The first time I heard of Adam Green was at the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in 2007, when a young man in a beanie and facial scruff was engaged in a passionate conversation with a man next to me about the nature of horror films these days. The man was so heated in his opinion that I couldn't help eavesdropping, and moved away with a smile on my face; it was nice to know that someone else believed that the horror genre was becoming a self-parody of sequels, remakes and franchises with little to no thought, effort or originality.
Cut to thirty minutes later, when I was sitting in the auditorium watching a panel for a film I've never heard of called "Hatchet" and the same handsome young man walked out onstage to raucous cheers and applause. The man was Adam Green, the creator and director of the film, and he proceeded to share his vision with the audience and show us a two-minute clip of some of the most gruesome kill scenes I've ever witnessed in a slasher film.
"Hatchet" quickly rose in the ranks as among my top ten favorite slasher films of all time, and Green's next effort, "Frozen", was an equally phenomenal and original film. So when "Hatchet II" hit theaters in an unrated capacity, a landmark for the horror industry, I knew that I had to see it.
Surrounded by my friends who all love the first film, we embarked upon the AMC Theater in Mesquite, Texas to view this movie, arriving thirty minutes early expecting to find trouble getting a seat. Imagine our surprise when we walked into a completely empty theater which remained empty all the way through the film.
It speaks volumes to me about the ignorance of the American movie-goer when they will shell out money incessantly for films like 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' or 'Scary Movie 4' but will not support an independent horror film that is not only original and fun, but was released in an unrated version in theaters--- something that has not been done before now. Still, despite our disappointment and irritation that more people weren't there to appreciate the viewing party, we took the opportunity to cheer loudly at the kill scenes, laugh at the jokes, and clap appreciatively when something awesome happened.
"Hatchet 2" is fun. There's no deep meta-plot, no motivation, no moral to the story. Victor Crowley is a slasher of the same variety as Jason Voorhees and Madman Marz; they give him a backstory that's fairly run of the mill (in this case, a deformed mongoloid who was killed in a freak accident, and now seeks revenge on those who would cross his path), a set location (a haunted swamp that Victor cannot leave, much like Jason Voorhees with Camp Crystal Lake or Freddy Krueger with Springwood, Illinois), and a high body count. He has a signature 'look', his childhood home that he still occupies neé Michael Myers, and a whole arsenal of interesting weapons (do gas-powered belt sanders even exist?). The victims are fairly formulaic, although the casting choices are what make them great--- faces like Tony Todd (Candyman) and R. A. Mikhaioff (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3) hold supporting roles in this film, and the lead role of Marybeth is filled by scream queen extraordinaire Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Rob Zombie's Halloween, Halloween II, Fear Clinic, Urban Legend, etc). Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th) plays the monster Victor Crowley with the same savagery as he showed in his turns as Jason Voorhees; he is truly the epitome of what a homicidal maniac slasher should be.
The film literally picks up the instant the first film wraps, making a seamless transition for a viewing party when it comes out on DVD; it is a brutal opener that sets the tone for the rest of the movie. 'Hatchet 2' is rife with tension, but as soon as things get too serious the audience is forced into laughter. Sure, it might be the shocked, horrified laughter of disbelief over a comically-long chainsaw or a particularly funny punchline to a kill (Adam Green finds a way to give 'axe wound' a whole new meaning when it comes to a certain female victim, for example), but either way, it is a welcome relief to the armrest-gripping gore of the rest of the film. The movie hinges on the idea that Tony Todd's eerie and underhanded Reverend Zombie character has figured out a way to beat Crowley once and for all--- if he gets his revenge on the people responsible for his death, then he will cease his reign of terror and Zombie can open up the swamp again for tourism and profits. Unfortunately, nothing ever goes according to a plan that simple, and Green throws plenty of buckets of blood in the way of the solution of the film. Danielle Harris is a strong, likable female lead; she carries the title of 'survivor chick' proudly.
More critical members of an audience might complain about the film--- the acting, for example, which I found quite tolerable but someone expecting an Oscar-worthy performance might not. In the same vein though, what are these nay-sayers doing seeing a film like 'Hatchet 2'? It is not only a low-brow gorefest, it revels in its own absurdity; the movie is completely aware of how unlikely it is, and yet it celebrates with buckets of gore, blackly comedic moments, gruesome kill scenes, and nakedness--- all of the elements for a successful horror film. Adam Green has woven these together in an intricate quilt that makes for one hell of a fun viewing for a horror fan--- if you want something thought-provoking, Victor Crowley just might have a belt-sander for your skull to show you the error of your ways.
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