Hatchet (2006)

Rating: R (Originally NC-17)

Country: US

Running Time: 83 minutes

Director: Adam Green

Starring: Joel Moore, Tamara Feldman, Deon Richmond, Mercedes McNab, Parry Shen, etc.

Full of recognizable minor stars and no names, Hatchet is exactly what the tagline informs the viewers: "Old-school american horror". It has everything of an 80s slasher, from boobs to insane kills. It even copies and borrows elements from its peers. In its 80 minute running time, it accomplishes and hits all the right spots for a successful horror film....well, almost all of them. You see, Hatchet tries to become more than it already will end up to be: A stupid, moronic yet entertaining popcorn weekend film to laugh at and make fun of. Near the last quarter of it, it submerges from good to plain bad (Mostly due to the lackluster transitions between its so-called black comedy and thrills). It's incredibly formulaic and unbearably cheesy at times, especially when the actual murders kick in. Sure it's nice to watch in its low-budget galore, but come on, that second death looked like one of the most poorly done and fake scenes I've ever witnessed. Plus, Victor Crowley is an exact replica and recycled, plagiaristic and badly done version of Jason Voorhees. He steals his deformities, his super strength...every single aspect of him is inside the mind of Crowley. Even with all of this criticism packed deep within the core of Hatchet, it still manages to pull the strings. For a B-movie, it has extraordinary screenplay and the entire background/make-up setup is magnificent. Kane Hodder once again is horrendous as the unnerving and quite alarming immortal mutant monster known as Victor Crowley and his whole appearance is one of the best and soon to be celebrated representatives of a killer figure ever. A good film in my honest opinion. And for all the haters, I understand why you might not love this and it looks like I'm one of the few standing up applauding this for being such a blast.

Pros: Sensational background/make-up setup, mindblowing tall man performance from Kane Hodder once again, fantastic screenplay, very amusing and pleasant

Cons: Not original or refreshing in any sort of way, cheesy and formulaic

Recommended? maybe - a film recommended only for an audience suitable to and used to the factors of an average B-movie.

6/10