Admittedly I found the first "Hatchet" a bit obnoxious, but it was still the closest thing to a genuine slasher landmark we had in a long time (since the 80s, in fact). For parts 2 and 3, and meanwhile also the fourth part "Victor Crowley", I simply put all possible prejudices aside and became a huge fan of Adam Green's blood-soaked franchise set in the Louisiana swamps and centering around an indestructible 'urban legend' killer with a daddy-complex! The "Hatchet"-series has pretty much everything going for it: a thin but effective plot, a cast full of legendary names (in this entry: Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, Sean Whalen, Sid Haig, Derek Mears...), hot & humid filming locations, delightful tongue-in-cheek comedy, and - most importantly - copious amounts of insanely OTT gore that is (unlike in other horror franchises) manufactured through good old-fashioned special effects instead of with computers!
The narrative structure is also logical and straightforward. Part 3 begins where part 2 ended, and the plot is thus is quickly and easily summarized. Marybeth, as the sole survivor, stumbles out of the swamp and straight into the nearest police station, still covered in blood and carrying with her Crowley's scalp. Naturally nobody believes her story about the malevolent urban legend killer, and she's put in jail while the local troopers, as well as a forensics team and a SWAT delegation, venture into the swamp. Crowley resurrects once more, because, like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers before him, he cannot be killed with guns or even chainsaws. If you like undemanding slasher movies, you simply must worship "Hatchet". The body count is immense, and the gore-level is extraordinary. Some of Victor Crowley's favorite butchering methods are there (like squishing skulls with his boots or tearing heads off torsos) but there's also room for inventive new methods, mind you. By now you also know, I guess, that generating suspense isn't too high on Adam Green's priority list, and he also doesn't like to waste too much time on character development. He is, however, a master in pleasing the crowd with tremendously amusing horror flicks. If he should decide to make another twenty-seven "Hatchet" sequels, I'll probably watch every single one of them with a big evil smile on my face.
PS: I watched "Hatchet III" in memory of Sig Haig who passed away on 21st of September 2019. His role in this film is small but nevertheless very memorable, and Mr. Haig will surely be missed by all genre fanatics.
The narrative structure is also logical and straightforward. Part 3 begins where part 2 ended, and the plot is thus is quickly and easily summarized. Marybeth, as the sole survivor, stumbles out of the swamp and straight into the nearest police station, still covered in blood and carrying with her Crowley's scalp. Naturally nobody believes her story about the malevolent urban legend killer, and she's put in jail while the local troopers, as well as a forensics team and a SWAT delegation, venture into the swamp. Crowley resurrects once more, because, like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers before him, he cannot be killed with guns or even chainsaws. If you like undemanding slasher movies, you simply must worship "Hatchet". The body count is immense, and the gore-level is extraordinary. Some of Victor Crowley's favorite butchering methods are there (like squishing skulls with his boots or tearing heads off torsos) but there's also room for inventive new methods, mind you. By now you also know, I guess, that generating suspense isn't too high on Adam Green's priority list, and he also doesn't like to waste too much time on character development. He is, however, a master in pleasing the crowd with tremendously amusing horror flicks. If he should decide to make another twenty-seven "Hatchet" sequels, I'll probably watch every single one of them with a big evil smile on my face.
PS: I watched "Hatchet III" in memory of Sig Haig who passed away on 21st of September 2019. His role in this film is small but nevertheless very memorable, and Mr. Haig will surely be missed by all genre fanatics.