Hatchet: Victor Crowley

Usually the sequel to a film, with rare exception, is nowhere near as good as the original. For those chosen few franchises that get to a third film, it's usually a shadow of the original and often barely tolerable. If lucky enough to make it to a fourth, it's usually under the control of a 2nd or 3rd director & laughable...and not in a comical way. In the case of Victor Crowley- also known as Hatchet IV- this pattern does not fit the mold. It's probably not quite as good as its predecessors, but it's still a good watch.

***No spoilers, and a short and sweet write-up***

The synopses speaks for itself, so I'm assuming folks reading this aren't looking for a paraphrased version of the flick; just a quick rundown of the particulars.

First, VC is a bit more schlocky than the preceding three movies. This is not a bad thing, as the inclusion of some indirect horror comedy made for an enjoyable addition. While it did come off as a bit cheesy at times, I rather enjoyed these little incidents. That said, the schlocky parts contributed to the decline when compared to the previous flicks. More than anything, I think this has to do with the acting in this particular ensemble than anything.

Speaking of acting and the ensemble, it was AWESOME to see Brian Quinn (of Impractical Jokers fame) part of the crew. He's always a riot, just by being himself. As a whole, I thought this ensemble would be better, but it turned out to be the only downside. They just never felt cohesive...at least not compared to the previous films. The lead character is probably the most wooden of the group; he is the only repeater from part 3, aside from Crowley. He wasn't terrible, but he was a just so blah.

Aside from that little bit of bummer, the rest of the film held up fairly well. Again, remembering that it wasn't quite as good as the others, the direction was on par, the production & post was good, as were the editing and music, and the special fx were equal to the others. The gore was probably greater in this than the others, which I found appealing, since that's why any of us watched the series to begin with, I think.

Some notes on parental content:

• There is a fair amount of profanity. Not gratuitous, but fair to moderate.
• Scary and intense situations are kind of what made this franchise is about. While I wouldn't call it scary, there are several scenes that some would call intense.
• There are no sexual scenes in the movie. One female is shown undressed from behind, and there is some sexual banter, but otherwise this is not a major facet of the movie.
• There is a large amount of violence, blood, and gore! This is certainly not for the squeamish. While some of the blood is over the top, there are some fairly gnarly scenes. This movie will appeal to the gorehounds out there, and the fx are prettt well done.

In all, I enjoyed the flick. Not a lot of new movies out there are what I would call "gorefests,"'but this one is pretty close. If you're just an average horror fan this is likely not for you. This movie will appeal to those who like blood, violence & gore - some over the top, some prettt realistic. Both are enjoyable.

Not that we'd expect something different. But yeah if you have been watching the other movies (that's Hatchet 1-3) you should know that it did seem like the Crowley Saga was over. But low and behold, we get another one. And Adam Green is coming back to take the reigns and continue the legacy he created. It's also almost a miracle he kept the making of this movie a secret. So while almost everyone was expecting to see the original Hatchet movie at a Festival I was attending, surprise surprise ... it's Hatchet 4.

And if you liked the first Hatchet and the second one, you can see the similarities. The humor is back and what some may call bad acting, is deliberate and over the top. That doesn't mean you have to like it ... just be aware of it and don't confuse it. If silly floats your boat (no pun intended), you can give this a try

Victor Crowley (2017)

** (out of 4)

Ten years after the event of the first film, survivor Andrew (Parry Shen) is on the talk show circuit talking about his ordeal. His publicist (Felissa Rose) talks him into going back into the swamp and discussing the issue there. Sure enough he agrees and before long they're battling Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) again.

This here is the fourth film in the HATCHET series and no one knew it was coming. Director Adam Green shocked the horror community when some fans showed up to what they thought was a screening of the first movie but it turned out to be this instead. I must admit that I was really looking forward to this movie but it sadly turned out to be a major disappointment.

There are all sorts of issues with this movie but we'll start with the screenplay. The entire group of characters are just so over-the-top and obnoxious that I really couldn't wait to see them killed off. The characters were extremely annoying and one couldn't help but grow tired of them. Even worse is the fact that there's really not too much that happens. The plane carrying everyone crashes in the swamp and the majority of the movie takes place on the plane with the characters scared to leave it because of who is outside.

It seems that this film was shot with an even smaller budget than the previous three movies and perhaps this was why so much of the action (or non-action if you will) takes place on the plane. Another thing that really hampers this one is some truly awful CGI effects. Just take a look at the first murder and it looks like you're watching a movie that was produced for YouTube. Yes, the CGI effects are that embarrassing. The actual practical effects are a lot better and thankfully there is some rather gory violence thrown throughout the film but certainly not enough to save it.

VICTOR CROWLEY is a really disappointing movie that really doesn't work on any level. While you're watching it you stick with it in hopes that it finally kicks into high gear but before you know it the film is over. When looking back on the film it's even more disappointing.

Adam Green, Parry Shen and Kane Hodder return for this 4th Hatchet outing and like the others it's bloody fun.

Andrew (Parry Shen) the sole survivor of the previous massacre is a pseudo celebrity now and has been offered a large sum of money to do an interview at the site of the murders. On arrival, you know the drill.

With a fantastic cast including horror legends Tiffany Shepis, Felissa Rose (Who is on the best form I've ever seen her) and Tyler "Michael Myers" Mane I was happy with the roster. Also notable were Laura Ortiz and Dave "Deputy Doofy" Sheridan.

Less predictable than you'd expect, mindless gory slasher content and a great script loaded with some fantastic comedy. Sure the Hatchet movies are hardly groundbreaking but they're enjoyable throwbacks and I appreciate that.

Without any spoilers I have to say based on the post credits scene my desire for a 5th movie has risen, make it happen Mr Green!

If you liked the original movies then you'll get a kick out of this, if splatterhouse type movies aren't your thing then best avoid.

The Good:

Looks great

Follows on from the previous movies well

Decent cast

Neat cameo appearance

The Bad:

One scene was needlessly grim

Ultimately it is just more of the same

Victor Crowley is the latest installment within the Hatchet franchise. In my opinion it was not the best of the series. It needed to be made to continue the franchise but also was just an extreme force. I know these movies and stories are purposely bad and unrealistic but this one took it to another level. Just how this particular group came about and the plane crash and how he was resurrected seemed way too far fetched. I still enjoyed the blood, fore and violence but the story was particularly bad this go around. It does seem like the ending is going to leave us with more so I'll definitely watch them.