Hatchet III - Blu-Ray

Content: After Marybeth (Danielle Harris) becomes convinced she's taken down Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) once and for all following her bloody experiences in Hatchet II, she seeks out the police, completely traumatized. But Sheriff Fowler (Zach Galligan, Gremlins 1 + 2) and his men don't believe her that the mythical figure Crowley is the killer of all the dead people in the swamps. To Fowler, what Marybeth told him is probably the stupidest story anyone could come up with. He has never heard anything so contrived. Therefore, Marybeth is taken into custody and a team is sent to the alleged crime scene. What the cops find in the swamps outside New Orleans is unspeakable horror. And it doesn't end there. For legend has it that Victor Crowley is a revenant who rises again and again, constantly reliving the night of his death. Whether he's sawn to pieces, shot, or staked, Victor Crowley returns in his old form. And there's only one person who can end this forever: the last descendant of one of the men responsible for Crowley's death. And that's Marybeth, of all people...

As with Part 2, Hatchet III seamlessly picks up where its predecessor left off. This creates a nice complete picture that is brought to an adequate conclusion with this supposedly final episode. In doing so, this second return of the deformed killer Victor Crowley stays true to the style of the series: there's some humour, very bloody murders and a nice running gag around actor Parry Shen appearing in a different role in each instalment, which is commented on here in a very amusing way.

In addition, a little treat for horror fans is the clash of two generations of Jason Vorhees actors from the Friday the 13th series. The duel between Kane Hodder (Jason in parts 7 - 10) and Derek Mears (Jason in the 2009 remake) is a bit short, but is still a real treat for Jason fans. And minor guest appearances from genre favourite Sid Haig and Hatchet creator Adam Green also ensure that the fun factor of this bloody finale is ramped up considerably.

The fact that Green has left the director's chair to debutant BJ McDonnell, who worked as cinematographer on the first two instalments, for the third instalment doesn't really detract from the quality of the film. True, the humor isn't quite as accomplished as it was in the first film, which was more of an entertaining homage to 80s slashers anyway. Nevertheless, the mixture of classic, somewhat absurd horror and humorous interludes still works very well in the third rehash. Especially fans who also liked part 2, will have their bright joy in this finale (?).

This is marred only by the fact that Hatchet III like its predecessor again has not made it to Germany uncut. For many horror fans cuts are simply unacceptable and so they then reach for uncut versions from abroad. Nevertheless, it must be noted that those responsible have really tried to make the cuts as unnoticeable as possible. They don't always succeed, but especially the smaller cuts are hardly noticeable. If the term "cut" doesn't make your stomach turn, you can safely go for this version - because it's always fun. Only who has the opportunity to acquire the film uncut, should then also prefer the uncut version in any case!

Picture + Sound: The Blu-Ray offers the bloody drive in good picture and sound quality. The visuals please with good detail sharpness, which can also convince in the many dark scenes. Shading, black levels and image depth also leave a good impression, which also applies to the good color scheme, which is particularly characterized by rich green and red tones. The sound is convincing with well intelligible mixed dialogues and very powerful sound effects, which always provide a coherent surround feeling. Good!

Extras: As a bonus there are two (unfortunately not subtitled) audio commentaries. The first is recorded by director BJ McDonnell with producers and Hatchet creator Adam Green, cinematographer Will Barrett and MakeUp Effect director Robert Pedergraft. It's a good-humoured, interesting but also very technical commentary that offers a good insight into the making of this second sequel. The second commentary gathers McDonnell and Green in front of the microphone along with actor Kane Hodder. There is some overlap here with the first commentary and the conversation is also a little less lively. However, the whole thing is still entertaining for interested fans.

In addition to the two commentaries, there are also a few video extras. A behind-the-scenes look (approx. 9:06 min.) is on the program as well as the featurettes Raising Kane (approx. 4:57 min.) and Swamp Fun (approx. 8:54 min.). The trailer and other program tips round out the additional offerings.

Conclusion: Hatchet III picks up right where Part 2 left off and brings the bloody story to a well-rounded conclusion. Even if the FSK 18 version released in Germany is missing a few scenes, the Blu-Ray still offers enough show values to provide fans of Victor Crowley with good entertainment. Technically, there is nothing to complain about the disc and also the clear bonus material can be seen and heard. Who liked part 1 and 2 and can get over the for the most part well-executed cuts, can confidently access this disc

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp