Hatchet III

Well, "Hatchet III" is essentially the same as the previous two parts, slasher movie a la the good old days. If you have seen either (or both) of the previous two "Hatchet" movies, then you know exactly what you are in for here and what you will get.

Is that a bad thing then? No, not necessarily. If you enjoy these slasher movies where you just disconnect your brain and ride along on the murder ride, then you will enjoy "Hatchet III" for what it is - being exactly that. If you, however, enjoy being challenged and want something to think about, then "Hatchet III" is not the best of choices.

The story pretty much picks up where part II left off, and it is a nice continuation of the story, plus there were some nice cameo appearances as well. The story in a nutshell; the ghost of Victor Crowley (played by Kane Hodder) is still on a murdering rampage in his overgrown swamp where he kills and mutilates anyone who gets onto his land. And it is up to Marybeth (played by Danielle Harris) to put an end to the murdering maniac with the secret that is bestowed upon her.

Essentially, the storyline is straight forward, predictable at times, but enjoyable enough for this particular genre of movie. Straight out from the "let's make a slasher movie handbook". And yeah, Kane Hodder (the iconic horror legend known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees) is starting off another slasher legend here, or so it would seem. However, it just isn't up to the same level as Jason is. Sure, these are two very different characters, but still, there is just something more dreadful and sinister about Jason Voorhees. But it is cool that he has returned three times for the role of misshapen Victor Crowley.

I enjoyed the movie, and there is a fair amount of blood and gore in the movie to satisfy most gorehounds out there. And it was a particular treat to have Sid Haig appear in the movie as well, as his presence is always enjoyable in whatever movie he is in.

Heads will roll, blood will flow, people will die (in macabre ways) and about an hour and twenty minutes of entertainment is ensured. Thumbs up from me (at least until Crowley chops them off!).

As Adam Green says, this is the last part of his own vision. It was always meant to be a trilogy (though obviously you never know if you can actually make 3 movies, depending on how successful your franchise is). But of course, who knows what the studio might decide to do with the franchise? There might be a couple of Hatchets coming our way (recently Saw 8 has been announced to be in development ... they always come back, sooner or later).

Concerning this recent output, it is what you'd expect it to be. It wasn't directed by Adam Green, but he was still very much hands on (writing and contributing in general for the production of the movie). Unfortunately it doesn't reach the fun factor of the first one. It does reach the gore factor of the previous ones, in case that is what you're looking for solely.

There will be a few surprise appearances (if no one spoiled them for you) and you might chuckle here and there (Adam Greens wife is in it too and he's not being gentle with her ... in the movie that is). A recurring actor appears in this, this time with a better excuse than in part two (one of the better jokes of the script). A fun little watch, nothing more, nothing less

HATCHET III picks up right where part two left off. Having finally "killed" Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), Marybeth (Danielle Harris) walks into the police station, covered in blood, with a gun in one hand and a gushy memento in the other, leading to her arrest.

Meanwhile, back at Honey Island swamp, the investigating officers are in for a big surprise. Now, with the law involved, Marybeth returns to the swamp, a deputy (Robert Diago DoQui), and a local reporter (Caroline Williams) in tow. However, they must first retrieve something that just might put an end to Crowley forever.

Every bit as gory / humorous as the first two installments, Part 3 ups the firepower ante, bringing in the sheriff's dept. as well as a SWAT team led by the one and only Derek Mears. Of course, this makes little difference. Fast-paced and sometimes explosive, H3 works well, in spite of its lacking Adam Green in the Director's chair. Watch for Sid Haig in a wonderful cameo!...

Hatchet III is better than Hatchet II which took itself way too seriously. Hatchet I had a great first half and an equally underwhelming second half. Part III actually is funnier than Part I but the gore scenes run out of creativity towards the end. Still, the first half hour features a great mix of gags and gore including a glorious cameo from Adam Green himself.

The cast is a smörgåsbord of actors from horror movies which we watched before and loved. Zach Gilligan is hilarious as a sheriff who is given absolutely no respect. Derek Mears kicks ass and I was chuffed to see Old Jason vs New Jason. Caroline Williams could probably be termed as a supporting protagonist considering the impact she has on the story although her lion's share of screen time is spent in service of a subplot which could be considered as padding. Then there is Danielle Harris who manages to kick ass in a glorified cameo. Kane Hodder is a total beast who owns pretty much everything in his way. Sid Haig has an unnecessary cameo but is pretty funny. There are other funny cameos which I won't spoil.

Overall, this is a watchable movie. It's still not great but it's entertaining and a decent way to spend 1.5 hours.

When a horror franchise takes a turn for the worst, it scarcely ever catches itself and rebounds back to quality entertainment for its sequels. This reason is precisely why I'm so stunned that I'm awarding Hatchet III three stars. I'm reminded of its predecessor, a dull and gory affair that emphasized on the monotony of the horror genre, and showed that even if you bill yourself as a favorable homage to the films of the eighties that you'll need to work on not having familiarity breed contempt.

Hatchet III, however, is simply fun as we revisit (and hopefully for the final time) the swamps of New Orleans where Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) lives. Crowley is a deformed killer who exists to haunt the swamps in search of his father's remains. We begin immediately where Hatchet II left off (just like with that film, respectively), where Marybeth (Marybeth Dunston) escapes the swamplands only to be arrested at the police station for coming in bloodied and with a weapon after fighting off Crowley. However, Crowley is still alive in the woods, and accompanied by an investigative journalist who is blacklisted for believing in the man and a police officer, Marybeth and the rest of the police force venture out to the swamps to take out Crowley once and for all.

Hatchet II was a little redundant and smothering with its endless obsession with gore and violence, and its dizzying plot developments that lacked pacing and suspense. Hatchet III is the closest thing to slowburn horror in the slasher genre I've seen recently, giving the film enough time to build up adequate suspense before the arrival of the long-awaited madman. It's fair to say the "catch the killer" plot with an abundance of police officers and methods of blunt force is overdone and repetitive, but I find this to be is more competent approach to a sequel rather than an approach that truly does bring a hatchet-job to a solid idea.

The film was directed by BJ McDonnell and was penned and financed by the franchise's creator, Adam Green, whose film Frozen I named one of the best horror films of the year in 2010. Green, whatever way you want to slice it (pun intended), he has an incorruptible love for the genre and he's showing it in a way that isn't disrespectful or quietly smarmy. He's making rawer, gorier horror films, that kindly drift away from the overcompensating and redundant confines of the paranormal and exorcism plots that plague theaters every year. Whether or not people get his work, as well, doesn't seem to faze him either. He's just seems to be happy his work is getting around and his love for the horror genre is being expressed accordingly.

The Hatchet franchise has been something of a roller-coaster, but never a burden. All the films run at a concise eighty minutes, give or take, and they all feature enough gore and inanity to satisfy on some level.With the third installment, Green has reconnected with his footing, which is a great mix of gratuitous gore and stable plotting; and, not to mention, terrific performances by the likes of Derek Mears and Sid Haig (who gives probably the best performance since Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects).

Starring: Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, Zach Galligan, Caroline Williams, Derek Mears, and Sid Haig. Directed by: BJ McDonnell.