By Geno McGahee
The 1980s was full of great slasher films and it gave birth to man shot on video (SOV) titles that came right to the video store shelves. They were shot on a very low budget and were there strictly to entertain. Going to the video store was a great experience for many horror fans of that time and when I watched THE AXEMAN OF HENDERSON COUNTY, I was brought back. It is a film that does a lot of things wrong, but when you get past its imperfections, we have something very good here and well worth a watch.
Written by Cindy Parmiter and directed by Larry Parmiter, THE AXEMAN OF HENDERSON COUNTY concerns a “true story” about a madman in a black ski mask that strikes when there is a full moon. With an axe in hand, he chops local business owners with ferocity and his eyes tell the story. He is insane and only the local authorities have the shot to stop him from killing again.
Sheriff Jake Genovise (Rush Whitacre) has the burden on his shoulders and he is coming up empty. He goes as far as to contact a psychic for help, but still can’t narrow it down. He also has to deal with the Mayor, Bill Burns (Hacksaw Jim Duggan) on his ass and pressing him for results. It’s very stressful and the killer continues to kill.
It was great seeing “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in an acting role. He is naturally likable and he was that way in this. He brought his pro-wrestling acting skills to the character and it was very amusing. I hope that he continues his acting because he was very funny as the Mayor in this.
THE AXEMAN OF HENDERSON COUNTY is loaded with heart and purpose. I really wish that there were more movies like this on the market. You don’t see as many of these any more. The influence of movies like PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and SAW has shifted the focus away from the slasher films. It was nice to see a return.
You can tell that the filmmakers are new at this with the production problems throughout and some odd shots that were taken, but if you can accept a lower production value with some imperfections in execution, I think that most will truly enjoy this slasher.
I really liked THE AXEMAN OF HENDERSON COUNTY. I thought it lost some momentum at the end and ended rather abruptly, but, overall, it is a winner and, as I said, it brought me right back to the time when I rented movies just like this from my local mom and pop video store. I highly recommend this one horror fans.
Rating: 7/10 – micro budget awesomeness.
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