THUNDERBIRD RELEASING PRESENTS: RESURRECTION OF EVIL. (2016) REVIEW BY SANDRA HARRIS.

Film Review - Hatchet II (2010)

DVD Review - Camp Dread (2014)

FF 2013 - Hatchet III Review

Rating:18:
Release Date: 23rd August 2013 (Frightfest)
Director:BJ McDonnell
Cast: Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, Zach Galligan, Derek Mears
The final(?) film in the trilogy, Hatchet III loses the series’ director, Adam Green, replacing him with BJ McDonnell, who has previously carved out a career as cam/steadicam operator on a ton of movies – including one of my all-time favourite flicks, How to Rob a Bank. However all is not lost as Green is still on board as the films guiding light and scriptwriter for this tale which picks up immediately where the second film left off.

In Hatchet III our heroine Marybeth (Harris) has finally “killed” Victor Crowley (Hodder) – or so she thinks. When she shows up at the police station covered in blood the sheriff (Galligan) doesn’t believe her story and locks her up while he sends a search and recovery team out to the haunted swamp to find out what has gone on and to pick up the pieces left behind after Crowley’s previous massacre. Meanwhile Marybeth finally learns the secret to ending the voodoo curse that has left Victor Crowley haunting and terrorizing Honey Island Swamp for decades.

When I originally heard the news that Adam Green was stepping down from the directors chair for this third film in the series, I questioned the sanity of letting someone new helm what was to be the last outing for Victor Crowley. However, knowing BJ McDonnell worked on the first two Hatchet movie’s and having seen his filmography and watched the finished film I know exactly why McDonnell was given the reigns for this movie – he has an eye for action, and Hatchet III is filled to the brim with huge action set pieces as the trilogy goes big for its epic finale, out-doing all that has come before in terms of violence, gore and body count.

Third films can be tricky, especially when it comes to horror franchises. Some get it right revitalising a worn seires, like Nightmare on Elm Street 3 but many get it wrong. If I’m truly honest Hatchet III sits somewhere in between, mainly because it sacrifices scares for spectacle. But what spectacle… There are some truly outrageous gore scenes, going even further than the previous film, easily surpassing even the ridiculous chainsaw death that marked the end of Hatchet II – a scene which is actually repeated in the opening of this flick.

But, and this is a big but, where Hatchet III does rise above the former films is in it’s story. Adam Green has crafted a script that offers twists and turns, wraps up plot threads that have proliferated the series from the very first film, makes nods to other movies AND is also a love letter to fans of the franchise – a thank you note if you will to all those that love the series and have been there since the beginning.

Yet what is noticeable when comparing this film to its predecessor’s is the quality of some of the practical effects (yes Green and co. still keep all the effects CGI-free thankfully). Whether the “rubbery-ness” is due to budgetary constraints I don’t know, however the cheesy FX work plays well into the idea that the Hatchet series harkens back to the heyday of the 80s slasher movies, a lot of which were shot on a shoe-string budget and had to make the most of the effects they could afford. Speaking of FX, Victor Crowley himself has had a makeover in this flick, allowing horror icon Kane Hodder to emote much more this time round (well as much as the monstrous Crowley can).

Of course besides the returning Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley and Danielle Harris as Marybeth, Hatchet III features a ton of familiar faces including Gremlins’ Zach Galligan as the Sheriff; former Jason Vorhees Derek Mears; Sean Whalen (Special Unit 2); Parry Shen, who’s played three different characters in all three Hatchet movies; The FP’s Jason Trost; and, best of all, Stretch from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2! Aka actress Caroline Williams. This really is a veritable who’s-who of genre flicks, with some surprise cameos and roles I’m not going to spoil in this review, but I will say it all adds an extra layer of fun for both horror fans and fans of the Hatchet series.

In the end Hatchet III is a fantastic end to the franchise, filled with all the hallmarks of the series – laughs, violence, action and gore – whilst being a fitting swansong for Victor Crowley and co. Not as stunning as the previous film but still a great “old-school American horror”.

★★★½☆

Review by Phil Wheat at Nerdly.co.uk

Victor Crowley Is Back Watch Hatchet 3 Teaser Trailer!

Watch your back as Victor Crowley is back!Adam Green's ever popular serial killer returning for a third outing despite his untimely death he's making sure he'll get his Horror icon status returning for another day, but what makes Hatchet so popular? They keep it old school from old school special effects, plenty of gore and keep everything fun!

Hatchet 3 sees Adam Green hand over the directors chair to BJ McDonnell who was in charging of camera for the first two films hence the third been his directoral debut. Danielle Harris returns  along with Kane Hodder (as Victor), they are joined by Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Derek Mears, Caroline Williams, Sean Whalen. No word on a UK release date but the film will get a limited cinema release on 14th June.

Synopsis

The film continues the tale of the now-iconic villain Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). As a search and recovery team heads into the haunted swamp to pick up the pieces and carnage left behind from the first two films, Marybeth (Danielle Harris) hunts down the true secret to ending the voodoo curse that has left the ghost of Victor Crowley haunting and terrorizing Honey Island Swamp for decades

Horror Channel's Horror Club to screen SHIVER

Following the inaugural sell-out showing of INBRED, Horror Club, created by Horror Channel, will host its second event at The Horse Hospital on Tuesday Dec 4 from 7pm with an exclusive preview screening of Julian Richard’s spine-chilling SHIVER.

This special event, open to all horror fans, will be introduced by Horror Channel's Emily Booth and genre expert/writer Billy Chainsaw. Chainsaw will interview Richards after the screening. Richards, an award-winning writer and director, is best known for his ground-breaking serial killer shockumentary THE LAST HORROR MOVIE and the haunting SUMMER SCARS, which won two British Academy Awards.

Julian said today: It's terrific news that Horror Club will be presenting SHIVER in December. I can't wait for the opportunity to watch the film in the company of hard core horror fans"

Entry is free and seats can be won by entering a competition exclusively through Horror Channel, enter comp here.

SHIVER stars John Jarratt (WOLF CREEK) as Franklin Rood, a weird loner laughed at by women. He handles his anger at rejection by creating a police taunting alter ego, The Griffin, and embarks on a spree of horrific murders, seemingly at random, all young women.  However, one manages to escape, for which she earns his respect – and his love. Danielle Harris turns in a powerful performance as Wendy, the girl who has to toughen up quick if she wants to stay alive.  Also stars Casper Van Dien and Rae Dawn Chong.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138

 www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

Win Michael Biehn's The Victim On Blu-Ray

Having emerged from the most pivotal Sci-Fi films ever to grace our screen, Michael Biehn takes to the Director’s chair to gain ownership of the grindhouse genre having already channelled his onscreen vivacity in Robert Rodriguez's “Planet Terror” and having learnt the modus operandi from a directing mastermind in James Cameron.

To celebrate the release of Anchor Bay's ‘The Victim’ on DVD and Blu-ray on 24th September, we have some amazing posters and Blu-rays to give away!

During a social outing deep in the quiet woodland with close friend Mary, Annie’s life is put in jeopardy when she is witness to a violent act at the hands of two Sheriff’s Deputies. Fleeing from the attackers she stumbles across Kyle, a shady recluse living in a cabin the middle of the woods. The rugged loner stays far from civilisation, which is until a knock on the door throws his solitary life into chaos. Having been affected by Mary’s desperate bid for her life, Kyle bravely decides to take Sheriff’s law into his own hands. Two worlds collide in this psychological thriller that will make you question your trust in mankind. Who is The Victim?

To win this prize please answer the following question:

Q. What recent British film festival did The Victim make it's UK premier at?

Send your Answer, Name, Address, Postcode and answer to 25+25-5= email it to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com, Deadline: Sunday 14th October 2012 (2359hrs).Aged 18 or over to enter

Terms and conditions

• This prize is non transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK & Irish entries only
  The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Anchor Bay UK have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice
• The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,Anchor Bay UK employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of Anchor Bay UK
  
• If this prize becomes unavailable we have the right to offer an alternative prize instead.
• The Prize is to win the The Victim Blu-Ray&Posters
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline October 14th, 2012 (2359hrs)
• Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.
• automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned
• The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes
• Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control.
• The competition is opened to Aged 18  and over 
• Unless Stated Please  Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them and if you include your telephone number Cinehouse and The People’s Movies are not responsible for the security of the number.
• The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
• This competition is bound by the rules of Scotland,England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland.
• By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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Blu-Ray Review: Michael Biehn's The Victim

★★★☆☆

Michael Biehn continues to surprise viewers thirty-five years into his career:  after rising to fame in the likes of The Terminator and Aliens, Biehn still remains a relevant and much-loved face in the movie world - continuing to impress in cult hits Planet Terror and The Divide. Now the veteran star writes, directs and stars in his debut feature film, The Victim, alongside Jennifer Blanc and horror favourite, Danielle Harris.

The Victim, a horror-infused thriller, follows the unlikely pairing of a shady recluse, Kyle (Biehn), and a young woman (Blanc) who find themselves on a cat and mouse chase from two corrupt cops.

Biehn's debut is a challenging one - it seems to have been labelled as a grindhouse film (one just needs to look at the DVD cover featuring Biehn holding an axe behind a blood-soaked V sign), however, this is not the case. The Victim is far more of a straight-forward thriller with the odd moment of sex or violence thrown in to generate some excitement. Whilst Biehn does deliver a completely competent debut, it proves to be little else than competent, despite some glimpses of potential. 

The Victim will prove to be an entertaining way to spend eighty minutes for audiences with an open mind or Biehn fans - with the actor's debut boasting solid performances and tense, unsettling direction. Biehn excels as a man thrust into a deadly chase between corrupt cops and a victimised young woman, Annie. The growing relationship between Kyle and Annie proves to be of some interest, despite the lack of build up it receives - the recluse and the victim sleep together within ten minutes of meeting which seems to come out of the blue. Although, credit is due to Jennifer Blanc, who manages to make a morally questionable character completely likeable. Danielle Harris also makes a welcome appearance in the film's opening as Annie's carefree, floozy friend who is accidentally killed by one of the corrupt officers (leading to Annie escaping and the ensuing chase).

The Victim is filled with moments that could have been far more impressive if carried out with slightly more precision. One such moments sees Annie running through the woods - we are shown the character running but not what is chasing her - with a couple of simple shots of the cops tailing Annie, Biehn could have made the scene far more gripping. This could all come down to Biehn's lack of experience behind the camera or simply due to the shortage of time available on the shoot.

Another issue with The Victim is the film's uneven tone. It lacks the fun, gritty charm that a B-Movie/grindhouse film should have but at the same time does not feel realistic enough to be a serious thriller.  Had Biehn's script had a little more fun or moments of grindhouse violence or exploitation then it would have been a far more memorable, vibrant film.

The Victim is a respectable debut for Michael Biehn, who does a solid job as director and star. It proves to be a reasonably enjoyable way to spend eighty minutes, although would have fared far better had it taken itself less seriously and embraced the fun of the grindhouse genre.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Michael Biehn, Danielle Harris , Jennifer Blanc
Director: Michael Biehn
Release: 24th September 2012
Certificate: 15 (UK)