Victor Crowley (2017)

Victor Crowley (2017)

PLOT - Ten years after Victor Crowley massacred over forty people and was finally sent back to Hell, the only known survivor Andrew Young (the paramedic from part III) is doing a publicity tour on his book based off the events had took place in 2007. Offered a deal he can't refuse, a small production crew is flying him back to Honey Island Swamp. Unknown to him, a small group of filmmakers, wanting to make a movie based off what happened, accidentally rise the spirit of Victor Crowley. When an unforeseen plane crash happened, the survivors are stuck inside, with Victor doing everything within his power to get inside.

LOWDOWN - I still remember back in 2007 when a friend of mine decided to buy this new horror movie that just so happened to have a huge batch of horror stars in it, and the hype behind it was pretty big. Since we're from New England, she bought it from Newbury Comics, and got a free glass that came with her DVD. We sat down at her house, and watched it.

I. Loved. It. 

I remember I instantly had to go and buy a copy for myself. A few years later while away at school, a friend of mine who also loved the first Hatchet movie, rented part II and both of us were BLOWN away by Tony Todd's big moment at the end of the movie. A year or so later I discovered Hatchet's director Adam Green's other film Frozen, and I still stay true to my belief, this was one of the best/most realistic films that honestly make you wonder "What would I do?" I respected Adam Green, not only for his filmmaking skills, but for being from New England. It was nice seeing more directors and writers from this area since at the moment Eli Roth really wasn't making any films at the time since he was strictly acting at the moment. It wasn't until 2013 that Hatchet III was announced and I instantly knew I needed to go see it since my favorite actor Zach Galligan was set to play the sheriff. The funny thing is, Adam Green announced that he was holding a silent auction, for the tragic Boston Marthon victims that had just happened a month or so before. Here he was going to have some cast and crew from the 3 Hatchet movies, and sell of rare awesome props and prizes for the One Fund cause. The next night he was screening Hatchet 3 for the first time ever, with the cast in the audience. Of course I needed to go, even though I was flying down to Florida to meet Zach Galligan just a week before this. I found it of course laughable that I was flying all this way to meet Zach even though I would be meeting him just a week later in my hometown. Hey YOLO. I talked two of my good friends into going with me, and I gotta say, it was one of the coolest things I ever did. That night I got to see so many cool directors, and actors, AND I won Zach's very own personal Waxwork II crew shirt, which is still one of my favorite pieces of my collection. The next night we got to do a Hatchet marathon in Boston, and got to witness the third and "final" entry in the series which in my eyes was honestly the Aliens of this series. It was action packed, and truly felt like the final film with a pretty awesome ending, with a cast packed full of stars. 

I was happy with how the Hatchet films ended, and thought that was that.

Until this past October when it was revealed that Adam Green's Hatchet 10th anniversary tour was actually a massive reveal to show he had been filming a 4th Hatchet movie in secret over the last two years. I remember everyone was completely losing it over this news, while I just sorta shrugged and went "Eh." I think honestly it was because of two reasons. 1). I was basically sick all of October, which royally sucked, and 2). I felt part 3 really wrapped things up perfectly and just seemed like some dumb way to cash in on a series much like so many other slasher series I love and adore. As much as I love some sequels, there are others that I just roll my eyes about, and wonder why didn't they stop it two or three sequels before when things seemed to be wrapped up neatly and nicely. I witnessed this first hand with the Saw series as a teenager, and figured this was how people viewed the Nightmare On Elm Street and Friday the 13th films back in the 1980's.

I heard mixed things about this entry, and honestly had no interest in seeing it, until about a week or so ago. I had just started my summer break (as well as our fourth annual Sensational Summer) I had just finished wrapping up Slasher Film Week with some other fellow bloggers, and horror fans, and was taking a look at my slashers both on VHS, DVD, and blu-ray. That's when I saw the Hatchet series. I found it such a shame, that I really hadn't dug Adam Green's Digging Up The Marrow, and never watched his TV show based off his hometown. I liked his Scary Sleepover web series, loved Sprial (one of his first films), Frozen, and the first 3 Hatchet films. Even tho, he seemed like total "Bro horror." I had enjoyed this films for what they were, and respected the dude for being kid a heart, a massive fan, and a filmmaker from my area. I've met Adam about 3 times and he's been nothing but a nice guy. So I started thinking...here I have every single sequel to Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Saw, Puppet Master, Slumber Party Massacre, Halloween, Child's Play, and God knows what else. I sometimes just owned sequels to own them. Some I loved, some I hated. Why was I being such a snob and not check out Green's latest effort where he returns to what he knows best.

