9.96 (price-matched to WalMart) and got the exclusive Circuit City 2-Disc edition. All it really has is the unrated disc and the R-rated one, so if you bought either, your disc is in here. And what's the difference between the cuts? 31 seconds. Seriously...but that half minute does make a hell of a difference.
To a old-school fan of Friday The 13th, Halloween, and countless other slasher films of the 80's, this brought back great memories and earns to be beside them in my collection. After the recent tragedy of Halloween '07, this gave my hope of modern-day Horror a little more much needed boost.
This was a good movie. It is basically just a unaltered, tried and true slasher movie. The antagonist is some weird deformed thing and his weapon of choice...you guessed it he uses a hatchet and he mauls the crap out of a bunch of stranded tourists. The movie ends with your stereotypical girl survivor and some idiotic protagonist getting chased down by the villain. Anyhow, you can assume what will happen the whole movie and probably be right. That doesn't make this a waste of time, its just not anything you haven't seen before.
Posted By: Protecious at 1:06pm, September 30, 2008
Wow, what a pleasure watching this throwback to 80s slasher films this was, i reallly liked this movie alot , it reminds me of some mid to late 80s films like pumpkinhead, scarecrows, but with a more human like villian with a reason for revenge, it's not the most original story in the world, but the ride itself was a blast and overall one of the best horror movies to come out of the year it did.
it just sucked waiting for the dvd for what seemed like 3 long years. long live victor crowley!
Victor Crowley is definitely a slasher on the rise! Hatchet is one the best slasher films I have ever seen. Its funny and insanely gory with very original and (sometimes) over-the-top kills. I also loved the ending because it left me questioning 'What really happens to Mary Beth?' Those of who love slasher films need to see this movie.
not what you would expect from a film with robert englund in , as you watch you just KNOW whats comeing next infact you could be asleep and know what comeing next , dont waist your time .
Easily one of the most insanely gory films in recent memory, 'Hatchet', while delivers some invulnerably cheap shocks and sensational gore, is just too cheap, too unfunny, and the plot is just too thin for my tastes. I didn't enjoy the film.
Hatchet IS a return to old school horror. I loved this film from beginning to end! The characters were, well, charachters and that is what I liked about it. So fun to watch, the kills were great, boobies flying in with the way they did it, it was hilarious. I highly recommend this one if your in the mood for a slasher flick with some fun! 8/10
don't waste your time on this. I was looking forward to it, and it turned out to be a complete disaster. A jason knock off with a stupid monster design.
This has been one of the best slashers in awhile. It was great to go back to the friday th e 13th films! The movie was hilarious and the acting was great. The killer was awesome and tthe neding was awesome. i am definitely going to buy this soon.
This film for me shows how much can be given to the world with a low budget. Great Effects many of which could possibly be made on a cheap budget for indi film makers. Story was great finaly the outcast gets his revenge for his past.
great movie full of the fun that made me start watching horror movies to start with. The story was good enough and then dialogue was fantastic i was laughing out loud alot. the typical players in the movie were great.
I was thrown back to Friday the 13th films. And I really enjoyed it, the gore was fantastic and there were some funny parts that made me giggle. I think this was made to remind people of the old 80's slasher film. A good one to watch with your friends.
It's also nice to see Hodder still behind horrid make up FX, it's like the film was made for him. rock on Hodder xx
Hatchet reminded me so much of a Friday the 13th film. Honestly that's probably the reason I enjoyed it so much. Of course there's no story, it's a slasher flick... a slasher flick with a story is an oxymoron. Take it for what it is: a lot of fun.
I was so hyped for this movie and it didnt let me down one bit. The gore was awesome and it was really funny to at the same time. Victor Crowley was an awesome character and I hope he becomes a horror legend like Freddy or Jason.
It had a great story line and pretty good filming, the cast was pretty good as well. I liked the music during the credits but the rest sucked it was extreamly cheasy.
overall this was a pretty good movie and deff worth seeing. great killings and lots of blood! :D
Easily the best kills EVER...in ANY movie.
Especially Dion Richmond's death. Looks like the Token Black Guy (see Not Another Teen Movie) gets smashed again. Ha ha....ok, not even remotely funny.
Nice job getting all the icons together again with Englund, Todd, and of course Hodder.
