Here we are. Hatchet 3 has been released to all VOD outlets as of last night. I remember picking up the original Hatchet maybe a year after its release and falling in love with it. I remember sitting in the theater for Hatchet 2, and being bummed I couldn’t see it a second time before it was pulled from theaters for being “too graphic.” Obviously, I am a huge fan of the franchise and I’ve been waiting for Hatchet 3 for a long time. So, how do I feel about the latest sequel? Read my review of Hatchet 3 for all the details!
Hatchet 3 is written and produced by franchise creator Adam Green and is the directorial debut of BJ McDonnell. McDonnel’s a -former- very accomplished camera man with credits in Terminator 3, The Devil’s Rejects, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Hatchet 3 stars returning cast-members Danielle Harris (as Marybeth) and Kane Hodder (Victor Crowley) along with 80s/90s scream king Zach Galligan, Derek Mears, Rileah Vanderbilt, and Caroline Williams.
In the third movie in the franchise, “A search and recovery team heads into the haunted swamp to pick up the pieces and Marybeth learns the secret to ending the voodoo curse that has left Victor Crowley haunting and terrorizing Honey Island Swamp for decades.”
CAUTION: There are major movie spoilers past this point! Read at your own risk!
To me, the Hatchet franchise has always been more of a horror-comedy series instead of in your face horror. That’s always something I’ve looked for in each movie, and I have to say that Hatchet 3 didn’t contain the usual gags and laughs. Normally we could blame it on a new team hemming the film, but Adam Green did write this follow-up and I guess he chose to leave out a lot of the comedy. Sure, there were two moments in particular that I thought were hysterical, but for the most part the film was void of the usual riots I’ve grown to love. What I’m saying is, Hatchet 3 abandons the horror-comedy genre and heads into full fledged horror territory. This isn’t a complaint by any means, just an important note for fans looking for the tone of the film.
The Hatchet franchise is also known for its epic use of practical special effects. Every kill in the Hatchet series is bloody and brutal, and done with actual production skills instead of the current fad of CGI. When I picture being behind-the-scenes of a Hatchet flick, I see an eighteen wheeler that’s filled with nothing but barrels of fake blood and gore. While I mentioned Hatchet 3’s new tone before, I can safely and happily say the latest movie is still an absolute gorefest with blood splatters, limb taring, decapitation, and everything you’d want to see in gore porn. Do I have a favorite death scene this go around? Actually, no, I don’t; but it doesn’t mean that the kills weren’t awesome. It’s just that nothing stood out to be as much as in previous entries.
The cast for Hatchet 3 is incredible and probably the best group of actors delivering the best performances in the three part series. It was fun to see Danielle Harris extend Marybeth’s growth in another movie, although she didn’t have a real face off with Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley this time around. This was the first time I’ve seen Zach Galligan act since Gremlins and that was a surprise in itself. Caroline Williams as the zany Crowley reporter, Cody Snider as the cowardly cop with a rocket launcher, Rileah Vanderbilt as the only woman who knows how to work a gun in Louisiana, and Robert DoQui as the deputy who can’t catch a break were all stand outs. Franchise star Parry Shan returns in a new role, the character of “Ben” from the first flick makes a blink and you’ll miss it cameo, and Sid Haig is also featured in a special appearance. The only character that I didn’t like was Hawes played by Derek Mears who was a knock off of a character from Hatchet 2.
I’ve waited until the end of the review to discuss the plot of Hatchet 3. In a nutshell, it picks up exactly where Hatchet 2 ended. Marybeth escapes another run in with Victor Crowley. After narrowly escaping she makes it to the police station with a shot gun and Crowley’s scalp in hand. She is promptly arrested and paramedics and police officers head out to the swamp. When they are attacked as well, the entire police force and a swat team head into the woods to try to rescue any survivors. Meanwhile, Marybeth is taken unwillingly from prison by a crazy reporter named Amanda and a rookie deputy and she is forced to end Crowley’s curse once and for all. Basically, if the blood line of the men who were responsible for his father’s death help reunite him with his dad, Victor can finally be at peace. Both sides collide in the middle of a dark bayou and must work together to stop another Victor Crowley rampage.
Hatchet 3 does have a definite, and unfortunate end, which does wrap the franchise up if Adam Green decides to put the saga to rest. Hatchet 3 is a very solid addition to the franchise and proof that the saga is not dead. Fans of its two predecessors will really enjoy this flick too. All the waiting since the release of Hatchet 2 has been well worth it. I have a few basic critiques, very minor in fact, but all in all I loved Hatchet 3. I’d give it an 8.5 out of 10 and recommend it to all horror fans looking for a great straight-to-DVD horror movie.
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