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Hatchet II (2010) Review

Hatchet II is a 2010 American slasher film directed by Adam Green and starring Danielle Harris. The film follows a group of tourists who are stranded in the Louisiana bayou during a hurricane, and who must fight for their lives against a group of cannibalistic gators.

Anyways, Marybeth staggers out of the swamp – you all remember the first film – and away we go. Having just escaped alive from maniac Crowley, what else is there to do other than seek out the Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd, Candyman, mainstay of horror, and a great asset to any film) and go back looking for some answers and some revenge?

Quickly assembling some assorted morons, rednecks, and escapees from Oswald Maximum Security Penitentiaries casting couch, all lured with the promise of a whole five hundred dollars, off they go in to the spooky swamps to chase the legend that is Victor Crowley.

You all know what is coming next, really doesn’t take a shitload of explaining. Within two seconds of someone appearing on screen you’ll be taking bets – and most likely be pretty right – as to whether they live or die. And die many do, mostly in fun, creative ways that are unrealistic, over the top, and pretty damn kickass.

What can I really say? Hatchet 2, hopefully deliberately, if it was accidental then god help us, mocks the cliches that are slasher movies, and exploits them in fun ways that it is very hard not to love. It’s predictable, slashers usually always are, that’s a huge part of their charm, and you don’t ever need to engage your brain, indeed it is best not to. Fuck seriousness, this bitch is played for fun.

And, it has the best fuckin’ sex scene I’ve seen in a horror movie for years! No word of a lie, I spat my well earned vodka all over the wifes leg and grabbed for the rewind button. Nope, it wasn’t an hallucination, it really did just happen. Maniacal killers just have no decency, Vic could’ve let the poor fucker shoot his load first.

I guess that sex scene sums up the entire film in a nutshell. It ain’t a great film, but it is a great fun film. There’s very little attempt at seriousness, just a tongue in cheek slasher that pokes fun at the genre, and is peopled with a selection of charmingly moronic and quirky characters.

Grab some beers, get a few mates around, and enjoy much laughter with the added bonus of some enjoyable deaths and acceptable gore. Definitely a fun flick, recommended wholeheartedly for fun viewing and for anyone who isn’t a snobby bastard obsessed with horror being gritty and realistic.

The film was met with mixed reviews from critics, but Harris’ performance was praised. The film grossed $7 million at the box office.

Hatchet II is an intense and brutal slasher film that is not for the faint of heart. The film’s cast is excellent, particularly Harris, who is believable as a strong and resourceful woman who is fighting for her life. The film’s setting in the Louisiana bayou is also effectively used to create a sense of unease and claustrophobia. However, the film’s graphic violence and gore will be too much for some viewers.

Synopsis

Hatchet II picks up immediately after the events of the first film. Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) is back and more deadly than ever. The survivors of the first film, Marybeth (Danielle Harris), Ben (Joel David Moore) and Shaw (Tony Todd), team up with Marybeth’s father, Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd), to return to the haunted New Orleans swamp to end Victor Crowley’s reign of terror once and for all.

They are joined by a group of professional bounty hunters, led by Marybeth’s uncle, Ellis (Tom Holland), who are determined to collect the large bounty on Victor Crowley’s head. However, the hunters are not the only ones after Victor Crowley. A voodoo priestess, Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), has also put a curse on him.

The group quickly realizes that they are not the only ones hunting Victor Crowley when they are attacked by a group of cannibals. They manage to fight them off, but not before one of the bounty hunters is killed.

As they get closer to Victor Crowley’s lair, they are attacked by all sorts of creatures, both human and supernatural. They finally reach Victor Crowley’s home, but he is not there. They are then attacked by a giant alligator, which they manage to kill.

As they search the house for Victor Crowley, they are attacked by ghosts, zombies, and other creatures. They finally find him, but he is not alone. He is with a group of other ghosts, including the spirit of his dead mother.

The group fights Victor Crowley and his ghostly companions, but they are outnumbered and outmatched. Just when it seems like they are going to be killed, Mama Odie arrives and uses her voodoo magic to defeat Victor Crowley and his ghosts.

With Victor Crowley finally gone, the group is free to go. However, they soon realize that the curse is still in effect and that they are now ghosts themselves. They are then forced to face their own fears and demons as they try to find a way to break the curse and return to the land of the living.

Movie Details

Director: Adam Green
Writer: Adam Green
Actors: Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Ed Ackerman
Release Year: 2010