If this movie did not set out from the beginning to be a cliche of 70/80's slasher films I would probably hate it but over all it was a fun ride and was a great tribute to the genre.
This was the best slasher flick i saw since Nightmare On Elm Street and Halloween. This film was amazingly shot. The comedy is great. The gore is amazing. This is a salute to horror and why we watch our beloved genre. Just ignore Jicle comments, he/she doesn't know horror obviously. This movie is an A+ film. Thanks Adam.
This movie is complete shit, victor corwley moves like a fucking robot, The people that were dieing could have easily killed victor when he was on the ground, like when he got shot, when ben stabbed him with a pitchfork, when he was on fire, there were so many good chances they had to take him out but didnt. This movie sucks so bad, the blood sprays were too dramatized, and un-realistic. The jokes and comedy attempts were lame as shit
Absolute shit. To think there was a time that I bought into the 'Hatchet-hype' and was actually excited to see this "80's throwback". This film is awful on almost every level that exists in filmmaking. To be fair, a couple of the kills are worth a laugh, but it's not worth your time or money to see it. Do yourself a favor and stick to Friday the 13th films.
Posted By: kimberrflakes at 3:00pm, February 22, 2008
This movies good for a laugh at best, although the gore does tickle my fancy. The plot line sucks, and the actors are entirely worthless. I did enjoy how it has the aspect of every good horror movie, but it just wasn't cutting it.
Posted By: kaufmanfan at 11:55am, February 22, 2008
awesome. this is truly the best best slasher film in years.
Posted By: Piscatella at 9:22pm, February 10, 2008
don't care if it makes you reminiscent of 80's slasher films... IT WAS NOT GOOD!!! poor story, poor characters, STUPID dialog with STUPID jokes, poor directing. REALLY GOOD splatter though... But it doesn't justify it's existence. Sorry but I think the movie sucked big time!
I love this movie for all it has....it has comedy...horror...blood....nudity....a token black guy who knows hes going to die...and btw..he was TOKEN in Not another teen movie...CLASSIC....i saw this in theaters and loved it...Anyone who loves 80's horror should definitely watch this, and I hope Adam Green decides to make a sequel but later down the road.
Posted By: Ron Ferrell at 11:21am, February 6, 2008
Posted By: cloverfielder at 1:25pm, February 3, 2008
What can i say about Hatchet? Lets just make this quick and simple. If your bored, and sick of sucky PG-13 attempts of horror movies, see this. Theres some extreme gore scenes, lots of boobs. And its just fun and makes you jump.
To help one of their broken-hearted friends, Ben (Joel Moore), get over the breakup with his cheating girlfriend, a group of teens head to Mardi Gras. The plan is to the tried and true method of sex, drugs and rock and roll as a way to get his mind off of his ex. To their dismay, Ben just isn't into it. Instead of partaking in all the things that make Mardi Gras worth going to, he talks one of his friends, Marcus (Deon Richmond) into going with him on a New Orleans Haunted Swamp Boat Tour. This particular late-night boat ride through the swamps is populated by an amateur porn director (Joel Murray) and his two female "stars", Jenna (Joleigh Fioreavanti) and Misty (Buffy's own Mercedes McNab), Marybeth, a standoff-ish local girl (Tamara Feldman), an elderly couple from the Midwest, and their Asian tour guide (Parry Shen). As they proceed through the swamps they are treated to ghosts in the form of swamp gas and the story of local legend, Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). Victor was a deformed boy killed by accident at the hands of some young pranksters. This led to Victor's father (also played by Kane Hodder) accidentally putting a hatchet in Victor's face. Victor's father eventually died from grief, but legend has it that Victor still roams the swamps at night, looking for his daddy and dispatching any unwelcome visitors that dare invade his swamp. When the tour boat becomes grounded, forcing the group to enter the swamp on foot, Hatchet delves into full-fledge '80s slasher mode as they try to get out of the swamp while coming face to face with the legend himself.
