Hatchet (2006)

Released by: Starz Home Entertainment
Release date: 12/18/2007
Rating:
Running time: 84 mins
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Region: Region 1, NTSC
MSRP: $19.99


Hailed as "the next icon of horror" by Harry Knowles from aintitcoolnews.com, Hatchet is self-described as a throwback to the 80's American slasher movies. So what does Harry exactly mean by 'icon of horror'? Well, with Friday the 13th you have Jason Vorhees. With The Burning you have Cropsy. And with Madman you have Madman Marz. What do all these movies have in common? Well, they all take place somewhere in the woods, such as at camp, and they all involve some disfigured brute terrorizing everyone who comes to their side of the woods. And that's exactly what Hatchet has and recreates; an out-for-blood disfigured brute terrorizing folks in his neck of the woods! Hatchet's "icon of horror" is Victor Crowley (played by Jason-himself, Kane Hodder), whom was struck in the face with a hatchet by his father who was trying to rescue him from the burning cabin. Rumored to have died, so begins the legend of Victor Crowley. With Hatchet replace the woods with the swaps of Louisiana and you got yourself an old school American slasher flick, complete with blood, boobs, blood, scares, and even more blood!

Some odd years later, a group of pals/buddies/friends (whatever you want to call them) hit up Mardi Gras in New Orleans to party, get drunk, see some tities, and more importantly to get female-troubles off the mind of Ben (Joel David Moore). Ben is not wanting to party anymore so he convinces his pal Marcus (Deon Richmond) to go on a haunted swamp tour. Joining them on the tour are a old traveling couple, a man with a camera and two ladies who are making a Girls Gone Wild-esque video called Bayou Beavers, and Marybeth (Tamara Feldman) whom has got a grudge against something. So they venture off into the swamp waters and get pontoon-wrecked after running into a rock under the water. So they all must jump ship and wander through the swamps back to civilization. But before that adventure begins, Marybeth tells the truth of why she is out there, and the truth of Victor Crowley. And just so conveniently they have made it to land-ho just where Victor Crowley's humble abode resides. Hatchet from here on out is you're typical 80's camp slasher, with inventive kills, great gags, scares, and the most important ingredient that Hatchet delivers in spades is the blood and gore!

MOVIE: 3.5 out of 5.
Hatchet doesn't wimp out and gives us exactly what we want! You get to see an old lady get he head opened up like a Pez dispenser. You get to see a woman's jaw sanded off with a gas-powered belt sander and then she's impaled on a shovel slowly! You get limbs torn off, heads are rolling, tities are being let loose, and to top it off Hatchet starts out as a comedy. Now a lot of people have complained about this factor, as the first 20+ minutes of the movie is set up as a comedy. But I think it works for the film as it tricks the audience into getting to know these characters and liking them, and then when you finally see Victor Crowley you've forgotten it was a horror movie and then you shit your pants cause you just jumped five feet out of you chair. This DVD contains the unrated version which has some additional gore and blood that was omitted from the film in it's theatrical release. Hatchet is a pretty good homage to the bygone 80's slasher film, and I hope it opens up a newer audience to revisit the original camp-slasher classics.

VIDEO: 4 out of 5.
Hatchet is presented in it's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video presentation is anamorphic enhanced and looks very good. A lot of the movie takes place at night, but it's never too dark that you can't see anything and everything that is supposed to be seen is visible. Overall, a crisp, clean picture.

AUDIO: 4 out of 5.
You get two choices for audio on this DVD. Dolby Surround 5.1 and Dolby Surround 2.0. Both tracks come out sounding loud and clear. No issues with the audio that I could hear.

EXTRAS: 4 out of 5.
There's quite a bit of extras on this disc. A great and informative commentary track from the cast and crew. Quite a few featurettes on the making of Hatchet and how the movie started. It's great to see that this idea was birthed when the director was only 8-years old and he finally brought it to the screen. One of the most surprising, and interesting features is A Twisted Tale which tells the story of how Twisted Sister's front man Dee Snider had an indirect effect on the making of Hatchet. Also, if you have a Future Shop or Best Buy store located near you, there's an in-store deal where Hatchet comes with a bonus disc containing the theatrical cut of the movie!

- Commentary with Writer/Director Adam Green, Cinematographer Will Barratt, and Actors Tamara Feldman, Joel David Moore, and Deon Richmond
- The Making of Hatchet (Featurette)
- Meeting Victor Crowely (Featurette)
- Guts & Gore (Featurette)
- Anatomy of a Kill (Featurette)
- A Twisted Tale (Featurette)
- Gag Reel
- Trailer

OVERALL: 3.5 out of 5.
Hatchet is a fun flick. It's by no means the greatest horror movie, but it's an enjoyable throwback to the movies I have fond memories of watching on VHS ages ago. And I can't wait for Victor Crowley to return! Bring on the blood! So grab a bowl of popcorn, a couple of drinks, and enjoy the revisited 80's slasher mayhem!