Victor Crowley (2017)

 

Crowley after taking another head off

So a majority of this slasher sequel to three other Adam Green related "Hatchet" films is located in the husk of a crashed plane -- the turbulence was wicked, I guess -- where Parry Shen reprises his role as Andrew, talked into going back to the Louisiana swamp where Victor Crowley supposedly went on reigns of grisly terror, leaving behind quite a body count...and a pissed off Danielle Harris, who, at the very end of this film, during the closing credits, pumps a shotgun and declares revenge yet again. Crowley goes through a plane engine thanks to a giddy-up-and-go tour guide, Dillon (the very busy Dave Sheridan), telling Rose (Laura Ortiz) he would have had her babies. Dillon and Rose shared a kiss while inside the airplane husk as Dillon prepared to save her friend...that doesn't happen as Crowley, summoned by Youtube voodoo incantations, is once again this deform-faced psycho in full bodybuilder form, mockingly driving his foot into a face crush, leaving what were once a forehead, eyes, nose, and mouth squashed in a gooey splat. Brian Quinn of "Impractical Jokers", Tiffany Shepis of many indie horror films, among others work on a crew filing Shen's Andrew at the swamp for the Victor Crowley story. Andrew has been exploiting his survival after all the Crowley murders, cashing in, and when his agent (played with assertive chatty energy and desperation by Felissa Rose) tosses a million out there as financial incentive to go back to the swamp despite every reason to never see that place again. In fact, Andrew tells everyone who buys his books at signings never to go to that swamp. Krystal Joy Brown is on the plane to the swamp as well, the ex to Andrew, playing Sabrina. Sabrina despises Andrew and makes sure he always knows how much she reviles him. After the plane crash, members of the film crew are killed (the makeup guy's upper torso is severed from his lower torso, while the gopher is pulled from the window with his body dropping in front of a small group of Crowley film students looking to exploit the story for a low budget horror film they are concocting), leaving the others inside the husk of the plane, ill-prepared for the resurrected Crowley and his special brand of savagery. The ax, pickax, and even bare hands are weapons of destruction Crowley puts to use. The film even opens in 1964 where a boyfriend and girlfriend get engaged (and share a snotty kiss with lots of phlegm) in a boat on that damned swamp, hearing the child call for help, go to see where that is coming from, encountering Tyler Mane with a gun, dispatched like him by Crowley and his ax. Gouged eyeball, decapitated head with squirting blood, and hacked limbs gushing even more blood; Crowley, no matter the time, loves to behead and spread that blood all over the place. I did think, for a moment, that Katie Booth was supposed to be one of the female leads, but a face smash made sure she'd never be directing that breakthrough film. Neither will her good friend, played by Chase Williamson, as he is the recipient of hammer pummeling to the eyes before Crowley severs his head with the teeth of the hammer!

This film is so inundated with silliness (the gore gags have a lot of obvious props and film blood squirt devices), containing characters way, way over the top, this is an Adam Green slasher film only concerned with drenching setpieces in grue and letting his cast take the material to wherever goofy places he intends. Never for a moment did I really expect anything of depth; this is gory mayhem, pure and simple. I crack up that Parry Shen, someone you'd expect to die early in these kinds of films, always seems to avoid the same obliteration other characters endure. For me, this is nothing more or nothing less than an extension of the other "Hatchet" films. It has an audience, and I'm sure this fourth film in the series has those who will just love it.  

The showstopping severed arm up the ass with death grip hand clutching cell phone protruding from mouth demise of Rose is as ridiculous as it sounds. But you don't soon forget it. For my money, Shepis spending so much time pinned down by metal, unable to get up or escape as water gradually fills up the airplane husk, eventually drowning her, is probably the most impactful death of the film...it isn't grisly, just horrifying because Green capitalizes on a situation that seems unavoidable due to no ability to get the hell up and on your feet. And Green makes sure to remind us with shots of the hole in the husk and water flowing in. 2.5/5

I watched this as part of the Joe Bob Brigg's Last Drive-In "pajama party" on Shudder, with guests such as Adam Green, Felissa Rose, Tiffany Shepis, and Kane Hodder. This was a lot of fun as everyone were in pajamas (of a sort), with Joe Bob not much a fan of wearing them while Darcy, the Mail Girl, barely keeps her cleavage in her top (not that I'm complaining). Their insight into this fourth "Hatchet" film is highly entertaining. You can see there is a real sense of camaraderie among them.