HATCHET: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

HATCHET: “One of the better modern horror films I’ve seen, Hatchet works best when it keeps things light. It demonstrates a surprising sense of humor to balance the violence, and that helps make it enjoyable.”

HATCHET II: “Though not as loose and fun as its predecessor, Hatchet II delivers a pretty good horror flick. It delivers the requisite gore and action to make it reasonably entertaining.”

HATCHET III: “After two pretty solid horror flicks, we get a completed hat trick via Hatchet III. While I can’t claim to love any of the films, I think they all work well, and III delivers another bloody good time.”

VICTOR CROWLEY: “Because I liked the first three Hatchet movies, I hoped the fourth would continue to entertain. Unfortunately, Victor Crowley suffers from weak attempts at comedy and horror that render it impotent.”

The Bonus Disc:

2006 introduced a new slasher film entitled Hatchet. Though not a box office hit, genre fans liked the burgeoning franchise.

This led to sequels via 2008’s Hatchet II, 2013’s Hatchet III, and 2017’s Victory Crowley. As of mid-2024, the series sits dormant, but apparently rumblings exist that a fifth flick may pop up at some point.

Until/if that happens, this “Complete Collection” comes with all four of the franchise’s movies. These Blu-rays exactly duplicate the prior releases, so don’t expect anything new from the film discs.

The “Collection” does come with one disc of exclusive extras, and that becomes the focus of this review. Swamp Tales runs 53 minutes, five seconds. We get notes from creator/writer/director Adam Green, director of photography/producer Will Barratt and producer Sarah Elbert.

They sit together at a table, drink beer and toss out general memories and anecdotes that cover their experiences across the Hatchet franchise. This conversation doesn't follow any kind of formal timeline so expect the participants to hop around a lot, but they nonetheless offer a good look back at the movies.

Production Journals span 59 minutes, 17 seconds. After an intro from Green, we see photos from the shoot as well as storyboards and hear cast/crew read the text notes they posted online during the creation of the first Hatchet.

In addition to Green, we get recitations from Elbert, Barratt, makeup effects coordinator Robert Pendergraft, director's assistant Justin Smith, make-up FX artist Jenn Rose, production designer Bryan McBrien, costume designer Heather Sladinski, make-up FX creator John Carl Buechler, and actors Parry Shen, Joleigh Fioreavanti, Joel David Moore, Kane Hodder and Mercedes McNab.

Should you expect many insights from the cast/crew comments? No - the "Journals" existed to help promote the movie.

We do get some useful notes. However, much of the time the "Journals" lean toward happy talk and praise for all involved.

Still, I like the ability to revisit these "Journals" as an archival element, and the photos/art add to the experience. This becomes a largely satisfying compilation.

All five discs come packaged in a snazzy steelbook case.

Three of the four movies in the Hatchet franchise work well, as only the final entry flops. That acts as a pretty good batting average, especially given the poor track record of modern-day horror. The bonus disc adds a few new supplements, all of which offer some interesting material.

If you already own the previously released movie Blu-rays, I can’t recommend this set, as the bonus disc isn’t worth the money. If you don’t have the Hatchet flicks on Blu-ray, though, this becomes a nice package.