ArieScope Pictures, High Seas Entertainment, Radioaktive Film
Joel Moore, Deon Richmond, Kane Hodder, Tamara Feldman, Robert Englund, Mercedes McNab, Parry Shen, Richard Riehle
Ben (Joel Moore), his friend Marcus (Deon Richmond) are in town for Mardi Gras. Looking for adventure, they were told to look for a haunted boat tour of the swam nearby, but could not find anyone who would take them. Finally the pair and assorted strangers find a shady tour guide who takes them on a creepy nighttime boat trip into the bayou, but he’s a fake and knows nothing about the local legends except what’s on his index cards. Their journey takes them into the lair of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), a freak of nature whose deformity has turned him into a bloodthirsty killer. Only Marybeth (Tamara Feldman), one of the fellow travelers, knows the secret that may keep them alive. Victor’s story is tragic, and shocking, and completely true.
I have been waiting to see Hatchet for some time since I viewed the newly released Hatchet2. This story is not too bad either. The two work together. Marybeth has some unresolved issues with a mystery in her family and sets out to solve the mystery. Victor Crowley is a fitting monster a la Jason in the Friday the 13th series. He has a reason to be pissed, and has a lot of ways to kill those who trespass on his territory. The characters are very low budget unknowns, for the most part. They somehow talked Robert Englund into appearing in a cameo in the beginning of this which is delightful, but aside from that, some of the characters are rather good. There’s a creepy wannabe porn producer who has a couple bimbos along whom he keeps talking into taking off their tops for the video, and the asian guy from Detroit who is the tour leader is a hoot. One by one the cast gets smaller, and it’s in good fun, almost like you don’t feel sorry for them.
I waited and waited for this DVD to creep up in my queue and suddenly, lo and behold, it appeared as a “Watch Instantly” and I was able to grab it. Certainly this pair fit together, and I rated the two films exactly the same. They are about equal. Neither outshines the other, although if you have a choice, watch Hatchet before Hatchet 2 and you’ll follow the whole story better. I saw them in the reverse order though, and I still see how the stories fit together. Certainly not stellar cinema, but very decent horror/slasher flicks and well worth the time if you’re a fan of the genre.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
