Bloody Axe Wound

I watch tons of horrible movies. I'm always open to independent and low-budget movies (although the huge influx from streaming services has made me hesitant). Bloody Axe Wound could have been just another one of those bad low-budget movies that I would rate low and immediately forget about.

The problem is, it has such a cool concept for the premise and an interesting spin on the subgenre. The premise of them actually doing murders so they could make movies about it is pretty awesome. And the idea of a female slasher villain sounds highly intriguing.

That's why I'm so disappointed in this. It could have been great. And I wish they saved this idea until they could get better funding, writers, directors, etc. If done right, this had the potential to be a movie I loved. Instead, I couldn't make it past the 26-minute mark.

(1 viewing, 1/14/2025)

I went into this blind knowing nothing about it. The whole premise of this movie was something I had not exactly seen before. While I found it somewhat predictable, that had no effect on the joy of watching. I jump from movie to movie if they bore me and not only was I not bored, but I didn't pause the movie at any point as I wanted to see how this would play out. I would have liked to know more background on the main family, there was enough I guess but I want to know why the father is so sure of why these things need to happen. Was some other force a driving factor in what they do or is it just their own set of rules that they always follow to a T. Either way I think anyone will enjoy the watch.

The premise of this script is hilarious: the adopted daughter of a serial killer is ready to take over the family business. Or thinks she's ready until she falls for the cool girl in biker jacket and lip gloss who is next on the kill list. The nostalgic 80s context was perfect, down to every hairstyle, rattly car, and interaction with cassette technology. Good performances from an appealing and funny cast.

I like how the film cleverly has it both ways. I didn't really want to see adorable, dutiful daughter Abbie Bladecut become a cold-blooded killer, but this is a horror movie after all. So people do have to go in bloody, sometimes hilariously accidental ways. I had to close my eyes several times, and laughed a lot.

This was a very silly movie that parodies slasher flicks that revolves around a slasher dad who has a family business in creates slasher films and owns a film rental store who is trying to groom his adopted daughter to rise up and take over the business and save it before it goes under. It was very campy and corny at times but some parts were entertaining and there was some kind of underlying message about breaking the status quo of being a typical slasher when you start letting your emotions run wild. For what it is, if you're into seeing a mock up flick that pokes fun at slasher flicks while showcasing what it would be like to be the kid of a Jason Voorhees like character then check this one out.

Bloody Axe Wound initially comes across as another subversively interesting slasher that aims to have fun with the rules of the sub-genre, but eventually becomes a wasted idea executed in a fun enough way to keep it watchable.

Acting is decent from the Bladecuts, with Billy Burke being an easy highlight of the movie as he handles the humour and the intensity to an impressively balanced degree as the fatherly killer Roger Bladecut. Moreover, Sari Arambulo is really fitting in the lead role of Abbie Bladecut; she is able to convey the struggles and aspirations to follow in her father's footsteps in a straight-faced and very comical way that is still funny but never comes across as silly or overacting. On a more technical note, the cinematography, lighting, and practical gore effects are all very well done. And the story itself starts out pretty strong, with an interestingly funny set up, and the balancing between the jokes and the killings is done to an effective degree.

However, that is also where it seems to be a point of struggle for the film. It can't consistently maintain its aforementioned balance, where the second act very much becomes a high school romance story that very nearly hijacks the main premise several times. The third act, in an attempt the balance the scales again, instead tips them entirely to being a straight up generic slasher flick with a strange and underwhelmingly unrewarding ending.

But it's biggest weakness is by far the world building, with several aspects and plot mechanisms left either unexplored or unexplained. Furthermore, the script can never decide how it works, and it leaves the audience with an utterly baffled sense of confusion as to how particular mechanisms drive the narrative.

Overall, it is funny enough to keep you entertained, but not interesting enough to stick with you and leave any kind of lasting impression.