Hatchet
3.5/4
Starring: Joel David Moore, Tamara Feldman, Deon Richmond, Mercedes McNab, Parry Shen, Joleigh Fioravanti, Kane Hodder, Joel Murray, Richard Riehle, Patrika Darbo
The version being reviewed is the Unrated one. For the record, the rated version is rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity and Language
"Hatchet" is marketed as "Old School American Horror." Taking the tagline for its word, I had a few expectations: a bunch of hot people pursued by a serial killer (few of which, if any, will make it to the end credits), blood and gore in copious quantities, plenty of gratuitous nudity, and lots of slicing and dicing by a big ax.
I was not disappointed. Adam Green's film has all of that, and it's put together fairly well, with a few shocks that made me jump. But there's one thing that the movie has that I did not expect: comedy. As intense and gory as the film is, it's more often than not absolutely hysterical. I was splitting a gut from beginning to end.
Ben (Moore) is in New Orleans for Mardi Gras with his friends. But his recent breakup is hard on him, and the thought of spending the week insanely drunk with his friends catching glimpses of topless girls has little appeal. So he decides to go on a haunted boat ride with his friend Marcus (Richmond), who has unsuccessfully tried to steer him back towards the booze and boobies. Also along for the ride are uber-tourists Jim and Shannon Permatteo (Riehle and Darbo), Joe Francis-wannabe Doug Shapiro (Murray) and his "actresses," dumb blonde Misty (McNab) and NYU grad Jenna (Fioravanti), quiet Marybeth (Feldman), and the incredibly annoying guide Shawn (Shen). While out on the river, they run into the local spook story, Victor Crawley (Hodder)...in the flesh.
Clearly, Adam Green, knows his stuff. He knows what genre fans expect from movies like this, and he knows how easily these expectations are to skewer in order to get laughs. It's not so much that it's laughing at itself (at least not like "Scream" did), but that he pushes things just a little farther than usual for comic effect. He is careful how he shoots the scenes and how he directs the actors movements. They're just a little too silly to be taken seriously, and that's the idea. Such a grim setting makes for harder laughs than one might suspect.
The performances are good. Joel David Moore, who appeared in "Avatar" and Paris Hilton's much hated rom-com "The Hottie and the Nottie," is surprisingly effective. Someone who looks and sounds so dorky isn't what you'd expect from a lead in a slasher movie (who are usually buff studs, who take off their shirts more frequently than the ladies), but that's what everyone thought about Adrien Brody in "King Kong" and "Predators." Tamara Feldman is a little stiff as the gun packing local who knows all about Victor Crowley, but she's not bad. Everyone else is on hand for comic relief. Special mention has to go to Mercedes McNab, who plays the airheaded valley girl. It's a stereotype, yes, but Green doesn't take the easy way out. Like in the "Bill and Ted" movies, the obligatory dim bulb is given smartly written dialogue, which makes her character hilarious rather than obligatory.
To enjoy "Hatchet," you have to be a genre aficionado and have a stomach of steel. Or maybe not, and all that's required is a sense of humor (a very warped one). But a stomach of steel is most important.
Starring: Joel David Moore, Tamara Feldman, Deon Richmond, Mercedes McNab, Parry Shen, Joleigh Fioravanti, Kane Hodder, Joel Murray, Richard Riehle, Patrika Darbo
The version being reviewed is the Unrated one. For the record, the rated version is rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Sexual Content, Nudity and Language
"Hatchet" is marketed as "Old School American Horror." Taking the tagline for its word, I had a few expectations: a bunch of hot people pursued by a serial killer (few of which, if any, will make it to the end credits), blood and gore in copious quantities, plenty of gratuitous nudity, and lots of slicing and dicing by a big ax.
I was not disappointed. Adam Green's film has all of that, and it's put together fairly well, with a few shocks that made me jump. But there's one thing that the movie has that I did not expect: comedy. As intense and gory as the film is, it's more often than not absolutely hysterical. I was splitting a gut from beginning to end.
Ben (Moore) is in New Orleans for Mardi Gras with his friends. But his recent breakup is hard on him, and the thought of spending the week insanely drunk with his friends catching glimpses of topless girls has little appeal. So he decides to go on a haunted boat ride with his friend Marcus (Richmond), who has unsuccessfully tried to steer him back towards the booze and boobies. Also along for the ride are uber-tourists Jim and Shannon Permatteo (Riehle and Darbo), Joe Francis-wannabe Doug Shapiro (Murray) and his "actresses," dumb blonde Misty (McNab) and NYU grad Jenna (Fioravanti), quiet Marybeth (Feldman), and the incredibly annoying guide Shawn (Shen). While out on the river, they run into the local spook story, Victor Crawley (Hodder)...in the flesh.
Clearly, Adam Green, knows his stuff. He knows what genre fans expect from movies like this, and he knows how easily these expectations are to skewer in order to get laughs. It's not so much that it's laughing at itself (at least not like "Scream" did), but that he pushes things just a little farther than usual for comic effect. He is careful how he shoots the scenes and how he directs the actors movements. They're just a little too silly to be taken seriously, and that's the idea. Such a grim setting makes for harder laughs than one might suspect.
The performances are good. Joel David Moore, who appeared in "Avatar" and Paris Hilton's much hated rom-com "The Hottie and the Nottie," is surprisingly effective. Someone who looks and sounds so dorky isn't what you'd expect from a lead in a slasher movie (who are usually buff studs, who take off their shirts more frequently than the ladies), but that's what everyone thought about Adrien Brody in "King Kong" and "Predators." Tamara Feldman is a little stiff as the gun packing local who knows all about Victor Crowley, but she's not bad. Everyone else is on hand for comic relief. Special mention has to go to Mercedes McNab, who plays the airheaded valley girl. It's a stereotype, yes, but Green doesn't take the easy way out. Like in the "Bill and Ted" movies, the obligatory dim bulb is given smartly written dialogue, which makes her character hilarious rather than obligatory.
To enjoy "Hatchet," you have to be a genre aficionado and have a stomach of steel. Or maybe not, and all that's required is a sense of humor (a very warped one). But a stomach of steel is most important.
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