While our official review is forthcoming (from David Harley), Bloody Disgusting contributor Micah of 365HorrorMovie writes in with his thoughts on Adam Green’s slasher sequel Hatchet II, which opens in limited theaters unrated and uncut this coming Friday (make sure to write your own reviews!) It will be the largest unrated theatrical opening in 25 years — so get out there and support! Premiering last night in Hollywood, Hatchet II follows Marybeth (Danielle Harris) as she escapes from the clutches of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), learns the truth about his curse, and heads back into the haunted New Orleans swamp to seek revenge for her family and kill Victor Crowley once and for all. Horror fans should be excited to learn that Tony Todd (Candyman) has a hefty role this time around.
My initial reaction to Hatchet II after attending the L.A. Premiere last night.

Wow! Just freakin’ wow! Adam Green’s Hatchet II is absolutely everything a slasher flick should be. Gorehounds look no further; a magnum opus of creative kills has arrived. Call me a fan boy; call me whatever you will, but Hatchet II is one of the best slashers films EVER. I told Adam after the screening that I now knew what it was like to be in the audience of a landmark horror film. And I meant every word of it. We’ll be talking about this film for a long time.

Alright, enough with the gushing (for now). Hatchet II picks up one frame after Hatchet ends, which was on a rather unexpected note if you remember (or grumbled about it). Of course, gone is the original Marybeth, replaced by the amazing Danielle Harris (Halloween, The Last Boy Scout). This was weird for a few seconds, but honestly, Danielle was not only born to play the role, she was better at it. Who better than a talented actress who has devoted her entire career to horror movies?

Kills are paramount in slasher films. Let’s be honest, the plots are usually inconsequential. Every one of them is essentially the same. Get a bunch of people isolated and kill them. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh sure, an interesting back story and an iconic killer can certainly help (And Hatchet II delivers both in spades). But without the kills slasher movies wouldn’t exist. We horror fans spend hours and hours spouting off and arguing about our favorite kills scenes. It’s a religion. And we take it very seriously.

On that note, Hatchet II delivers several of the finest kills ever captured on film. I don’t want to spoil any of them, but know that one of the mildest acts of violence in the movie occurs early on when someone is strangled by their intestines until their head pops off in a glorious spray of blood. Yes, Victor Crowley is back. And OH MY F*CKING GOD is he brutal! Several of the scenes literally caused my eyes to well up with tears of pure unabashed joy. I wanted to stand up in the theater and belt out “Walking on Sunshine.” I’m not sure I have ever been happier for my beloved genre.

Never before has a horror film ever attempted and gotten away with what Adam Green does in Hatchet II. And to think this film is receiving a nice sized theatrical release. It’s quite a feat indeed. The French have made some insanely graphic films recently. The Italians were one once the masters of gore. But, for lack of a better term, everyone just got served. American horror is back on top and Green is leading the charge. Good luck catching up!

Will this film redefine the way horror is distributed? I ,for one, hope so. Only time will tell, but if you love original horror, this is undeniably the biggest MUST see of the year.

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