Night of the Axe

Director - Shawn Wright (Spirit Board: Doorway to Death)

Starring - Lera Savannah (Titles), Kaci Frick (Barbara), and Justin Sisk (Wonder Woman 1984, True Terror with Robert England)

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "For a group of friends, a night of fun becomes a night of terror!"

Format - Streaming (Tubi)

Rating (out of 5):

     I recently found myself having a Angel Bradford double feature. Back when I was gathering movies for my yearly October horror binge I was sent two films from different filmmakers. The first was the romantic horror flick Desperate Souls and the other was the slasher Night of the Axe. I wasn't able to get them in during October but I kept them in line to check out as soon as I could. I was very impressed with Desperate Souls and was very surprised to see Angel appearing in my next film Night of the Axe. This one was sent over to review from filmmaker Shawn Wright. I want to thank Shawn for sending it over for Horror Society and myself to check out. 

      The film follows a group of twenty-somethings who are putting together a school reunion of sorts. This small get together is meant for everyone to get drunk, high, and laid. However, what they don't know is that a mental patient has recently escaped his confines and is leaving a bloody trail straight for them. 

      Night of the Axe is exactly what I thought it would be. It's a no budget slasher with blood and nudity. Nothing more and nothing less which is exactly what I like to see when I'm in the mood for slasher goodness. Shawn Wright didn't try to re-invent the wheel or try so hard that he forgot how fun paint by numbers slashers can be. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to Shawn's next project. The acting in this one is a bit uneven but I did enjoy the characters. The cast works very well together and they look like they are having a lot of fun in front of the camera. This always makes no budget films a little more enjoyable and helps with inexperience. However, a few scenes were a bit awkward to watch. The dialogue was forced and was more like a table reading instead of actual acting. The story for this one is a straightforward slasher that doesn't stray too far from what made them so fun in the 80s. We get a mental patient steamrolling his way through people until he finds a house party serving as a reunion. It's not that original but it's fun, raunchy, and bloody. Finally, the film has several on screen deaths with a lot of blood and minimal effects that surprisingly works. They are not complicated or something that stands out like other films but it works for the gag. Overall, Night of the Axe may not be the next slasher classic but it's a well rounded indie slasher that satisfies the need for blood and boobs. I highly recommend it