Review of Hatchet (2006) by Jerry Lee — 28 Sep 2008

I grew up as a child in the 1980's. My idea of great horror DID include the Freddy's, the Jason's, the Micheal's, and the Pinhead's. It beat the hell out of the pathetic CGI-laden, suspense-losing, crap that this poor generation is being treated to.

'Hatchet' is a great throwback to the 1980's. It's a slasher flick, and it doesn't try to cover that up with unnecessary shit, nor is it ashamed of what it is. On the contrary, it embraces it and because of the fact that the actors all take the material seriously, the film plays out much better than it should.

I'm a genre freak, so just seeing Robert Englund as a New Orleans drunk in a boat, and Tony Todd plays against type for sure. However, Kane Hodder has finally established himself another great icon, as it appears his days as Jason Voorhees are over.

Victor Crowley, however, is the horror icon of this generation. There is so much franchise material here to work with. I especially liked Hodder's scenes as Mr. Crowley in the flashbacks. Joel Murray was great as well, nice to see him again.

'Hatchet' is what horror movies should be like, but haven't been for far too long. Thank God Adam Green was paying attention that too.