Even though the title sequence begins with Marilyn Manson aptly screaming "This is the new shit!", director Adam Green has created a horror film harkening back to the good old days of the Ebert coined "dead teenager movie". As with other slasher films of days gone by, Hatchet breaks no new ground as it gathers a group of people together and puts them in an environment that isolates them from the rest of the world pits them against a seemingly omnipresent entity that begins killing them one by one, in different ways, until the lone female survivor does battle with it. Regarding these slasher staples, Hatchet introduces absolutely nothing new to the genre. Stereotypical characters, pointless female nudity, dumb decision making, bloody deaths, a seemingly unstoppable villain, the lone, female heroine...all of it is here and showcased. This is a slasher film that takes all of the now clichéd defining points of the slasher and does them in a way that does not come off seemingly self aware or leaving the viewer feeling like the creators are constantly winking at you while you are watching. Hatchet firmly roots itself as a slasher film and then delivers exactly what the audience craves from one. While on one hand displaying some genuinely funny moments, it is still a brutal, bloody film. Creators seemed to be making a movie purely to kill some people and give some slasher fans exactly what they expect.
The reason why there has been a bit of hype over this film is not just because of the over-the-top gore, as most horror fans have proven time and time again that this alone does not a good movie make. Hatchet has other things going for it as well. The comedic portions of the film usually derived from the film's dialog, works more than it doesn't. The characters, who are portrayed capably by the young cast, are also a bit more fleshed out as well, with more screen time given to the background and personalities of the victims than you normally expect from a film in which the victims are usually treated as nothing more than killer fodder. The exchanges between the two porn stars are quite funny, as well as the dialog between Ben and Marcus. There are also a couple of laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled throughout the film that are not expected, such as Ben's attempt to hit on Marybeth and later on, a cell phone scene that involves Dawson's Creek. But don't let the mentioning of humor bog you down or think that Hatchet is a "slasher-lite" type of film. Adam Green keeps the two completely separated. While violence and humor can be mixed, Adam keeps the two firmly separated. Other directors should also note the way the cameos are handled in this film. With horror veterans such as Robert Englund, Tony Todd Kane Hodder and even The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard making an appearance, they are done in a way that is not distracting, and in the case of Tony Todd, even a bit inspired.
In regards to the the violence, that is another area in which Hatchet succeeds. The special effects in Hatchet are done exceptionally well and handled by FX veteran, John Carl Buechler. If you have not smiled at the cool factor of a death scene in a horror film in a while, you will be happy to know that there is more than one death in this film that should help remedy that situation. Even within the budget constraints, disembowelments, decapitations by shovel, a great head splitting scene and even a ridiculous act with a gas-powered belt sander, Hatchet still delivers the goods and most gorehounds should finish the film feeling quite satisfied. Monster fans should rejoice as well as Adam is not afraid of showing off the Victor Crowley character as he does quite often and up close. He is big and ugly and looks to be closely related to The Goonie’s Sloth, had Sloth lived on a steady diet of radiation poisoning and steroids. It should also be noted that in regards to all of the effects, there is NO CGI! Just pounds of latex and copious amounts of the liquid red stuff. Old school, splatter style.
Even though they are minor and a bit nit-picky, the film does suffer from a few problems, one being the character of Victor Crowley himself. Adam Greene comes so close in creating a new icon to stand next to Jason, Myers and the lot, but falls a bit short of the mark. That's not to say that there still isn't a chance with Victor Crowley, especially with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre-ish ending of the film, ripe for a sequel. Victor Crowley just needs to be fleshed out a tad more. Victor is a mix between Jason, Frankenstein's Monster and a good portion of mutated, Cajun hillbilly and without a doubt he is an imposing enemy. But if there is a sequel made, and maybe just a tad more depth added to the paper-thin protagonist and his motivations, there is no doubt that in the future you very well may hear "Victor Crowley" mentioned in the same breath as the rest of the established horror icons. The score decent, but not memorable, and that is one thing a film like this needs to establish a new icon...Crowley needs THEME music. This may sound cliché, but seeing as Hatchet revels in the slasher film dogma, this is one thing that was missing. Lastly, the entire cast does a fine job, but Tamara Feldman's performance as the heroine of the film was a bit lacking. This is compounded when considering her back-story. But none of these problems are major and do not hinder the film in any major way.
In this day and age of uninspired remakes and torture films, Hatchet is a breath of fresh air for the horror movie genre. Even though it may not be completely original, treads over well worn ground, and a tad over hyped, Hatchet does hit all the right marks unlike recent entries into the slasher genre like Venom and The Tripper, and has a very good chance of becoming a cult classic.
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