Does "BLOODY AXE WOUND" (2024) Split You In Two, Or Just Bleed You Out? (REVIEW)

Leave it to the man who made Negan from “The Walking Dead” famous for launching the first feature of their “Mischief Farm” production company, with a love letter to the masked slasher movies made famous during the 80s. Jeffrey Dean and Hilarie Morgan, along with renowned actor and producer Mary Stuart Masterson, bring “BLOODY AXE WOUND” to screens on December 27th so audiences can recapture some of the bloodlust glory from decades past. The twist is that the slashing is a family business barely making ends meet, and the next generation to carry on the legacy may have a different take on how to get things done. Written and directed by Matthew John Lawrence, whose previous film “UNCLE PECKERHEAD” was a delightfully bonkers road trip romp through dive gig hell, his vision for slashers as a 9 to 5 is both unique and inspired. Does the rest of the movie rise to the level of the concept? Read on for the gory details.    

Synopsis:

Abbie Bladecut is a teenager torn between the macabre traditions of her family’s bloody trade and the tender stirrings of her first crush. In the small town of Clover Falls, Abbie’s father, Roger Bladecut, has built an infamous legacy by capturing real-life killings on tape and selling them to eager customers, but as Abbie delves deeper into the grisly family business, she begins to wonder if it’s time to take the family tradition in a whole new direction.

What Worked:

“BLOODY AXE WOUND” is unique in that it takes the tried and true formula of masked killers bent on ruining a horny teen’s night and subverts it comically as a struggling family business, one botched kill away from going out of business. Roger Bladecut is a loving father; think of Jason if he clipped coupons from the Penny Saver and worried about his sciatica. Billy Burke does a phenomenal job in this role under some top-notch prosthetics. The acting is the draw here. We get the delight of not one, but two “A.P. Bio” alums sharing the screen again, with Sari Arambulo as Abbie Bladecut and Eddie Levy as her put-upon friend Glenn, who is desperate for a staring role in the family films. Shout out to Molly Brown as badass Sam Crane, who nails the disaffected teen too-cool-for-school attitude with a sweet switchblade heart.

The kills are fun and inventive, and the production design looks fantastic, supporting this quiet little hamlet’s small-town vibe and lived-in feel. Lawrence does an admirable job keeping things light, even when the claret flows, and shows a deft hand at crafting a first-time crush that happens at the absolute worst moment in Abbbie’s life. The relationships, whether familial or romantic, are what drives this film, and they ring true. You can identify with Roger’s paternal pride and worry as Abbie starts to take an active role in the family business. Your heart aches for Abbie as she tries to juggle her responsibilities to her Father with the excitement of newfound love with Sam. These are the film’s strongest elements, and they come off as fully realized even with the relatively quick pace of an 83-minute run time. We would never give away major plot points or the ending, but let’s say the film ends with a very satisfying call-back that leaves room, as all slashers should, for a sequel.

What Landed Flat:

The Cinematography is confident but a little dull for the story we’re dealing with. We kept expecting Raimiesque visuals to support the outrageousness of the story, but it never rose above standard fare. That’s not a dig at cinematographers Kyle I. Kelly and Michael Sutter; as stated, the visuals are pleasing; we were just hoping for a bit of razzle-dazzle visually. The strength of the unique take on the slasher genre is also its Achilles Heel. The mythology Lawrence creates is a little too complex to follow out of the gate. We’re dealing with a horror/comedy whose central idea is that the lights stay on the more teens Roger can skewer at the business end of a hunting knife, but it takes a beat to wrap your head around the stakes and the Video Stores role in all this. A little exposition would have helped clear this up.

Bottom Line:

“Bloody Axe Wound” most likely won’t make your year-end Top 10, but it’s a film we can get behind on concept alone. This film is inventive and fun, and it merits our respect and appreciation simply because it takes the road less traveled. We’re seeing a remarkable surge in well-crafted, utterly unique slashers in 2024, and you can add this film to the list. Had the visuals been more stylized, this movie would have been a real contender for cult status. As is, it’s a welcome stabby time for all.

Cast and Crew:

Director and Screenwriter: Matthew John Lawrence

Cast: Sari Arambulo, Molly Brown, Eddie Leavy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Burke

Executive Producer: Meg Mortimer 

Producers (for Mischief Farm): Hilarie Burton Morgan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Producers (for Off Label HV): Cassandra Del Viscio, Mary Stuart Masterson

Producers: Liz DeCesare, Jordan Manekin, Eric Knapp, Mackenzie Luzzi, Sarah Fairchild

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Language: English

Runtime: 83 min

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