It's been a long while since a decent slasher flick made it's way to my DVD player but finally, here it is. Hatchet was released in 2007 and was directed by Adam Green. This flick definitely borrows from past films with the whole 'deformed or mangled child that grows up to be an unstoppable killer' vibe (ie. Friday the 13th, The Burning, etc.) but it gets it done in such a good way.
Hatchet tells the tale of a group of people (led by Joel Moore of Dodgeball and Grandma's Boy fame) lured into a haunted swamp tour through the Louisiana Bayou by an inexperienced tour guide who tells them the story of Victor Crowley (well-played by Kane Hodder of the Friday the 13th series) and Victor's father (also played by Hodder). I don't want to kill the story by telling you too much about it but as you can probably guess, after telling the story, the tour guide wrecks the boat and they get to meet Victor Crowley in person.
Hatchet is not short of humor and certainly not short on gore. The death scenes in this flick are incredible and the effects done by John Carl Buechler are nothing short of spectacular. The cast is also good and the filmmakers pay homage to their roots with cameos by Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) and Tony Todd (Candyman).
Check out the preview posted below and then forget about your Netflix account; buy this movie today as it is one for the collection.
Hatchet 2 is slated for production in 2010 and you can bet that I'll be ready for it.
