Bloody Axe Wound (2024) Review: The Otherwise Quirky Meta Slasher Comedy Misses the Mark
Writer-director Matthew John Lawrence, whose previous feature-length credits include Two Pints Lighter and Uncle Peckerhead finds a fresh angle in the otherwise overly saturated slasher genre in Bloody Axe Wound, the kind of a B-movie title that we used to see in the ’80s VHS era of horror movies.
The fresh angle in question is the story taking place within the confines of a slasher movie in the small town of Clover Falls. The town where many teenagers have been brutally massacred by a certain disfigured serial killer Roger Bladecut (Billy Burke). His killing spree has even been made into a series of movies sold on videotapes. Roger also happens to run a video rental store called Real to Reel with his teenage daughter, Abbie (Sari Arambulo of TV’s A.P. Bio and The L Word: Generation Q).
We even get to learn how Roger picks his victims by going through the school yearbook one by one and drawing red circles on the portrait photos after each kill. You might be wondering how all these murders get recorded in the first place since they will wind up on videotape. The thing is that Lawrence isn’t executing his meta-slasher horror in the style of movie-within-a-movie narrative, which I figure is going to be the Last Action Hero-type of concept.
Instead, they just magically happen and any trace of logical explanations are thrown out of the window because this is the type of movie where you just have to accept as it is. The sheer absurdity of its premise does work in a certain capacity in terms of the movie’s irreverent and gory fun. This is especially true in the earlier parts of the movie like how Roger decides to take his daughter to work and teaches her three simple rules to follow: Work fast and get out, never let them see your face, and give the people a show. Roger is like Jason Voorhees — the kind of indestructible horror monster who just can’t die.
At one point, the movie pokes fun at one of the slasher-horror playbooks related to the antagonist’s resurrection. As much as Roger remains dedicated to his job, he can’t do this forever (read: ageing happens), and here is where Abbie finally has her chance to step up and continue her father’s legacy. From here, the movie shifts focus to a coming-of-age teen comedy after Abbie goes to a new high school and befriends Sam (Molly Brown of TV’s Evil and Dexter: Original Sin), a rebellious teenager who later develops feelings for each other. I get that Lawrence tries to spice things up by elevating his quirky slasher comedy with different genres.
But the coming-of-age angle and the narrative tease surrounding the queer relationship between Abbie and Sam are the least effective parts of the movie. The problem is that he wants the movie to be emotional and heartfelt as Abbie begins to develop a conscience that she’s not supposed to. Frankly, it would have worked better if Lawrence embraced the premise’s absurdity wholeheartedly.
Too bad as the story progresses, Bloody Axe Wound grows increasingly tedious, complete with an underwhelming third act. Still, it has its few worthwhile moments including the old-school practical gore effects and some creative kills that pay homage to the ’80s slasher genre. Billy Burke stands out as the serial killer-father Roger Bladecut while Sari Arambulo and Molly Brown are equally worth mentioning here.
It’s a pity that the otherwise ambitious concept is crippled by its gradually uneven narrative because if Lawrence managed to stick to the landing throughout the movie, Bloody Axe Wound would have emerged as a gem of a horror-comedy.
