Hatchet is a virtual who's who of classic horror. The first face we see is none other than the legendary Robert Englund, the Phantom of the Opera himself.....or for those of you who bettered your lives by avoiding his version of that movie, Freddy Krueger himself! Other horror movie alum popping in to give Hatchet some cameo cred is Tony Todd, of Candyman fame, and Kane Hodder, who played Jason in the 7th thru 9th Friday the 13th movies. They only appear for a few moments each, but it's enough for you to say "OH SHIT IT'S THAT GUY!" and immediately give this movie a little respect rather than just throwing it aside with the other low budget horror garbage.

You'll also find some recognizable cast members in the core group of stars such as the "I am a robot. I have a robot vagina" guy from Grandma's Boy, the token black guy from Not Another Teen Movie, Tom Smykowski from Office Space, and even that little bitch girl scout from the Addams Family flicks who is all grown up and showing her tits to a weird camera guy.

The story takes place in a version of Louisiana where Mardi Gras rules the streets and there is an excess of Voodoo shops on every corner. Our heroes, Robot guy and Token, hop on a haunted swamp tour and find themselves in the middle of a Louisiana legend with their tour mates getting picked off one by one. Sounds like a typical slasher right? Well, it is I guess, but there are a few key elements that set this apart.

First, the movie is funny. Funny on purpose I mean, not funny because it's shitty. The dialogue is sharp and the actors deliver it with ease and an uncommon naturalism you don't normally find in low budget horror. Also setting Hatchet apart are the AWESOME special effects. There's a deformed monster dude that's running around killing people that looks pretty gnarly, but it's the death effects that really step up. Watching the first person get killed via hatchet to the shoulder, but it doesn't stop there. He keeps hacking and hacking until the dude is split from the shoulder to the waist. Then he tears a ladies head in half fucking King Kong vs T-Rex style.

This bit is turning into a full review so I'll leave you with this. Hatchet is a surprisingly fun horror film that never takes itself too seriously until it comes to making the kills look brutally gory and real. Check it out. Oh and remember the all important moral of the film: You can't hook up with itchy chicks.