Slaughtering people in Honey Island Swamp.

I didn't love Digging Up The Marrow, so who knows maybe returning to a series I really enjoyed might be fun. Besides, what did I have to lose? I was supporting a filmmaker I liked, AND I could say I owned the complete Hatchet series. This wouldn't take away from how much I loved part 3, and if this 4th entry was that much of a shit show I could just pretend like so other movies that it didn't exist. So for the first time since this past December when I got You Better Watch Out (Which I LOVED) I did a blind buy and bought Victor Crowley,

I'm glad I did.

Just a few nights ago I laid back with my A.C blasting, and popped it into my laptop, and right from the start I had to admit, it felt like an Adam Green film, and I was laughing, and shaking my head at all the super over the top moments. Mr. Kane Hodder was back as the second villain he's made famous in his career, and it was just as over the top as the last 3 films. There was tons of gore, body parts, and blood.

I loved how YET again Parry Shen returns, playing AndrewYoung (the paramedic who survived after hiding on the boat with Adam Green's ex wife and Galligan in part 3) Shen's characters throughout the series have always been a riot, and I love that Green calls him his good luck charm in this series. I really liked how it's ten years later, and his character is still trying to cash in on what happened. Having gotten a ghost writer to help him write about his experiences, and doing a publicity tour. I adored Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp was my jam was a pre-teen and the first slasher I ever owned on DVD) as his agent. I love her Long Island accent. The best part has to be her using the post-it notes to cover up Andrew's sign at the book signing when somebody puts a giant dick on it. "One...two...oh wow this is a big one! Three!" Seriously I'm a ten year old kid, this kind of humor kills me. I liked how Andrew married this seedy TV talk-show host who he's divorced to, and agrees to return to the swamp when he's offered a large sum of money. 

The second story taking place at the same time is a small group of young filmmakers, trying to convince Andrew to appear in their fan-made trailer to a low budget film they want to make based off the original murders. The acting here was a little select, but I really loved Laura Ortiz's character Rose. She came across as so likable I might actually check out Green's TV show after all. She was so tiny and adorable, but I died at her ready to throw the hatchet and saying "She may be tiny...but she is fierce." Seriously screamed laughed at that. Hope to see her in more.

I also loved Dave Sheridan (Yes from Scary Movie) He was actually my favorite character, and basically supplied most of the laughs in the entire movie. 

I also really loved how the entire film in the last act takes place in the broken down crashed plane. Green really can take a small setting, and isolate his characters, showing what do you do when you become trapped? (Like the chairlift in Frozen) This was a simple set piece but it worked. Loved the whole, how do they get help? Do they risk running? How can Victor get in? What do they use to fight back? It was basically the boat Andrew was stuck in brought to a whole new level. Some of my favorite moments took place on this place, and was absolutely terrifying whenever Victor tried to get inside. 

I have to admit, when a certain character reveals that they are pregnant (huh? Maybe Green was looking for shock value via Friday the 13th part 3) and how she's trapped underneath seats with water pouring in actually made me super uneasy, and supplied the film with plenty of moments when I felt super uncomfortable and bad. Leave it to Green to one second have me laughing my ass off, then sitting back stunned. 

Even though there isn't as much action as the last entry, it's still highly entertaining, and had lots of cameos from past stars, or people that exist in the horror community. I just wish the opening had been a little stronger. Still, it left us with a shocking ending, and had the most epic of all cameos at the end. So all in all, as much as I thought I was going to hate it, I actually enjoyed this entry for what it was. As of right now my favorite Hatchet movies go as...

Hatchet 3, Hatchet, Victory Crowley, and Hatchet II.

So 3 cheers Adam Green, stick with Honey Island Swamp and I think we're in businesses. 

3 1/2 stars!