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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Waxwork (1988)

In the video store days, I would roam the isles of the multiple stores my mother ran. As an impressionable kid I would be immediately drawn to the vilest, nasty, and violent covers I saw. In the process of this ritualistic exchange, I somehow missed this gem of an 80’s horror flick.

Waxwork was released to the home video marked in 1988 by Vestron Pictures (Now Lionsgate) with two versions of the film. One version carried the R rating and the other was Unrated. I can’t tell you why I passed up this movie for so long, but I unfortunately did. I just recently sat down and watched in on Fear Net through Comcast.

Basically the film is about a group of yuppie college kids that are almost as annoying as nails on a chalk board. The group is invited to a private walk-through of the new wax museum in town called Waxworks. Soon their friends start disappearing and one of them suspects the creepy museum has something to do with it.

I was really surprised with this movie. I thought the story was well written and even though the yuppie kids in the movie were hard to handle, they acted their parts very well. Waxwork starts Zach Galligan (Grimlins, Grimlins 2), Deborah Foreman (April Fools Day, Valley Girl), Michele Johnson (Death Becomes Her, Dr. Giggles) Dana Ashbrook (Return of The Living Dead: Part II, Ghost Dad) and the great David Warner ( The Omen, Tron, Titanic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze).

Not only was the acting good and comical, but the stories concept was very cool as well. Its unique, and off the wall but when you think about it in concept it would be really cool to actually be thrown into the scene the wax sculptures are depicting. I do think some of the creatures/monster/killers were misused though. It would have been really cool to see more of the scenes instead of just 5 of them.

Gore in the film was surprisingly good. There is not a lot but when it is used it’s over the top and ridiculously fun. You get a biting, some gets ripped apart, some blood feasting, a blood bath. and some gun shots and other stuff. There is no nudity in the film either which I though was weird considering the time period of the film but it didn’t suffer without it.

All in all Waxwork is a fantastic little horror/comedy and is defiantly going to be added to my collection very soon. GLP gives this 80’s gem a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for creative story, humor, and cool ass special effects. You can currently get the film in a 2 pack DVD with its sequel Waxwork II: Lost in Time. View the trailer below.

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