Adam Green delivers more of the same with his deliriously sadistic sequel to his "throwback" horror hit of 2007. Dedicated followers of the horror genre will take delight in some of the casting and in the admittedly hilarious over the top gore gags, but in truth there's not that much going on here. The movie is fun, but quite forgettable. The humour is hit and miss; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Green doesn't do too much establishing of the environment here, instead focusing on pace, action, and making the audience howl and clap in appreciation.
He brings back his character Marybeth (iconic horror hottie Danielle Harris inherits the role from Tamara Feldman) who's survived the rampage of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) and made it back to civilization, where she confronts slimy businessman Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd) about what she's learned is a connection between her and old Vic. She then ventures back into the swamp to try to put an end to Vics' days, and Zombie agrees to go along (albeit for his own reasons), in the company of a group of heavily armed, but not too bright, hunters who were bought off pretty cheap. Also tagging along is Marybeths' concerned uncle Bob (Tom Holland, the director of "Fright Night" and "Child's Play", in a good-sized acting role).
The mindless violence in this movie *is* quite entertaining, although the viewer will have to sit through a fair amount of set-up and introduction to some less than completely interesting characters. Filling out the cast with familiar faces from the genre is not exactly a fresh gimmick, but horror fans may be still attracted to seeing them all here. Harris is appealing, as always, Todd gets a lot to do this time (he was wasted in a cameo role the first time around) and is a total hoot, and Holland is rather good (buffs will know that he began his career as an actor). Also appearing are Parry Shen (returning from the first movie, but playing a different role), R.A. Mihailoff, and AJ Bowen, with director John Carl Buechler reprising his part as area local Jack Cracker.
If you enjoyed "Hatchet" no. 1, chances are you'll have a fairly good time with part 2. At least it's not pretending to be more than it is, a goofy horror comedy that delivers blood by the bucketful.
Seven out of 10.
He brings back his character Marybeth (iconic horror hottie Danielle Harris inherits the role from Tamara Feldman) who's survived the rampage of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) and made it back to civilization, where she confronts slimy businessman Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd) about what she's learned is a connection between her and old Vic. She then ventures back into the swamp to try to put an end to Vics' days, and Zombie agrees to go along (albeit for his own reasons), in the company of a group of heavily armed, but not too bright, hunters who were bought off pretty cheap. Also tagging along is Marybeths' concerned uncle Bob (Tom Holland, the director of "Fright Night" and "Child's Play", in a good-sized acting role).
The mindless violence in this movie *is* quite entertaining, although the viewer will have to sit through a fair amount of set-up and introduction to some less than completely interesting characters. Filling out the cast with familiar faces from the genre is not exactly a fresh gimmick, but horror fans may be still attracted to seeing them all here. Harris is appealing, as always, Todd gets a lot to do this time (he was wasted in a cameo role the first time around) and is a total hoot, and Holland is rather good (buffs will know that he began his career as an actor). Also appearing are Parry Shen (returning from the first movie, but playing a different role), R.A. Mihailoff, and AJ Bowen, with director John Carl Buechler reprising his part as area local Jack Cracker.
If you enjoyed "Hatchet" no. 1, chances are you'll have a fairly good time with part 2. At least it's not pretending to be more than it is, a goofy horror comedy that delivers blood by the bucketful.
Seven out of 10.