Axeman (film)
Axeman (originally released as Axeman at Cutter's Creek) is a 2013 American slasher film written and directed by Joston Theney.[1] It had a limited theatrical release on February 14, 2013, and was released to DVD on May 6, 2014.[2] The film follows an axe-wielding killer who terrorizes a group of friends at a secluded cabin.[3]
| Axeman | |
|---|---|
 DVD released by Midnight Releasing | |
| Directed by | Joston Theney |
| Produced by | Joston Theney |
| Written by | Joston Theney Christopher Otiko |
| Starring | Elissa Dowling Tiffany Shepis Brinke Stevens Scot Pollard Jamie Bernadette |
| Music by | Joston Theney |
| Cinematography | Tim McCombe |
| Edited by | Joston Theney |
Production company | Blood Red Films |
| Distributed by | Midnight Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
In a cabin by Cutter's Creek, bank robbers Denise, Vale, and Paulie are murdered by an axe-wielding serial killer known as the Axeman. Later, a group of friends led by Brian are brought to the same cabin by their guide Maureen, who is apprehensive about being in the area. After settling in, Brian mentions that the reason he got the cabin for such a low price is because it supposedly once belonged to a family that was massacred by the Axeman. When the discussion concludes, Randy goes off to spy on Vivian, and is murdered by the Axeman, who rips his head off.
The next morning, Doug gets into an argument with his girlfriend, Cassidy, accusing her of still having feelings for her ex, Brian, who is now dating Cassidy's best friend, Stacy. Doug storms off into the woods, where he stumbles onto the money that the bank robbers stole. While looking for somewhere to hide the cash, Doug is impaled and dismembered by the Axeman, his death going unnoticed by his friends, who are searching for Randy. Everyone soon regroups at the cabin, and Cassidy, unsatisfied with every explanation that they can come up with for why Randy, and now Doug, are gone, leaves to continue searching for them alone.
Tammy enters the garage, where she uncovers the robbers' money, and is forced to hide when the Axeman enters with her girlfriend, Liz, whom he has seriously wounded. Before he can finish Liz off, the Axeman is distracted by a knock on the door, and answers it to reveal it is Sheriff Charlene Wopuzer. Annoyed by the sheriff's abrasive attitude and persistent questioning, the Axeman twists her head around, and returns to the garage, just as Tammy exits it with Liz. Liz collapses from her injuries and Tammy is strangled by the Axeman, who also bites off and eats her cheeks.
Returning to the cabin, the Axeman rips Brian's brain out, knifes Vivian in the eye, beats Darren nearly to death, and chases Stacy through the property, catching and stabbing her when she trips over Cassidy's body. The next morning, hungover Deputy Darlene Whitfield ventures to the cabin in search of the sheriff, and finds Darren, who begs her for help. Before Darren can elaborate on what happened, the Axeman attacks him and Whitfield.
Cast
- Tiffany Shepis as Denise
- Brinke Stevens as Sheriff Charlene Wopuzer
- Elissa Dowling as Stacy
- Arielle Brachfeld as Deputy Darlene Whitfield
- Scot Pollard as The Axeman / Bill
- Chantelle Albers as Cassidy
- Stephen Eith as Brian Corbin
- Dylan Hobbs as Doug
- Jamie Bernadette as Tammy
- Erin Marie Hogan as Liz
- Eliza Kiss as Vivian
- Nihilist Gelo as Randy
- Joston Theney as Darren
- Carlos Javier Castillo as Vale
- Ray Trickett as Paulie
- Suzi Hale as Maureen
- Paula Tracy Wilson as Adele
Reception
Bloody Disgusting panned the film overall, criticizing the script for not delving into the reasons that the titular Axeman was killing people, as this would give the film more depth and differentiate it from multiple similarly plotted films.[4] Theron Moore of Horror News praised the film's villain and kills, but criticized the glacial pace, uninteresting subplots, stiff acting, and two-dimensional dialogue and writing.[5] Ain't It Cool News gave a mostly favorable review for Axeman, commenting that while the movie was not "reinventing the slasher genre" it "does feel like a throwback to a time when the slashers weren't so passé."[6]
Sequel
A sequel entitled Axeman 2: Overkill, also written and directed by Joston Theney, was announced in 2014[7] and released straight-to-DVD and online retailers on October 17, 2017.[8][9] Only Theney and Arielle Brachfeld reprise their roles from the original, with Bryan Clark replacing Scot Pollard as the titular character, in addition to Kailena Mai replacing Jamie Bernadette as Tammy, Whitney Nielsen replacing Erin Marie Hogan as Liz, and Maria Olsen replacing Paula Tracy Wilson as Adele. The film also stars Farrah Abraham, Rachel Reilly, Angelica Bridges, and Peter Stickles, and features a second axeman portrayed by Michael Wayner Foster.
References
- Bedore, Gary. "KU basketball notebook: KU-Syracuse recalled; Scot Pollard kills it". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- Turek, Ryan. "Scream Queens Unite to Take on the Axeman". STYD. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- "Full Cast Announced for the Axeman at Cutter's Creek". Dread Central. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- Cooper, Patrick. "Axeman Is a Shallow, Frustrating Slasher". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- Moore, Theron (22 June 2014). "Film Review: Axeman at Cutter's Creek (2013)". horrornews.net. Horror News. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- "AICN HORROR has advance reviews of MEET ME THERE! DEADLY REVISIONS! Plus AXEMAN! CURSE OF THE DRAGON SLAYER! MONSTERS TV series! HOUSE IN THE ALLEY! DEATH SPA! CAMP BLOOD: FIRST SLAUGHTER! THE DINOSAUR EXPERIMENT! & Dan Curtis' DRACULA!". AICN. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- "Full Cast Revealed for Axeman 2: Overkill". Horror Movies.ca. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- https://dreadcentral.com/news/251091/axeman-2-overkill-gets-official-release-date/
- http://www.horror-movies.ca/2017/08/joston-theneys-axeman-2-overkill-hits-home-video-time-halloween/