HATCHET III (2013)

Director: B J McDonnell. Cast: Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, Zach Galligan, Caroline Williams, Derek Mears. USA 2013, 81 mins.

After watching HATCHET III it is my sincere hope that the ghost of Victor Crowley is now finally at peace because I cannot imagine a better send-off for the deformed swamp monster than HATCHET III.

Picking up right where HATCHET II left us, Danielle Harris’ Marybeth is caked in Victor Crowley’s blood having shot-gun blasted his deformed head to pulped jelly. Kicking his trusty hatchet away into the swamp grass she staggers exhausted toward the camera, collapsing onto her knees, bloodied fists still clenched. After a moment’s pause she rises and moves off at the exact same moment Victor (Kane Hodder) sits bolt upright in the background ala Michael Myers in Carpenter’s original HALLOWEEN.

Yes we’re back in those swamps, but this time we’ve got a new swamp-tour guide at the helm, Steadicam / camera operator extraordinaire BJ McDonnell, making his directorial debut after being given the directing reins by HATCHET creator / gatekeeper Adam Green. Having been involved on both previous instalments and boasting an awesome resume of previous film credits, the choice of giving McDonnell his first directing gig was a shrewd – as well as incredibly generous – decision. McDonnell rewards Green’s faith in him with a thrilling juggernaut of a film. Lensing duties rest with another HATCHET veteran, Will Barratt, who together with McDonnell present Victor’s swamps in glorious widescreen ‘scope.

Green’s script is a splatter cake sprinkled with crowd-pleasing in-jokes and cameos. His own cameo follows on from the previous two instalments to form a (drunken) character arc – and there’s a fine gag involving his own writing abilities. The director doesn’t miss out either as he’s briefly glimpsed holding a roll of toilet paper alongside Green during a quick camera pan across a prison cell. I won’t spoil any of the other goodies, but given that the two previous outings have included cameos from the likes of Robert Englund, John Carl Buechler, and legendary Lloyd (Troma) Kaufman, you can be sure the writer has a few bunny rabbits up his sleeve.

But with all these fan-spoiling nods and winks going on in the background, there’s still a story to tell here, and in Danielle Harris’ portrayal of Marybeth with have yet another outstanding performance from the genre’s most consistent and reliable actress. Harris is a gift for directors and McDonnell is smart enough to invest generous screen time in her. He is also given strong support from genre favourites Zach Galligan as Sheriff Fowler and Caroline Williams as Crowley expert Amanda who both throw themselves into their roles with unabashed gusto.

And then we have Derek Mears’ no-nonsense SWAT officer Hawes, nonchalantly flicking a pair of severed testicles dangling from a tree, who of course is in those swamps to provide us with the much anticipated (albeit brief) Jason vs. Jason showdown with Hodder.

The Crowley make-up is more defined this time thanks to a switch from traditional foam latex to silicone – allowing more expression in Hodder’s performance. The total weight of Kane’s make-up appliances added up to a staggering 50 pounds, which when coupled with the sweltering Louisiana swamp conditions meant Hodder suffered for his art like never before on this shoot.

But despite all those layers of silicone, Victor’s gory un-rated hands-on mayhem is still all present and correct – complete with arterial geezers – although the actual kills are snappier and less lingering than in the previous outings.(The one exception being the protracted punishment suffered by Crowley himself both at the hands of Marybeth and by an unfortunate misplaced and fully-operational chainsaw).

The finale where the remaining participants attempt to lay the spirit of Victor’s ghost to rest for good brought, I must admit, a touch of moisture to my eye. Not so much out of sentiment, (although there is a startling moment of pathos amidst the gory-soaked resolution) but more so out of shear relief that Green and McDonnell hadn’t f*cked up at the end but had instead given the legend of Victor Crowley a truly worthy and satisfying send-off.

Having been in the 2006 FrightFest audience when Adam Green first came to London with HATCHET (which had the rather daunting task of playing immediately after the UK premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s PAN'S LABYRINTH), I’ve always felt an affectionate affinity for the HATCHET films. Clearly created by someone with a genuine love of the genre - and by a genuine fan of the genre – and I’m very pleased to report that HATCHET III is no different.

***** (Out of 5)

Paul Worts