It’s been 10 years since Adam Green‘s first Hatchet film arrived. In the interim, the series saw two further installments, one directed by Green and the other merely written and produced by him. Aside from a comic book series, most fans assumed that the franchise was over after the screen cut to black at the end of Hatchet III four years ago. Thankfully, that’s not the case. Victor Crowley has been born anew in 2017 and he’s deadlier than ever.
I’ve been a fan of Green’s work ever since his one-two punch of Hatchet and Spiral in 2007. While I’ve always preferred his work outside of this franchise*, the Honey Island Swamp rampages are always entertaining. Walking into Victor Crowley, I was expecting to have fun, but not to love it. I am proud to say that it exceeded my expectations.
The “Hatchet Army” is going to love this film and it’s not hard to see why. Despite having the lowest budget of the series to date, the film is a lean, mean, slashing machine. The other three have a somewhat loose feel, whereas this one is relentless once the titular fiend finally arises from the swamp again. How does he return? Well, you’ll have to see it yourself to find that out. The film is currently roadshowing around the country and I don’t want to be the one to spoil any of the kills or surprises within.
Green’s pacing is on point here, as is his direction. This is a much more assured piece of slasher filmmaking than the others and a perfect example of how Green has continued to hone his craft over the past decade. Performance-wise, the film is in capable hands. Perry Shen returns as his character from Hatchet III and remains a joy to watch. Other standouts this time ’round include Laura Ortiz (“Holliston“), genre mainstay Tiffany Shepis, Dave Sheridan, and an incredibly over-the-top Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp).
The star of the show is, of course, Kane Hodder. This marks the fourth time that Hodder has played Crowley, finally tying his amount of screen appearances as Jason Voorhees. Speaking of the killer of Camp Blood, Hodder’s turn here is perhaps his most ferocious slasher movie perhaps since his debut as the hockey masked killer in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. Victor has always been boiling with rage during his rampages, but he’s never been as wrath-filled and determined as he is here.
Is Perry Shen’s Andrew the only returning character? How many cameos are there? Does the film kill ol’ Hatchetface for good? Is there room for a fifth Hatchet movie? As I said above, I’m not here to spoil the film. Rest assured that you will get those answers once it finally arrives on VOD and home video. Just trust that you’ll be happy with the answers across the board. This is a raucous, violent, and disgusting slasher romp through the swamp. If that sounds like fun to you, then try to catch the roadshow as it tours the country this fall. You won’t be sorry.
Victor Crowley is the fourth film in the Hatchet franchise. It is written and directed by Adam Green. The film is produced by Will Barratt, Sarah Elbert, Adam Green, Cory Neal, and Ben Rock. It stars Kane Hodder as ‘Victor Crowley’, Parry Shen as ‘Andrew’, Laura Ortiz as ‘Rose’, Dave Sheridan as ‘Dillon’, Krystal Joy Brown as ‘Sabrina’, Brian Quinn as ‘Austin’, Felissa Rose as ‘Kathleen’, Chase Williamson as ‘Alex’, Tiffany Shepis as ‘Casey’, Jonah Rey as ‘Del’, Kelly Vrooman as ‘Sue’, and Whit Spurgeon as ‘Linus’’.
* – Frozen, Chillerama, and Digging Up the Marrow are all worth your time and paired with the Hatchet films, they showcase a filmmaker with wide mastery of the genre. Seek them out!
