Bloody Axe Wound is coming to Shudder in just a few days, and the trailer had horror fans in a tizzy. It looked like a fun homage to 1980s/1990s horror films such as Friday the 13th, and The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan co-produced it. As we saw in the trailer, Morgan also appears in the film (though it’s only one brief scene, as it turns out).
So, is it as good (and as much fun) as the trailer leads us to believe? Yes and no is the short answer. It’s definitely worth watching, especially for fans that enjoy good splatter-y horror movies, but it doesn’t quite live up to its full potential.
Abbie Bladecut (well-played by Sari Arambulo) wants desperately to carry on the family business. Dad Roger (Billy Burke) is starting to get older and slow down, but he seems more inclined to pass the torch to Abbie’s brother. Roger runs a video store, but has a “side business” making snuff films…primarily of himself murdering hapless teens, and he sells said films at his video store.
Abbie thinks she is ready to don a white werewolf mask, and do the heavy axe-lifting for dear old dad, and doesn’t understand why he thinks her dumb a** brother would be a better fit. Dad reassures her that it’s not because she’s adopted…it’s because she’s a girl. This is the type of humor that runs throughout the film, and it definitely works.
When her brother has a work-related mishap, Abbie finally gets her chance, and at first she is eager. But then, something happens – well, two somethings happen: Abbie meets a girl named Sam, who she immediately develops a crush on, and through Sam, she starts to get to know some of the teens who are on her kill list.
There’s Izzy, who has mad dance skills, flute-playing Patty and artist Billy. As she develops friendships with this motley crew, Abbie begins to question whether or not she actually wants to carry on Dad’s legacy of terror.
But when he catches on to Abbie’s hesitation, Roger steps in, planning to viciously murder the teens who are still on his list, and Abbie has to decide in which direction to go. Will she help her newly acquired friends (particularly Sam), or will she fulfill her obligation to her family?
Abbie is helped along by her friend Glenn (played by Eddie Leavy), who works with her at the video store and fancies himself quite the actor. He dons disguises, pretending to be different characters, and Leavy is interesting and funny in his role.
Actually, the young actors in Bloody Axe Wound are all well-cast and make the most of their roles. I especially liked Angel Theory’s performance as Izzy, and Margot Anderson-Song has a particularly great scene as Patty. Theory also played Kelly on The Walking Dead.
Bloody Axe Wound will be available to stream on Shudder March 21
Burke is good as Roger Bladecut, but due to the character’s facial deformities (he has been killed many times; a hazard of the job), he doesn’t really get to show too much through expressions. Molly Brown’s portrayal of Sam makes it easy to understand why Abbie likes her so much. The characters are very likeable, which gives the film some emotional depth.
Though the storyline could have used some work, the actors, the humor, the heart and some really spectacular gory kill scenes make Bloody Axe Wound a horror movie worth watching.