Hatchet Movie Review (2006)

There's more than alligators that you have to worry about in the swamps of Louisiana...and his name is Victor Crowley! Victor was born deformed and was bullied and teased by the local kids. One year on Halloween night, some of the kids accidentally set fire to his cabin in an attempt to get him outside for more nefarious reasons. Victor's father arrives shortly thereafter and tries to break into the cabin to save his son but is unsuccessful, so he grabs a hatchet in an attempt to break the door down. Unbeknownst to him, Victor was pressed up against the other side of the door and was accidentally struck in the face with the hatchet resulting in his death at his father's hands. Legend has it that Victor has returned and takes his revenge on anyone who passes through his swamp.

After their tour boat sinks and they find themselves stuck, a group of tourists must find their way back to the mainland. Unfortunately for them, they just happen to be stranded close to the old Crowley place and it's blocking their way back. It doesn't take long for the group to start getting taken out one by one in some of the most grotesque and brutal ways including a face rip (think of the reverse bear trap from Saw but with bare hands), a neck being twisted 360 degrees and knocked backwards shooting out a fountain of blood, decapitation by shovel and a grinder to the face.

What I like about Hatchet is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Even though the film touts itself as "Old School American Horror," it's not a straight horror movie as there is a lot of comic relief throughout. One of the most comical scenes is when (ironically) Victor is set ablaze in an attempt to kill him, but the skies open up and rain pours down to put out the flames. I also truly appreciate the fact that the film was able to bring three legends of horror together, even if they're never in the same shot. Adult Victor and his father are played by Kane Hodder and Tony Todd and Robert Englund have brief appearances as support characters.

~TJ