Hatchet III (2013)

As a slasher film fan, it was only a matter of time before I sat down to watch the newest installment of the Bayou Butcher! Victor Crowley is back again in Hatchet III, and the blood just keeps on flowing. In this release we see a slightly different looking Victor, however it’s not as distracting as the many faces of Michael Meyers. Was the film good? I’ll let you make that decision.

Hatchet III picks up directly after the events of Hatchet II, Marybeth (Danielle Harris) has avenged her father and brothers deaths and heads to get help. Covered in blood she walks into a police station and is immediately thrown in a cell and called crazy, the police go to the island where the events of the past films had happened and what they find is one of the most gruesome scenes they have ever witnessed. Soon all hell break loose yet again and the curse of Victor Crowley is back for more.

After watching Hatchet III, I was satisfied. In this kind of film you know what you’re getting into before you even start. Your going to get brutal violence, tons of gore, some t&a, and a bit of comedy thrown in. This one however, I felt focused more on the comedy aspect and less on the Violence and T&A. Actually there is not a single boob shown in the film. The viewer does get the pleasure of seeing the absolutely gorgeous Danielle Harris get hosed down from the side. On a side not, She get prettier with age. As far as gore, there is a lot but for some reason it seemed tame compared to the first two films. Also a solid amount of practical effects were used, unfortunately some poor CGI effects are apparent. Even with these things, the movie is still very enjoyable.

ArieScope Pictures and Dark Sky Film’s Hatchet III stars Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Hatchet II, Blood Night), Kane Hodder (Friday the 13^th 7-10, Hatchet Series), Derek Mears (Friday the 13^th 09’, The Hills Have Eyes 06’), Caroline Williams (TCM 2, Stepfather 2), Zach Galligan (Gremlins 1 & 2, Waxwork 1 & 2), and more. Acting wise the film is solid. Everyone handles their roles well and makes for some very good entertainment.

So was Hatchet III as good as the others in the franchise? No, but, it’s a very worthy competitor, Hatchet III is a solid effort by new director BH McDonnell, who was apparently hand selected by Adam Green to take the helm. His shooting style stayed true to the other films and held an authenticity which gets lost in other films sequels. GLP gives Hatchet III an easy 3 out of 5 stabs for gore, comedy, acting, and overall loyalty to the originals. For more information on the film visit the official Facebook page, as well as ArieScope’s official website. View the trailer below!

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V/H/S/2 (2013)

It’s back, finally the sequel to last years most anticipated horror film has arrived! After the very impressive outing for the first film, V/H/S/2 was rushed into production. Much like its predecessor, V/H/S/2 has the same set up. This anthology boasts 4 short films, and an overall arch story just like V/H/S (review here). Did it live up to the original? Find out below.

Released by Magnet Releasing, Bloody Disgusting, & The Collective, V/H/S/2 starts with 2 private detectives tasked with finding a missing college kid. Upon entering the student’s home, the detectives are confronted with a huge collection of mostly unmarked VHS tapes. With a little curiosity the detectives find that the films are snuff films, with each tape they watch strange things start to happen. The viewer is taken on a sick and twisted ride through 4 vastly different short films all depicting awful events.

So the main question I have already been asked is “Did it live up to the original”. To answer bluntly…yes it did. I will also go one step further and say it was better than the first one. If you remember, I really enjoyed the first one and gave it 5 stabs. While I did have some small issues with it, it didn’t matter by the end. V/H/S/2 on the other hand was so much better, with a total of 5 shorts compared to the first’s 6, the pacing was a lot better, It also felt like you got more out of each story which was nice.

The directors involved this time around were Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun), Gareth Evans (The Raid: Redemption), Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale (The Blair Witch Project) and returning to the project where Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die, You’re Next). Each of the director's films were solid, though the stand outs for me where Phase 1: Clinical Trials (Adam Wingard) & Alien Abduction Slumber Party (Jason Eisener).  I will not go into detail about why, however I will say that for me they both are easily the best shorts of the franchise save for Radio Silence’s 10/31/98.

As far as special effects go there is a lot of CG, but they were done well. I have nothing to bitch about in that area. The amount of red stuff in the film is overwhelming at times, but it’s a gorehound’s dream come true. You get zombie violence, self-mutilation,  bodies exploding, brains blowing out. and more. This time around, however, there is quite a bit less nudity, guys get 2 or 3 pairs of breasts, and the girls get a full frontal male. Everyone wins yet again

Look, if you have yet to see the first film, do yourself a favor and watch it first. Then immediately after you’re done watch V/H/S/2. I cannot recommend this film more highly. Its got everything a modern horror fan could ask for. GLP gives V/H/S/2 another perfect kill with 5 out of 5 stabs. Currently the film is only available on demand, and in select theaters. For more information on the film visit Magnet Releasing’s Webpage and Facebook, as well as V/H/S/2’s Facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

 

GLP Celebrates 1 Year!

This month marks GLP's 1 year anniversary!  GLP started as a guide for my friends that would ask my opinion of recent and classic horror films. It seemed I would always get asked what I thought about genre films, and whether I was "...going to see that new horror film ________ (fill in the blank) in theaters this weekend". After countless happy referrals, I decided that what better way to give my opinion, than online where countless people could read what I had to say. The goal was simple, Give spoiler free reviews on classic and new horror films without trying to tear them down. Granted I have torn a couple of films new ones, but the goal is to never belittle. I feel if someone involves with the film takes time to read my humble opinion, then maybe the can use that as a learning experience and grow as an artist.

As I have stated in previous posts, I am a child of the home video era. My mother ran multiple video stores for most of my childhood. I had free reign of movies in the store. I would take home stacks almost every day. I have seen movies that I can’t even remember. The ones that always stuck with me were the horror movies. Thus started a vicious cycle of me getting where I am today!

In the short year GLP has been up, I have made some good friends, and met a lot of really cool people in the horror community. Much to my surprise, they were all very kind and welcoming of a new face like mine. It was also nice to have people WANT me to review their film. I am not a writer by any stretch of the imagination. I simply place my thought in a semi-organized manner, chalk full of typos and misspellings, on to a blog in hopes my words will actually mean something.

What I have found by doing this blog, that there are some amazing films out there that many people don’t even know about. Promoting indie films has been my greatest achievement of this process. Getting a chance to see all these great underground films, as well as being able to help spread the word about them has been the most gratifying and humbling part of GLP. The opportunities to help these small indie films make me feel like a part film, even if it is in a small capacity. For that I am ever grateful to those of you who have allowed me to be a part of your project.

In a time where it’s so easy to have an opinion, it’s nice to know that some people actually do want to hear mine. This is just the beginning of GLP and I am continually growing and ever improving upon everything. I want to personally thank all of you that have been here since the beginning, and also thank all of the new readers that have visited GLP and continued to do so. Without you, I would just be talking to myself. Thanks for your continued support and as always thanks for reading. GLP is an extension of myself, to all of you, and I am happy to continue to do so if you will let me. For those of you who are interested I invite you to connect with me on Facebook, send me a personal message along with your friend request and name the subject GLP.