Then again, Hollywood has always had a knack for exploiting the printed page for its own macabre purposes. Drawing loosely upon a series of real life slayings that occurred in Long Island, New York in 1978, director Frank Sabatella takes the horrors of the real world and transposes them with the over-the-top theatrics of an 80s slasher film and a supernatural-esque tale of revenge to create Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet. But is this an urban legend fright flick worth reading over a campfire in the woods at midnight? I wish I could say yes, however this yawner is more suited to a fluorescent-lit lounge room heated by a gas radiator.
After killing her parents in a fit of unexplainable rage, disturbed teenager Mary ‘Hatchet’ is committed to an insane asylum for immediate treatment. When she is raped by an orderly and her baby taken away by the authorities, the volatile young woman sets off on another rampage, killing everyone in sight before being gunned down by police on her way out of the building. Years later a group of ill fated teens haul up at the same asylum to celebrate ‘blood night’ - the town’s annual recognition of the horrific events – for a non-stop indulgence of booze and babes. But is the murderous Mary really dead? And what’s more, how would she approve of the festivities being held in her honor?
Many horror movies have tried their hand at incorporating renowned urban legends into their storylines (eg, Urban Legend, The Hitcher, Timber Falls, etc) and some have proven more successful than others. Unfortunately, screenwriter Elke Blasi’s initially promising script (from an idea by Sabatella) is quickly marred via a by-the-numbers slasher structure that only loosely integrates the effective back story established in its opening, resulting in a missed opportunity that could have made the film a minor hit. Sabatella’s direction, while visually athletic and slick in all the right places, is often a little too juvenile for its own good and pushes what could have been a straight-ahead horror tale into a far more comedic realm, thus eliminating any suspense created prior to the kills kicking in. Slasher films in on of themselves are fine but Blood Night’s decision to resort to the trappings of the sub-genre’s well worn formula in order to tell its story somewhat undermines an otherwise appealing premise.
With regard to casting, Blood Night also hits a strangely underwhelming wall, despite featuring two sizeable genre vets in the form of Bill Mosely as a cemetery caretaker and Danielle Harris is a surprise partygoer. Neither actor is especially convincing in their performance, nor do they ever appear particularly concerned or terrified by any of the events unfolding throughout the film. A troubled production perhaps? Who knows. I hate to use the term ‘phone in’ but it’s hard to think of any other words that could fit the bill in this instance.
With an initially well thought out prior-evil setting up its feet, only to have them swiftly severed by a subsequently feeble approach, Blood Night is a prime example of a gnarly concept emasculated by short-sighted screenwriting. In the end, if you’re looking for a mildly entertaining albeit ultimately ridiculous slasher flick that piles on the T&A and torn torsos and doesn’t care if the identity of its killer is one of the most ludicrous in the genre’s history, then this monotonous monster is for you.
Dir: Frank Sabatella
Writer: Elke Blasi
Cast: Bill Mosely, Danielle Harris, Nate Dushku, Samantha Facchi
Country: USA
Run Time: 83mins
Rating: R18+
0 comments:
Post a Comment