Usually the sequel to a film, with rare exception, is nowhere near as good as the original. For those chosen few franchises that get to a third film, it's usually a shadow of the original and often barely tolerable. If lucky enough to make it to a fourth, it's usually under the control of a 2nd or 3rd director & laughable...and not in a comical way. In the case of Victor Crowley- also known as Hatchet IV- this pattern does not fit the mold. It's probably not quite as good as its predecessors, but it's still a good watch.
***No spoilers, and a short and sweet write-up***
The synopses speaks for itself, so I'm assuming folks reading this aren't looking for a paraphrased version of the flick; just a quick rundown of the particulars.
First, VC is a bit more schlocky than the preceding three movies. This is not a bad thing, as the inclusion of some indirect horror comedy made for an enjoyable addition. While it did come off as a bit cheesy at times, I rather enjoyed these little incidents. That said, the schlocky parts contributed to the decline when compared to the previous flicks. More than anything, I think this has to do with the acting in this particular ensemble than anything.
Speaking of acting and the ensemble, it was AWESOME to see Brian Quinn (of Impractical Jokers fame) part of the crew. He's always a riot, just by being himself. As a whole, I thought this ensemble would be better, but it turned out to be the only downside. They just never felt cohesive...at least not compared to the previous films. The lead character is probably the most wooden of the group; he is the only repeater from part 3, aside from Crowley. He wasn't terrible, but he was a just so blah.
Aside from that little bit of bummer, the rest of the film held up fairly well. Again, remembering that it wasn't quite as good as the others, the direction was on par, the production & post was good, as were the editing and music, and the special fx were equal to the others. The gore was probably greater in this than the others, which I found appealing, since that's why any of us watched the series to begin with, I think.
Some notes on parental content:
- There is a fair amount of profanity. Not gratuitous, but fair to moderate.
- Scary and intense situations are kind of what made this franchise is about. While I wouldn't call it scary, there are several scenes that some would call intense.
- There are no sexual scenes in the movie. One female is shown undressed from behind, and there is some sexual banter, but otherwise this is not a major facet of the movie.
- There is a large amount of violence, blood, and gore! This is certainly not for the squeamish. While some of the blood is over the top, there are some fairly gnarly scenes. This movie will appeal to the gorehounds out there, and the fx are prettt well done.
In all, I enjoyed the flick. Not a lot of new movies out there are what I would call "gorefests,"'but this one is pretty close. If you're just an average horror fan this is likely not for you. This movie will appeal to those who like blood, violence & gore - some over the top, some prettt realistic. Both are enjoyable.
