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DVD Review: HATCHET
By Dave Dreher
Dec 16, 2007, 22:23

It's time for the hype to end and for the film to stand on it own merits. Yep, it is time for HATCHET to see the light of day. Tuesday brings the much anticipated DVD release and finally, FINALLY fans everywhere will have the chance to see what all the hoopla, yelling and shouting has been about. There have been several sites out there that would leave you believe that this film is the best things since the invention of DVD.

Is it true? On some levels yes and on others, well.

Adam Green has crafted a tour de force of 80's flashback horror that while entertaining and well done does have its flaws

Don't get me wrong. There is a lot right with HATCHET. A lot.

Of the utmost importance is the story. My first impression of this story was “iffy”. I didn't get a true appreciation for the story till I watched the special features included with the disc. Turns out that director Adam Green came up with this story back when he was eight years old while at a summer camp. The fact that this story had its origin in the mind of an 8 year old impressed me. The fact that he carried it with him through his teen years and into adulthood fascinated me and the fact that he actually wrote it, directed it and eventually released it astonished me.

HATCHET is really nothing new. It is your typical “group of folks get lost in the woods (swamp in this case) and run across a crazed, deformed maniac that lives to kill and has set its eyes on them. It's hard to believe that enough time has passed since the 80's for this concept to seem “new” but apparently that must be the case as most folks are heralding this film as a masterpiece and in truth it's just what Savini and Co. were doing some 30 years ago.

Everything old is new again.

So, while I might have a slight problem with Green taking credit for reviving the genre by simply making a film in the same style as the heroes from his youth I still appreciate the fact that he did it. Now that I think of it, is it Green taking that credit or is it just the PR machine behind the release bestowing it upon him. In the long run, who really cares I guess.

The directing is strong and the mood and atmosphere are excellent. Green is good director and while he brings nothing really new to the table he does take the standards and works with them well. His actors and actresses all perform well and the effects done by John Carl Buechler are exceptional. Actually, they steal the show.

Buechler hails from the generation that Green pulls his style of horror from and it is a perfect fit..

The DVD cover exclaims “OLD SCHOOL AMERICAN HORROR” and that is exactly what it is. HATCHET is a time capsule dug up for this generation of horror fan so they can see how it was done back when horror films were fun. Back when boobs and blood filled the screen and all this bull shit political correctness was yet to be thought of. Back when it was all about making you laugh till you screamed and the only thing worried about was outdoing the last kill.

Green takes that formula and just kind of reintroduces it to this generation. And he does it in grand style.

Anchor Bay attempted to release this film theatrically but really kind of mucked it up a bit. Very little advertising and even less word of mouth meant that this one just kind of came an went quietly in the night. Hell, it played in my town and I didn't even know it, and I'm press. You would think that I would have known about it if no one else. Just kind of indicative of the problems that this so called “theatrical run” had.

Now though Anchor Bay has done what they do best. Put out a kick ass DVD. This should have been done about 3 months ago.

Check out this press release that outlines all the important details:

Fresh off its national theatrical release, writer/director Adam Green’s Hatchet – the independent horror film championed by internet fans and critics the world over – will be released by Anchor Bay Entertainment on DVD December 18th. The Unrated DVD of the acclaimed horror film comes packed with ninety minutes of in-depth bonus features detailing the joys and pains of creating the next great horror icon – Victor Crowley!

Visceral and unrelenting, Hatchet is Adam Green’s blood-soaked love letter to the slasher film genre, which reached its critical and commercial zenith in the 1980s. Starring Joel David Moore (Dodgeball, Grandma’s Boy, the upcoming James Cameron film Avatar), Deon Richmond (Not Another Teen Movie, Scream 3), Tamara Feldman (Perfect Stranger) and Mercedes McNab (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”), Hatchet also boasts a stellar supporting cast of iconic genre veterans including Robert Englund (“Freddy Krueger” from the Nightmare on Elm Street film series), Kane Hodder (“Jason” from Friday the 13th Part VII and VIII, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Chapter and Jason X), Tony Todd (Candyman), and Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project).

