Edge of the Axe has its moments here and there, but too many scenes, especially through the third act, were a bit dull and even with some decent kills, not sure if this is worth the price admission.
Edge of the Axe
(1989)
Genre(s): Horror, Mystery
Arrow Video | NR – 91 min. – $39.95 | January 28, 2020
Date Published: 02/10/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 2.25/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: The rural community of Paddock County is being rocked by the crazed exploits of an axe-wielding psychopath, who stalks the night in a black trench coat and mask. As the victims pile up, the authorities attempt to keep a lid on the situation, whilst computer whizz-kid Geralrd (BARTON FAULKS) and girlfriend Lillian (CHRISTINA MARIE LANE) seek to unmask the killer before the town population reaches zero. Quick Hit Review: Generally I love murder mysteries and when you add in the horror element, seems like a great mix like the Scream franchise. Edge of the Axe is a Spanish-American production from 1988 but never got a theatrical release, instead went straight to VHS. Since, it is considered some sort of forgotten slasher that, to be honest, was probably for the best. Not that this was a bad movie as the killer’s outfit, albeit basic, was still interesting and there were some impressive gory kills, but the padding in the middle, and build-up to the mystery, was lackluster. The acting wasn’t too bad I suppose as I did like both the leads, Barton Faulks and Christina Marie Lane, however there were more dull moments than anything approaching thrilling. Worse yet, the reveal of the killer, while certainly a twist on the norms for slashers, I felt the filmmakers cheated clearly using actors who physically look nothing like the real killer, and in one scene, probably thanks to this new HD transfer, you can clearly see the killer’s face… and it was not the one revealed in the final scene. I realize in many of these movies, stuntmen are usually used but when you make sure to deceive the audience, you’re kind of at a disadvantage as the mystery aspect is what seemingly drives an otherwise bland film, save for a few of the kills. That being said, there are probably scenes where, if viewed in a group setting, this could make for a fun viewing, alone and thinking about it, doesn’t hold much entertainment value. In the end, it’s understandable why Edge of the Axe kind of went under the radar, but leave it up to Arrow to bring it to light, and while I didn’t care for it, I always appreciate these independent movies of the 1980s seeing the light of day. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.75/5 |
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This release comes with a booklet. Audio Commentaries:
Both of these tracks are rather fun, with the latter being a group of friends, hosts of a podcast, who have also done other tracks with not only Arrow but a couple others as well, so they’re pretty adept and do some research on the production. The other track certainly gives a first-hand experience working in Spain, his memories of the cast and story and the track flows smoothly with a moderator asking questions. Interviews:
Some nice interviews here, though Faulks and Moseley are probably the most interesting, providing insights into making the movie with Faulks saying he’s now a teacher in Texas. Image Gallery (3:30) Original Trailer (2:46) – Both English and Spanish versions |
VIDEO – 5.0/5 |
| Arrow Video releases Edge of the Axe onto Blu-ray both the English and Spanish versions, with 1.85 widescreen aspect ratios. The 1080p high-definition transfer was restored from the original 35mm camera negative element which was then scanned in 2K resolution. The notes in the booklet doesn’t go into detail on any cleanup work was done, but from what I could see, this was a fantastic looking picture with sharp detail, vivid colors for the time period and no noticeable instances of any major flaws. This is yet another, at least near, homerun from Arrow. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The disc includes a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which was also remastered, this from the optical negatives. Nothing spectacular here but for a movie going on 30 years which likely did not have high-quality sound design on location, I found this to be fairly good nevertheless with clean dialogue and some respectable enough depth, particularly during the few kill scenes. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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Edge of the Axe has its moments here and there, but too many scenes, especially through the third act, were a bit dull and even with some decent kills, not sure if this is worth the price admission. That said, the video and audio transfers were well done and comes with a good selection of bonus features. |