Review: Hatchet Trilogy 2006–2013
Super fun, gore-filled trilogy that I’m going to review as one film since each sequel picks up exactly where the previous one ended. “The Hatchet Trilogy” introduces a new slasher villain, Victor Crowley, who I do believe will one day earn a place among the classics. At first glance, there seems little more to these films than a host of often creative and always extremely gory kills, (though sometimes that’s all you need!) but after multiple viewings, you start to see, and to appreciate the depth of the story. I actually recently listened to the commentaries on all the Hatchet films and I was in awe of the passion and dedication, not only of the director/writer Adam Green, but also all of the actors, and really everyone involved! For example, learning that during the first film, when Joel David Moores’s character (Ben) vomits, Moore actually insisted that he vomit for real! Call me crazy, but I just loved that, not only the integrity but also how it added that extra bit of realness to a film that people generally write off as all fake/effects. And that level of dedication is consistent through all the films, everyone involved just cared so much and wanted to make the Hatchet movies as great as they could be and I really do think it shows, especially after a few watches…once you (somewhat) get over all the heads and limbs being ripped off…;). Though on the subject of the gore: Phenomenal. One of my favourite kills shows a woman get half her head ripped off from the upper jaw upwards! The way her tongue writhes and spasms in/on what’s left of her mouth is just horrifically gorgeous! And that’s just one kill of oh so many, I think my kill count got up to roughly 45+, spanning all three movies, and we see most of them, and they are glorious.
I would also like to talk about Kane Hodder who fantastically portrays Victor Crowley, as well as the role of Victor’s father. Most horror fans will know Kane Hodder as the original Jason Voorhees, and he was brilliant as Jason, but that role of course didn’t do much to truly showcase much of his talents as an actor, and left many to think of him mostly as a stunt man…and of course he never showed his face. As Victor’s father, (and even as Victor Crowley, to be honest), he is given the chance to really show people his range and what he can do as an actor and it’s beautiful to behold.
On the subject of actors, the trilogy mostly follows Marybeth Dunston, who is played by 2 different actors. In the first film she is played by Tamara Feldman, and in the second and third installments the role is taken over by Danielle Harris, while I know that this change was not planned, I always thought it actually worked so well. Without giving away too much, I’ll just say that after what Marybeth underwent in the first film, it just seemed fitting for her to become almost an entirely different person in the next movies, even though the whole trilogy is meant to take place in a matter of days… I just feel like the original Marybeth is more emotional, perhaps even bordering on whiny…but personally I never found her overly whiny, just appropriately :).. but in the second movie she’s tougher, for the most part..and by the third she’s hard as nails and getting to the point where life has gotten so insane she may as well get some dark humor and sarcasm in..;).
And Parry Shen! All his characters are brilliant! He’s brilliant. I just love him. He apparently even came up with the idea for one of his characters to change his accent a second time which is just subtly amazing and makes the character so much funnier.
I really can’t say enough about how fantastic these movies actually are, they’re well made, they’re funny and bloody, and they’re filled with little nods to each other and to other famous horror films, and even to things in the cast/crew’s personal lives! Parry Shen is in all the movies despite dying multiple times! It’s all just so clever and wonderfully over-the-top in all the right ways! The music is amazing, (especially in the intros) the actors may not all be well known, but they undeniably give their roles their ALL.
“The Hatchet Trilogy” takes place in the swamps of New Orleans, and in those parts, there is an old legend. The legend of a hulking, deformed boy named Victor Crowley who used to live in the swamp with his father, until one night a prank, a fire, a hatchet, and a fateful accident lead to Victor’s death. And, as the story goes, his ghost still wanders the swamp, searching for his father, and brutally killing anyone who tries to enter. So when a group of people sign up for a not-so-legitimate boat tour of the swamps, Victor has his work cut out for him, and he’s going to cut right back! …that’s the first film’s plot in a nutshell, the second takes us right back to the swamp the following night, with lot of new characters,(and a couple old ones) and a theory on how to end the curse. In the final and bloodiest film, the police try to get control of the situation and we see there truly is no limit to Victor Crowley’s blood-lust and little, if any, limit to his strength. The third is without a doubt my favourite, obviously, it boasts the highest body count/the most kills, and while it’s a big one, that’s far from my only reason. Hatchet 3 features my personal favourite of Parry Shen’s characters, in addition to a scene with the legendary Sid Haig (who I adore, naturally), and I won’t spoil anything but I’ll just say I really LOVE the ending of the trilogy.
By this point I don’t need to keep gushing (let the Hatchet Trilogy do the gushing). If you watch horror for the gore and enjoy a whole lot of awesome to go along with it, the Hatchet movies will quickly become a favourite of yours too!
