I really enjoyed the first HATCHET film, which perfectly captured the spirit of a 1980s-era slasher film. It was replete with funny characters and dialogue, great prosthetic effects, and a wonderfully old-fashioned atmosphere and feel. So where did it all go wrong for this sequel? Well, it appears to have been written on the fly, with a storyline that copies EXACTLY the same plot as the first film: a group visit the bayous in the middle of the night, with the twist that they're now out to hunt down and destroy the supernatural killer Victor Crowley. Hell, they even bring back Parry Shen, whose character died in the first movie (by virtue of him playing the guy's twin brother).

Everything that sparkled about the first film has gone in HATCHET II, to be replaced by a boring script and a dearth of imagination. The gore effects are more extreme but at the same time sillier and with worse effects, and somehow Kane Hodder's killer just doesn't look as frightening. He looks goofy, like an alien from a 1980s movie, whereas in the first film he was kept in the shadows a lot and all the more frightening for it.

Finally, Danielle Harris is a poor replacement for the original actress. The one good thing this has going for it is a substantial part for Tony Todd, who merely cameoed in the first movie. Todd is great, but it's not enough to lift the film to greatness. My favourite thing about this? Emma Bell's cameo, which is a lovely reference for anyone who's seen and enjoyed the director's FROZEN.

MAY CONTAIN MINOR PLOT SPOILERS. The movie opens with Marybeth escaping from the monster Victor Crowley. She is helped by one-eye Jack. Later Jack discovers Marybeth is a Dunstan and orders her out and to go talk to Rev. Zombie. Victor shows up at Jack's shack, rips out his intestine then uses it as a cord to pop off his head. The killing and gore in this movie can best be described as "Troma" style. Every death scene hits a major squirting artery. This beginning scene also has the bulk of the movie's nudity as Jack views a found video camera.

Marybeth, who is perhaps the worst at acting in this film, visits Rev. Zombie (Tony Todd) who explains how Victor Crowley became a ghost/legend/killer with a remarkable story telling voice aka the James Earl Jones of horror movies. As it turns out, Zombie's boat was lost in Honey Island Swamp. He forms a posse (including one hot blond for one last nude/sex scene) to retrieve his boat and to kill Victor Crowley once and for all.

People die in all kinds of ways as Crowley seems to have an endless supply of gasoline powered tools. Notice when faces are being smashed, they have a tendency to bounce back as if they are made of rubber. In the old house, where everything is grown over, there is a new door. Cletis was my favorite redneck character. He was realistic.

Caution: If you are an easily offended Christian, there is one scene (in addition to all the killing, gore and nudity) that you might find offensive. You will know it when you hear it.

The very short theatrical run of the movie in the US is a shame. In the words of Mr. Green himself, it was the first major unrated release since the Original Dawn of the Dead. Which means, it did play in a lot of cinemas. Though I'm pretty sure with many regulations and other obstacles (apart from the fact, that you can't promote it).

Which is a shame, because this is not a torture movie or anything mental. It just tries to be a fun slasher. We might not get the whole story why it got withdrawn after just one weekend, but as it is, it's a sad testament of the current flow of cinema fodder we get.

Of course you might ask, if I say so many good things about the movie, why do I rate it quite low (3 points lower than the rating of the first movie)? This comes down to the story element of the movie. While Adam said himself, that people will criticize him for not delivering non-stop slasher, it comes down to the fact, that it just does not live up to the time it takes up.

In other words, it takes too long and the pacing seems off. Unfortunately one of the guys who was really funny (in Hatchet 1) is not back for more, but gets replaced by someone else who tries very hard to be funny, but just can't "cut" it (in my eyes).

But if you are in this for the kills and thrills, there is much to be had of those, especially in the second part of the movie. So if you don't mind the (disposable and sadly sometimes not very well acted) story element at the beginning ... go right ahead and watch this.

It is difficult to criticize something that just tries to be fun. And if you ever get a chance to meet Mr. Green in person, he is one hell of a guy. I can't wait to watch another one of his movies