MovieChat Forums > Hatchet (2009) Discussion > Old School Horror - I think not.

Old School Horror - I think not.

posted 14 years ago by timbmorris276
10 replies | jump to latest

People say the look and feel of the film is meant to be Old School Horror. If you mean poorly made like a huge proportion of 80,s horror movies, then i agree its old school> Dont use these labels to disguise a badly made, uneven film with lamentable FX> Yes i know people will say the FX are hokey so that it looks like an old style slasher film< to these people i would say take another look at 80,s classics like Friday the 13th and the original My Bloody Valentine and you will see these films were low budget but the FX were superior to this more recent films FX> I also find it hard to believe that a deformed retard who has been in a shack for years suddenly decides to go on the rampage on that particular night, oh and the makeup for the retard looks like a lacklustre halloween mask, check out the original jason voorhees makeup or the makeup for the killer in The Burning to see decent prosphetics.
I paid ONE ENGLISH POUND for this and i think thats about its worth!!

[–] Dear_Oderus_Urungus 14 years ago

It was conceived when the writer was a child so it's KIND OF "old school." "Hatchet" also has a very unique plot and lacks structure like a lot of 1980s horror movies. "My Bloody Valentine" was a good horror movie but those were - let's face it - few and far in between. "Hatchet" emulates the plot of a 1980s horror movie so well that it's no wonder this movie was so over-hyped. I agree, there are DRASTIC changes made, but it has the same charm as those movies.

To the world you may just be somebody, but to somebody you may just be the world.

[–] rsanjar 12 years ago

This movie is just load a crap! I don't care if it's 1980s style or whatever.

[–] slay-er 14 years ago

Best old school movies of this genre actually look more or less like quality and interesting cinema, this one looks like parody made by hacks.

[–] Patrilot 14 years ago

Ok.. go watch those same movies for what they are today.. not what they're "meant" to be. They really are not all that great when stacked up to other movies.. older or newer. There were plenty of "old school" horror (mainly Slasher) films with cheese-tastic effects. Take a look at Evil Dead 2, Toxic Avenger, and MANY of the lesser known 80s slashers. And he goes on a rampage that particular night? First of all, it was at least 2 nights in this movie, plus the night after in Hatchet 2, so seems to me that he'll kill anyone that happens to be in that area. Hmm.. kind of sounds like Jason, doesn't it? All those movies have the same things you're complaining about.. problem is you're too blinded by nostalgia to realize that.

Oh, and even if the make-up was good for The Burning.. it was still boring as hell. Even the raft scene was beyond underwhelming.

[–] Dear_Oderus_Urungus 14 years ago

THE BURNING is actually one of my favorite old school slasher flicks. The raft murders were terribly cheesy but it did take me out of my comfort zone because I really liked the characters who were killed off.

HATCHET and it's sequels, as far as recent horror movies go, weren't bad AT ALL. I agree, they were WAY over-hyped. But one thing Adam Green did nail was the formula. This movie definitely doesn't capture the vibe of the "classics" but the formula resembles something I would expect from and '80s slasher flick. If you want something that does pay respectable tribute to the '80s, check out GUTTERBALLS.

To the world you may just be somebody, but to somebody you may just be the world.

[–] Ultimex_Varptuner 14 years ago

I think a lot of old skool slasher films were defined by suspense leading up the kills.

Back in the day when budgets and special effects were limited, the film makers knew that if they revealed the violence and horror in too much detail it would look pathetic.

Therefore, for every machete in the face, there was a period a period of buildup, leading to some kind of exposition, then a short sharp shock.

Hatchet ticked a lot of the correct boxes and initially, I thought I was onto a good thing. It had a bit of promiscuous vibe of a lot of those 70's/80's films, it was campy and superficial looking and contained the premise of a good monster yarn.

The problem, however and ther reason, IMO, the film sucks hard on Satan's pulsating blowpipe is quite simply the ludicrous speed and detail of Crowley's reveal.

I can't believe they actually made him, come raging out with a chainsaw and get stuck straight into the protagonists.

After that point any violence/horror just looked cartoonish.

You ain't ever going to be the new Jason/Freddy without developing some atmosphere.

'You punched me in the boob! Prepare to die, obviously!'

[–] jabberttp 12 years ago

Agreed. Gutterballs was much better.

I'm about to check out Hatchet II, but after Hatchet, I don't have high hopes.

Adam Green's other effort, Frozen was so much better. In Hatchet, he tried oh so hard to be witty and clever, but it didn't work.

[–] dinoman200-1 12 years ago

Hatchet was good because it wasn't a sequel or a remake. It was a rehash of things we've seen before, but I think that was somewhat intentional. Plus I felt for the characters in this more than I ever did in any Friday the 13th film (except maybe the first) because Green took time to develop the characters. When they died I cared . A lot of slasher movies lack development of the characters so when they die, you don't care at all. I think this was a decent homage to the 80's slashers.

And as far as the FX go, better effects don't make a better movie. Avatar had great effects but it really was pretty terrible movie. The effects in this aren't great, but they're not horrible either. They're decent.

"It's only a movie, and, after all, we're all grossly overpaid." Alfred Hitchcock

[–] ElectricWarlock 11 years ago

It seemed to me more like a parody of '80s slasher films more than an actual horror film itself. But the second movie is a legitimate slasher film. I haven't seen the third yet. I thought it was entertaining enough, though.

I've been waiting for you, Ben.

[–] Nightflyre9 11 years ago

I agree, Hatchet started off on a promising note and rode that wave until about the halfway point. After that, any similarities to "old-school" slasher movies in the vein of the original Friday the 13th, The Burning, or My Bloody Valentine were utterly and irrevocably abandoned. This film and its horrible sequels are so over-the-top and feebly written that any sense of suspense or foreboding is non-existent. Hatchet never should have been marketed as a serious slasher movie, but it was. And that was mistake number one. This lame and tedious exercise in how to waste film has absolutely NOTHING to do with the great and unforgettable slasher classics of the early 80's. Nothing.