How has it been nearly two decades since shooting commenced on the most iconic slasher franchise of the 2000s? Writer/director Adam Green, an avid horror fanatic, created Victor Crowley, a spiritual successor to the likes of Freddy Kreuger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers. Played by the legendary Kane Hodder (Jason in parts VII – Jason Goes to Hell), Crowley would eventually go down in the annals of genre history. Over the course of four satisfying, over-the-top entries, Green seamlessly blends horror with comedy, reveling in the excess and practical effects that colored 80s slashers. Having followed the franchise from the very beginning—Crowley’s deformed mug popped out at me when perusing the pages of a Fangoria issue—Hatchet means a hell of a lot to me. I scooped up the first film on its physical media release the second it came out. I saw the second film in theaters for an early six-month anniversary celebration in New York City with my now-husband, being one of the few places that was showing the controversial sequel in its uncensored glory. Marsh vapors or not, Hatchet exploded into an iconic set of movies that Green championed every step of the way. Between cameos and juicy roles for seasoned horror actors, outrageous kills, and a tapestry of rich mythology and character work, Green dodged the conveyor belt feel of the typical horror continuation by expanding the puzzle to make room for new pieces. Hatchet: The Complete Collection compiles all four labors of love into a satisfying box set of gory delights and hilarious shenanigans, overstuffed with bonus materials. Notably, this marks the first time that all four of Adam Green’s Hatchet films are available together in one package, fully unrated and uncensored. The set also includes two exclusive bonus features on an extra disc.
First up, we have the original classic: 2006’s Hatchet. Filmed in just fourteen days and hatched from an urban legend fabricated by eight-year-old Adam Green, this DIY backwoods slasher has the polish of a major studio feature. Starting (where else) deep in the off-limits Honey Island Swamp, a gator-hunting father and son are unceremoniously offed by a shadowy figure, with the latter ripped apart and thrashed about like a rag doll. Right off the bat, Robert Englund’s cameo and two impressive kills set the stage for everything to follow. A gritty opening credits, accompanied by Marilyn Manson’s “This is the New Shit,” immerses us in the atmosphere of this chilling slasher. Set during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the first three Hatchet movies could be viewed back to back as one continuous story.
Lanky, recently-single Ben (Joel David Moore) has had his fair share of titties and beads—instead, he wants to do a haunted swamp tour. Leaving his group behind to continue their debaucherous partying, Ben is accompanied by bestie, Marcus (Deon Richmond). They end up outside the tours of Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd); coincidentally, Zombie no longer does night tours, yet recommends the Scare Boat for their haunted swamp needs. Led by Asian stereotype Shawn (Parry Shen), the group heads into the swamp despite screams to turn back from a local gator hunter. The crew consists of many fun characters, including bickering Bayou Beavers hopefuls Misty (Mercedes McNab) and Jenna (Joleigh Fioreavanti), elderly tourists Jim (Richard Riehle) and Shannon (Patrika), and potential final girl Marybeth (Amara Zaragoza), hunting for her father and brother that were savagely mutilated in the opening scene.
Hatchet overflows with horror references galore, proudly embracing a love for the genre. Green’s familiarity with slashers fuels a contagious energy—the entire cast and crew clearly had a blast on this one. The legend of Victor Crowley was used to sell the feature, leading to one of the greatest teaser trailers ever made, narrated by a charismatic child recollecting the story. Part of what makes this debut so great is the chemistry between the cast members, hamming up every moment they have onscreen. It feels akin to capturing lightning in a bottle. McNab and Fioreavanti are standouts, constantly at each other’s throats; one of them forgets the number for 9-1-1. Joel David Moore has the hallmarks of a quirky final boy. One notable exception exists to the generally stellar performances: Amara Zaragoza. Something is missing in her version of Marybeth, soon to remedied in the first sequel. Crowley himself remains unlike any other character Hodder has portrayed. His vicious murders pop thanks to the immaculate work from special effects guru John Carl Buechler. Everyone seems to have a different favorite, but for me the standout slaying is Shannon, whose entire mouth gets torn open in a flashy camera movement.
