“Victor Crowley Lives Again” Synopsis: Marybeth escapes the clutches of the bayou-butcher Victor Crowley and returns to the swamp with an army of hunters and gunmen, determined to end Crowley’s reign of horror once and for all.

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Calamity Brains:

Hatchet II picks up immediately after the first movie, deliberately throwing the audience back into the life-and-death struggle between Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) and Marybeth (Danielle Harris). After Marybeth escapes, she heads back into New Orleans in order to round up some help retrieving her family’s remains – and hopefully exact her revenge on the murderous ghost. On her second trip into Honey Island Swamp, she is joined by Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd), her uncle Bob (Tom Holland), and a motley crew of rednecks lured in by the promise of a reward for Crowley’s murder.

It’s easy to see where Hatchet II is heading, right from the get-go – but that’s never a problem. As with the first movie, this installment is a deliberately over-the-top slasher, and makes no effort to hide that. There’s fewer boobs this time around, but just as much (if not more) blood. Everything is purposefully ridiculous, from Crowley’s overly violent kills to Parry Shen playing his previous character’s twin brother. (There’s also a particularly upsetting scene involving Alexis Kendra that will be very hard to forget.) Even for the serious horror fan, it’s hard not to appreciate the Hatchet series for its blatant brainlessness – it exists for blood, boobs, and babes, and absolutely no thinking.

Though I prefer the first movie (mainly due to the excessive flashing and Parry Shen’s original character), Hatchet II is a worthwhile sequel. Both are perfect for throwing on during a party or a late night unwinding from a hellish week. Even when the movie falters a little due to lack of production quality, it’s easy to overlook. The Hatchet series is not Shakespeare, and may not impress those who prefer their horror to be serious, but for the rest of us, it is a delightful bloodbath and definitely worth a watch.

Calamity Brains’ Rating: C+
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