Hatchet 2

Hatchet 2 (2010)
Dir: Adam Green (Hatchet/Frozen)
Starring: Danielle Harris (Halloween 4+5/ Rob Zombies Halloween), Tony Todd  Candyman series)
Kane Hodder (Hatchet/2001 Maniacs/Friday The 13th 7-10), R.A. Mihailoff (Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3) , Tom Holland (Director: Child's Play)

Well, What can I say about this film without giving away too much? Hatchet 2 truly is what a slasher flick should be and it solidifies Victor Crowley  as a true franchise Player right up there with Jason, Michael, Leatherface  etc. and I truly hope that this series continues to go on as you can tell that the director Adam Green is above all a fan of the genre as he crafts each of his films with the love for horror that rivals the most avid Gore fanatics out there.
                       The film starts off right where the first leaves off with Marybeth now played by certified Scream queen Danielle Harris as she is fighting off Crowley while trying to escape the swamp from the prior massacre. She manages to fight free and is saved by a nearby hunter whom takes Mary to his house but, Upon realizing her families ties to the Crowley legend he immediately kicks her out and tells her that if she wants answers she must seek Rev. Zombie. After this brief meeting the body count begins right off the bat when the hunter gets gutted by  Victor then choked out with his own intestine, Setting the gruesome tone for the rest of the film.

              Oh yeah and did I mention that the hunter found the camcorder of the amateur porn director from the prior film, treating the viewer to some nice T&A before our first kill? well yeah and it's sweet.

                          Now , with that out of the way. Marybeth goes to visit Rev. Zombie again played by Horror icon Tony Todd, and the Rev. tells Marybeth the history of the Crowley curse and we get a short montage of sorts showing a few nice gore scenes as  a young Victor slaughters innocent fisherman and gator hunters who dare to venture into his part of the swamp.

                       The Rev. agrees to help Marybeth find her families remains and get revenge on Crowley, in the process gathering a small army of hunters and roughnecks to go along for the ride and pad the body count. During the town meeting we get a cameo from Troma owner Lloyd Kaufman.

                       the group heads out to the swamps and as sun falls the gore score rises almost immediately and does not let up until the ending credits.

                        the characters are not given too much depth but for the short period of time they are breathing on screen, They do manage to get their key traits across and some really do come off as a likable bunch given the short amount of screen time provided which is interesting when compared to other horror films in recent years where the viewer gets to see more of the characters and for the most part are usually people you grow to hate and root to see them killed. Some highlights to the massacre that ensues from here on out are , A guy and his high school sweetheart reunite and decide to have a fling in the swamp when the guy is decapitated mid doggiestyle thrust as his body continues to pump away after being beheaded and then the girl get a hatchet in her tender bits before taking the Axe between her breasts. Then a duo of hunters simultaneously get sawed in half crotch first by the worlds largest chainsaw and the twin brother of the boat driver from the first film gets a belt sander to the back of the skull, but truly these are just a few of the awesome kills in this film.

                      I am not gonna go any further into the story because going deeper into the plot would spoil any sort of suspense there is to expect in this film, Just know going in that this film has some of the most impressive on screen kills seen in horror films in the last few years and each of these are all shown leaving nothing to the imagination. This film in my eyes is pretty damn flawless for the genre and my only complaint is that the end is a bit abrupt and leaves you wanting more. I do hope that this is not the last we see of Victor Crowley. Adam Green has the potential to go down in horror history as one of the greatest directors of the genre and yes it may be a little early in his career to say that but he has not let me down yet and continues to impress in this one. It is abundantly clear this man knows his stuff and it shows in his casting , Being that a decent amount of the people involved in this film are horror icons of sorts and this also shines through in his writing as there are several nods to other horror films threw out. In one scene in particular a man states that in his town of Glen Echo their legend is of a man named Leslie Vernon, a tip of the hat to Behind the Mask another independent horror film that came out the same year as the first Hatchet film. If only more horror films could be like this in these times of remakes and rehashes of "Torture Porn". On the Surface Hatchet 1 and 2 are not the most original , being as they are standard stalk and slash but they do offer a feeling of legitimate throwbacks to the glory days of Horror as opposed to trying to retell a story thats already been told at least these films create a whole new story arch and set of characters to follow and that in itself is refreshing.
I truly recommend this film to all Horror fanatics out there and I cannot praise it enough for doing what it does and that is reviving that childhood feeling of sitting down and being thoroughly entertained by a Slasher done right which is so hard to find these days. Thank you Mr. Green and Victor Crowley for keeping the genre alive, the only thing I can ask for now is that Leslie Vernon resurfaces soon because that is another film I would love to see turned into a franchise bringing Slashers into the future, for the young gore hounds out there with no patience to do the research and sit through the classics.
Gore:8
Nudity:6
Story:8
Characters:7
Overall:8 out of 10