The dark comedy blends well with the nastiness of the horror, too. Once kicking into high gear, Crowley’s relentless pursuit give the audience exactly what they came for. A crazy cliffhanger ending cuts off right in the middle of a scene, which becomes a staple of the franchise. Special features on this disc include an hour-and-fifteen minutes of featurettes that dive deep into the filmmaking, and general inception.
And so, a franchise has been born. With 2010’s Hatchet II, the extravagant kills were notched up another level, and Crowley’s mythology expanded. In between entries, final girl Marybeth was recast; this time, Halloween starlet Danielle Harris steps in. Having auditioned for the same part in the original, Harris becomes a natural fit. She fills the role well, infusing Marybeth with an emotional core and badass determination that expands upon her previous portrayal in multiple ways. Picking up from the exact frame where Hatchet ended, Marybeth escapes from Crowley, taken away to the spooky cabin of local Jack Cracker (John Carl Buechler). When Jack discovers Marybeth’s last name, he freaks out and boots her, telling her to go see Reverend Zombie. To no one’s surprise, Crowley shows up right when Marybeth leaves to make Cracker pay for even speaking with her at all.
After his memorable but brief cameo, Tony Todd becomes one of the leading characters in II. Marybeth shows up at his doorstep, where he not only reveals that he owns the illegal swamp tour Marybeth barely survived, but also that Crowley’s connection to Marybeth runs deep. Three children were involved in the murder of Crowley, with Marybeth’s father being one of them. The expansion of Crowley’s story comically exaggerates, introducing an affair Papa Crowley had with a creole nurse while his wife was slowly dying from stomach cancer. Her curse is said to be what ultimately gave Victor his deformities, and the whole nearly twenty-minute derailment of the plot can be forgiven since Todd’s surly voice narrates. Marybeth begs Reverend Zombie to return with her to Honey Island Swamp so she can retrieve the remains of her father and brother to put them to rest. Zombie has other plans—he puts a hunting party together, offering $500 to retrieve the missing Scare Boat, and $5000 for whoever can snatch the head of Crowley as a trophy.
This group certainly lacks the gel that made the first movie’s characters so memorable. Here, they are mostly a wide swath of redneck cannon fodder, including stereotypes named Cleatus (Ed Ackerman) and Layton (AJ Bowen). Marybeth brings along her Uncle Bob (Tom Holland) at the request of Zombie, to make it something of a family affair. The only other truly notable new character is Justin (Parry Shen), twin brother of tour guide Shawn. What these victims lack in personality or definition they make up for in their glorious deaths. Returning writer/director Adam Green relishes the nearly triple amount of kills—we get heads shoved into boat propellors, exploding brains, and a double kill on the longest chainsaw I have ever seen. Perhaps the most memorable sequence is a ridiculous sex scene with a writhing headless body. Crowley looks even more menacing than he did the first go-round. Kane Hodder finds his groove, basking in the glow of returning as the Big Bad for round two.
II never comes close to the creepy atmosphere of Hatchet, but what it lacks in budget, it makes up for by expanding and widening the scope of the story. While the sequel’s success isn’t really a surprise, Green’s ability to recapture much of what made the first a memorable gem makes Hatchet II completely worthwhile. Danielle Harris’s go-for-broke performance breathes new life into the series. Green manages to enrich his 2006 baby with an organic evolution specifically made for the fans. The blu-ray disc includes a thirty-three minute “Behind the Screams,” detailing the raising of the stakes, reuniting the Hatchet Army, and Green’s devotion to making Crowley a true horror mainstay.
2013’s Hatchet III would see another major shakeup: Adam Green, though still heavily involved, handed over the directing reins to camera operator BJ McDonnell. Due to unforeseen issues during production, Green ended up being far more involved than originally expected rather than just writing/producing and stepping away. This results in the most visually and narratively cohesive installment yet, aptly bringing the franchise full circle. III was the first to be filmed almost entirely in New Orleans, and it certainly looks the most impressive from a visual standpoint. Victor Crowley has never been scarier or more intimidating than when he goes full Michael Myers. As with the previous installment, III continues on the same night, directly resuming within the same frame to keep up the frenetic energy. Before the title credits—set to another hard rock song with GWAR’s “Genocide”—Crowley appears to be appropriately down for the count. Marybeth has shot and smashed his head into pieces, thrusting her entire arm down his throat before his body succumbs to giant chainsaw death.