Hatchet spins a terrifying tale of tragedy and comeuppance from beyond the grave. Victor Crowley is a hideously deformed boy, living in seclusion with his father (Kane Hodder) in an isolated cabin deep in the Louisiana bayou. When a Halloween prank initiated by local kids goes terribly awry, Victor is accidentally killed in a vicious twist of irony. Years later, a tourist group visiting New Orleans’ “haunted swamps” stumble upon the remnants of that shocking event, transforming an evening of seemingly innocent fun into a horrific nightmare, from which there may be no escape.

From its first appearances at film festivals worldwide including Fantastic Fest in Austin (winning Best Picture “Audience Choice Award,” Best Actor – Kane Hodder and Best Special Effects), Spain’s Sitges Festival, Montreal’s Fantasia Festival (winning Best Picture “Audience Choice Award”), London FrightFest, France’s Weekend De La Peur (winning Best Picture “audience Choice Award”), Los Angeles ScreamFest and the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, Hatchet immediately developed and cultivated a loyal following among horror fans on the Web. Following Adam’s numerous appearances at fan conventions, Hatchet became the “independent film that could,” rallying the fans from all over the world into the “Hatchet Army,” helping to spread the word about the film’s national theatrical release, which included sold-out exclusive engagements in New York and Los Angeles. 

Critical reaction within the genre community was immediate and unanimous. DreadCentral called Hatchet “the next big thing in horror,” while Gorezone MagazineFangoria Magazine,Hatchet. The Austin Chronicle said “no other film in recent memory has featured such a terrifically retro maniac or revisited the heyday of Eighties gore films with such gleeful, moist abandon,” while the Memphis Commercial Appeal proclaimed “I can think of no other recent film that succeeds so spectacularly at what it sets out to do.” It was even put on Top 10 Films of the Year lists for both MTV and Ain’t It Cool News. declared the film “a masterpiece.” Tony Timpone, editor of dubbed Victor Crowley “a potential new slasher icon,” while Icons of Fright reveled in the “over the top, jaw-dropping gore.” But horror fans weren’t the only ones to champion

The Unrated Hatchet DVD not only presents the film exactly as Adam Green intended – frame by frame – but also offers ninety minutes of bonus features charting the film’s production practically from Day 1. Witness the birth of the next great movie monster with the following supplements:

  • Widescreen (1.78:1) presentation, enhanced for 16x9 televisions

  • Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Adam Green, Cinematographer Will Barratt and Actors Tamara Feldman, Joel David Moore and Deon Richmond

  • The Making of Hatchet

  • Meeting Victor Crowley: An in-depth look at the creation of a new horror icon

  • Guts & Gore: Go behind the scenes of Hatchet’s special makeup and prosthetic effects

  • Anatomy of a Kill: Witness the “jaw-breaking” birth, design and execution of  a death scene

  • A Twisted Tale: Writer/Director Adam Green recounts his decades-long friendship with “Twisted Sister” front man and Fangoria Radio host Dee Snider

  • Gag Reel

  • Theatrical Trailer

The theatrical version DVD of Hatchet presents the R-rated version, as seen in theaters nationwide, along with the “Meeting Victor Crowley” featurette and the theatrical trailer.

Hatchet was produced under ArieScope Pictures, Radioaktive Film, and High Seas Entertainment. The film was written and directed by Adam Green and produced by Cory Neal. Producers were Sarah Elbert and Scott Altomare. Andrew Mysko and Roman Kindrachuk were the Executive Producers. FX wizard John Carl Buechler (Re-Animator, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers) created Hatchet’s unforgettable special make-up and creature effects.

Other member of the horror press seem hell bent on making Victor Crowley the next “horror icon”. Not really sure if that will happen or not. He doesn't have any real personality that you can grab a hold of and his look is nothing extraordinary. It will be interesting to see if the horror public want to take old Vic and make him the new Freddy or Jason. I'm placing my money on no but rumor has it that HATCHET 2 is not far behind so we'll all be seeing Victor again. Hell, it took Jason a couple of films till he grabbed his hockey mask and stalked his way into infamy.

One thing I know for sure, we'll be talking about Adam Green for sometime to come. Let's just hope its for all the right reasons.

HATCHET hits the DVD shelf on Tues. Dec. 18th everywhere.



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