adriangr
Three hoodlums invade a farmhouse that belongs to a teenaged girl and her invalid grandfather. They get more than they bargained for.This is a very bad film. "Axe" is more well known that it remotely deserves to be, simply because it got caught up in the UK "video nasties" scare when it came out on home video. Most of the film is very slow and most of it is horribly photographed. The continuity is awful, natural sunlight seems to come and go randomly, along with what time of day it is. The editing tries to put together footage shot out of context and expects us to believe theres a method behind the erratic stitching together of what was presumably the best available shots that made it into the can...but it fails to result in an enjoyable viewing experience.The music is terrible, consisting of bone-rattling, electronic droning, and irritating piano doodling. Axe does deliver some gore for sure, but it's not very effective. There seems to be an in-joke in the movie about the "red stuff", with ketchup and tomato soup taking up screen time as well as actual human blood. On the plus side, the acting actually isn't too bad, and it's barely over an hour long, so you don't have to waste too much time on it. A creditable video nasty this ain't.
Woodyanders
Forlorn and unstable young lass Lisa (a strong and haunting portrayal by Leslie Lee) lives with her crippled grandfather in a remote farmhouse. Lisa fights back against three depraved and dangerous criminal fugitives who seek refuge in her home.Writer/director Frederick R. Friedel does a masterful job of crafting a potently odd, dark, and downbeat brooding atmosphere (Lisa's dismal and lonely plight in which she's meekly resigned to taking care of her helpless invalid grandpa really sticks in the memory), relates the gripping story at a hypnotically deliberate pace, wisely utilizes a spare no-frills style that in turn provides a compelling sense of gritty verisimilitude, and astutely pegs a pervasive tone of seething anguish and despair which gives this picture an extra heart-wrenching poignancy. The colorful trio of despicable villains rates as another significant asset: Jack Canon as ruthless ringleader Steele, Ray Green as paunchy, slimy, cigar-smoking creep Lomax, and Friedel as passive wimp Billy. The startling moments of ferocious violence pack a savage kick. Kudos are also in order for Austin McKinney's vibrant hand-held cinematography and the peculiar percussive score by John Willhelm and George Newman Shaw. Recommended viewing for fans of idiosyncratic on-the-beaten-path exploitation fare.
anxietyresister
A 'video nasty' only in the sense that it smells like something nasty you stepped in at the park, this film features a mad girl killing off some trespassers on her and her disabled father's land one by one. Featuring a hysterical leading performance by a sixth rate actress, below budget effects you could probably recreate at home with some ketchup and a running time of just over an hour which still feels like an eternity, it all adds up to a real waste of time you watch at your own risk. I have no idea why it qualified as a two-disc special edition, but at least I can put a couple of beverages down on my table when a friend pops over without the stains on my fine mahogany. ZING! 2/10
lovecraft231
A gang of three psychopaths on the run end up in a small farmhouse owned by Lisa (Leslie Lee) and her Grandfather (Douglas Powers). Grandpa is paralyzed, but Lisa's not-and she's not exactly mentally stable either.Producer Harry Novak ("The Child", "Rituals", "Hitch-Hike To Hell" and several soft core movies) and Writer/Director Fredrick ("Date With a Kidnapper")R. Friedel present "Axe", a surprisingly good no budget Grindhouse flick. While the low budget is a bit too apparent at times (a few performances are uneven, the blood is incredibly fake), this movie actually works thanks to it's low budget, which adds a sense of realism to the proceedings. Leslie Lee is quite effective as Lisa, exuding a sense of silent, feminine menace with her simple performance. Also, the score by George Newman Shaw and John Willhelm is an effective blend of organ, piano, percussion, and bongos. It's definitely 70's but it's still great."Axe" went through several different titles, including "California Axe Massacre", which is interesting considering that the movie owes more to "Last House on the Left" than "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." It also found itself on Britain's "Video Nasties" list, though its really not very graphic. What it is though, is a nice little Exploitation movie that, while not really a classic, deserves more attention.