This being a Hatchet sequel, we know Victor will not be “dead” for long. Marybeth ends up at a police station, covered in blood and proudly celebrating her victory with a piece of Victor’s scalp in hand. Sheriff Fowler (Zach Galligan) promptly takes Marybeth into custody, heading out with a crew to assess the massacre Marybeth claims has occurred. No one believes her about Victor Crowley, so Marybeth becomes the prime suspect. Fowler’s ex-wife, Amanda (Caroline Williams), who once reported about Victor Crowley, remains certain that his ghost haunts Honey Island Swamp. As Crowley resurrects and picks off the recovery team one by one, the direness of the situation presents a promising potential resolution for the curse. Amanda manages to convince Deputy Winslow (Robert Diago DoQui) to break out Marybeth, then embark on a mission to retrieve the ashes of Crowley’s father from his wayward uncle (Sid Haig). If all goes according to plan, bringing Victor’s daddy home to him should theoretically end the repeating nature of both Victor’s torment and the pain he inflicts on others.
The scriptwriting feels sharper in III, taking on a fair bit of meta subtext. Adam Green remains unafraid to poke fun at things that were contrived in Hatchet II, and at one point a cop gets cut off before he can get too deep into recounting Crowley’s backstory for a third time. This entry embraces the redneck backwoods vibe, hitting a stride reminiscent of Rob Zombie’s style yet still so purely Green’s creation. For me, that was a big plus. The characters are distinct with strong personalities. Danielle Harris once again proves she was born to play Marybeth, as she impresses with her determination to take Victor down permanently. Parry Shen returns as Andrew, a paramedic who looks an awful lot like his murdered twins. As an anxious new transfer, rookie cop Dougherty (Rileah Vanderbilt) also leaves a mark. Getting Friday the 13th remake star Derek Mears on as an intimidating military badass presents an epic Jason vs. Jason battle. Hodder vs. Mears, who will come out on top? Of the series newcomers, Williams was my favorite by far. Amanda’s Crowley-taunting and drive to prove she has always been right about the “bayou butcher” provide an incredibly exciting final act, wherein all major storylines converge spectacularly.
By all accounts, if Hatchet III was the actual final entry in the franchise for good, it would go out with a bang. Harris’s Marybeth receives a crescendo of a payoff for her arc, Crowley presents as completely unstoppable for the majority of the movie to demolish anything in his path, and the icky practical effects work has never looked better despite another apparent budget trimming. A lengthy scene where Victor tears through five people at once before facing off against Mears’s Hawes underlines his brutality. Gorehounds rest assured, there are plenty of epic kills. This installment particularly culminates in many elements teased since the beginning, putting a capper on a twisted couple nights of mayhem in Honey Island Swamp. The Blu-ray includes another stellar behind-the-scenes documentary, again featuring Green making a passionate speech on the first day of filming as he hands over the franchise to his close friend. Giggles between takes show what a great time the cast and crew had on set.
Victor Crowley took until 2017 to be released, dropped as a surprise during an anniversary celebration of the first Hatchet. Filmed over the course of two years, Adam Green somehow managed to keep the whole affair under wraps before unleashing its existence upon the world. This entry had the lowest budget and quickest shooting schedule of the bunch, shot for just $400,000 over eleven hectic days. The scrappy passion for moviemaking present in most of Green’s projects returns full force, with a newfound energy to tell more stories in the world of the Honey Hollow Swamp. As with Hatchet III, Victor Crowley was filmed in New Orleans, as well as the swamps of Louisiana. Green returns behind the director’s chair for full control, shifting focus from Marybeth to Andrew as the de facto final boy. Unfortunately, this means Marybeth only shows up briefly to verify that she survived the bloodbath of the previous installment.
