As much as I love the ending of Hatchet (2006), there was also a part of me that wanted to see Marybeth’s (Tamara Feldman) final showdown with Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). Fortunately, Hatchet 2 picks up right where the last movie ended.

Although Feldman didn’t return as Marybeth, horror alum Danielle Harris is a welcome addition to the Victor Crowley universe. Tony Todd returns as the showboating Reverend Voodoo, getting a significantly bigger role this time around which is a delight to watch. The one complaint I have with the Reverend Voodoo character is he never came off as sinister or nefarious in the first movie, but this latest instalment is all about how we don’t know the whole story.

Parry Shen played Shawn in the original movie and is back as another character; he basically has the same role but with a bit of a twist. Director Adam Green found some fun ways to include a few cast members from the first movie as cameos.

The strength of Hatchet 2 is how Green expands the mythology of Victor. The story remains mostly the same; however, the added details about Thomas Crowley’s first wife being a witch and cursing Victor’s mother Lena makes for a more sympathetic backstory.

The third act in this movie is a bloodbath, which is par for the course when it comes to slasher films. However, Green subverts the trope of the monster finding peace after exacting its revenge with a bit of misdirection, again this movie is all about omitted portions of the truth, solidifying another solid installment to the Hatchet franchise.

Rating: 3.5/5.

The Hatchet Complete Collection Limited Edition Steelbook is available now from Dark Sky Selects.

The writer of this piece is: Laurence Almalvez
Laurence tweets from @IL1511