Victor Crowley

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.

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.

Ten years after the slaughter at Honey Island Swamp. Andrew Young (Parry Shen) is the only survivor and author of a successful bestseller. He has also given several interviews and was accused of the massacre but considered not guilty in court. Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) has disappeared, and his place has become a touristic attraction. When Andrew's agent, the drug-addicted Kathleen (Felissa Rose), tells him that he shall be interviewed at Honey Island Swamp, he does not accept. But when she tells him that she has negotiated a one-million-dollar payment, he agrees to go. He takes a private airplane with the host of a talk show Sabrina (Krystal Joy Brown), who is his ex-wife, and her crew formed by the audio technician Austin (Brian Quinn); his videographer girlfriend Casey (Tiffany Shepis); the gay makeup artist Jay (Tezz Yancey); and the production assistant Zach (Blake Woodruff). Out of the blue, one of the engines blows up and Jay and Zach immediately die. Meanwhile, the wannabe director of slash movies, Chloe (Katie Booth); her boyfriend Alex (Chase Williamson); and her friend Rose (Laura Ortiz), go to the Honey Island Swamp with the intention of making a trailer of a movie about Victor Crowley to convince investors to financially support her project She casts the local tour guide Dillon (Dave Sheridan) and they meet him at the swamp. Rose researches YouTube looking for the voodoo curse that brought Victor Crowley to life. Suddenly they hear the airplane crashing and Dillon and Rose run to help the possible survivors. Meanwhile, Victor Crowley is revived by the voodoo curse on the YouTube, and his crime spree begins.

"Victor Crowley" (2017) is the last breath of an exhausted franchise. At least, I hope. The plot should have finished in "Hatchet III", when Marybeth destroyed the notorious serial killer. Anyway, this fourth sequel is funny, with many hilarious lines and silly characters. The ultimate sacrifice of Dillon must be the ending of this franchise, but the cameo of Marybeth in the credits is a serious menace that Adam Green does not want to stop. The gory special effects and make-up are again the best offered by this movie. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Terror no Pântano 4" ("Terror at the Swamp 4")

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

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