The fourth Hatchet movie leans into the comedy at the same time it exaggerates the tension and suspense. Somehow, Green’s sensibilities make every element sparkle. Even the recounting of the Crowley curse—courtesy of Felissa Rose’s daughter—by candlelight feels fresh. For the first time since the original, we do not resume at the final frame of the preceding film. Instead, a campy 1964 flashback of a preposterous engagement culminates in the bride’s fingers and other limbs being hacked to pieces. Crowley howls into the night, signifying that he’s been killing people at this swamp for quite some time. Hodder back as Crowley means every freaky tic returns full force. In present day, the ten-year anniversary of the “gruesome tragedy” is at hand. Survivor Andrew Yong (Parry Shen) has taken his aptly-titled autobiography I, Survivor on the road for a book tour. At the suggestion of his insistent publicist, Kathleen (Felissa Rose), Andrew only agrees to return to the site of the horrific murders for one million dollars. Onboard a private plane destined for Honey Hollow Swamp, Andrew and the motley crew of his Sabrina show segment—including Sabrina (Krystal Joy Brown) herself, Andrew’s ex—are in for a crash landing of epically violent proportions.
At the same time, a young group of filmmakers meant to emulate Green and company with their experience on the original Hatchet wants to make their own little Victor Crowley movie. They head out into the swamp sporting camera equipment and a naive determination. Who will be the new final girl or guy? The two storylines converge somewhere around the time the plane crashes into the swamp, as Crowley awakens thanks to an evil YouTube incantation. Leaving behind the satisfying mythology involving the Crowley patriarch’s ashes must happen for the story to continue, a la Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. This entry feels different in many ways, built in with those same A-list kills and outrageous gore. Different does not necessarily denote anything negative though—a completely natural progression had to happen to bring Crowley back into an increasingly crowded horror landscape. A haunting gag with a motion sensor proves Green has plenty of gas left in the tank.
There is something inherently satisfying about Chen finally getting his time to shine as the lead four movies deep, and Laura Ortiz’s Rose fights her ass off. Dave Sheridan’s level of crazy has been toned back a bit, but he becomes a hero-type character as the movie progresses. Felissa Rose also steals scenes as the pill-popping publicist. In fact, her fisting-inspired death scene is one of the best. Callbacks to the original trilogy happen frequently, but Victor Crowley feels less of a reboot and more of an entertaining sequel akin to the bigger horror franchises. Adam Green embraces the legacy of the series with an entertaining crowd-pleaser, and some of the wildest murder sequences of the lot. The disc carries two notable special features, one of which is an hour and eight minute behind the scenes, and the other a 26-minute interview with Green reflecting on the movie, and why it meant so much to finally bring Crowley (and Green’s film family!) back for more.
The set also includes an exclusive bonus disc, containing both Hatchet: Swamp Tales and Production Journals. Recorded in late 2023, Swamp Tales presents an in-depth reflection at the franchise over some beers with pals Sarah Elbert, Adam Green, and Will Barratt. They share many fascinating tidbits, including a forest of gore washed away by a bad storm in Hatchet III, or when everyone caught the swine flu on Hatchet II. They clearly make these movies out of love for the franchise and fans, and revel in their chaos. Production Journals runs just under an hour, narrated by each of the respective cast and crew who wrote out journal entries on the Hatchet website when the first movie was in production. Their words are accompanied by impressive set photography from Christel Golden. A 2000s progenitor to uber-violent genre flicks such as Terrifier, the imprint left from Hatchet on the horror landscape at large cannot be stressed enough. Indie slashers nowadays go out of their way to nab horror legends for bit parts, rarely highlighting them in the same manner. Nobody was doing it like Hatchet. Hopefully this complete collection won’t be complete for long. Hatchet 5, anyone?
Chop into Hatchet: The Complete Collection over and over again, now available as a limited edition steelbook featuring gorgeous artwork. Purchase your copy now from Dark Sky Selects.
Hatchet
Hatchet II
Hatchet III
Victor Crowley
