Making a name for himself by bashing people’s faces with a bat wrapped in barbed wire on the screen, Jeffrey Dean Morgan steps back onto this bloody path. But in this horror comedy, he spends more time behind the camera. Between working on The Walking Dead franchise as the antagonist-turned-anti-hero Negan, Morgan brought his violent flair to a Dark Sky Films production, Bloody Axe Wound. Though he makes a brief cameo at the film’s start, he is more credited as a producer, working with director and writer Matthew John Lawrence to bring this slasher to life. Blending homages to the genre together with a twisted coming-of-age arc, Bloody Axe Wound plays out on its own unique beat that reaches for schlocky brilliance but doesn’t quite muster it.
What Is ‘Bloody Axe Wound’ About?

Abbie (Sari Arambulo) is the adopted daughter of her small-town’s prolific serial killer, Roger Bladecut (Billy Burke), who also owns a video rental store that exclusively sells slasher movies; he films his kills and packages them as the newest release. However, the store is dying out and so is he (he has been killed and risen from his grave a tad too many times). Thus, the responsibility of continuing his killing tradition falls onto his daughter, so long as she follows the rules. In true slasher form, their main prey is teenagers, so after failing to kill her first victim, Abbie decides to ingratiate herself into a target-rich environment: high school.
Between tracking down her prey, who are marked out carefully with a giant red circle in a yearbook, and feeling her father’s pressure to perform slasher-worthy kills, Abbie finds herself being lured into the warm embrace of teenage friendship and romance. She feels sparks with the rebellious Sam (Molly Brown), and reluctantly befriends her mismatched gang of teenagers, making Abbie’s sense of purpose confused. As Bloody Axe Wound progresses, Abbie is torn between upholding her father’s legacy and following her own newfound desires, leading to touching moments sprawled among bloody mayhem.
‘Bloody Axe Mayhem’ Is Less Exciting Than It Appears

Image via RLJE Films and Shudder

Overall, Bloody Axe Wound is a genuinely thrilling viewing experience, as it tosses us from one quirky shot or idea to another. The genre-hybrid premise of a serial killer’s daughter navigating the milestones of adolescence is already enough to capture our attention, especially with its schlocky horror-comedy and quietly endearing moments. Pairing a rough-and-tumble kind of pace with aesthetically pleasing frames that remind us of ’80s slashers, the film doesn’t let us tear our eyes away. We fall into the rush of its excitement, dazzled by its confidence and boldness, but unfortunately, it isn’t enough to sustain the entire film. As visually stimulating as Bloody Axe Wound is, its intrigue barely breaks the surface; when we crack the fun facade open, we see more promise than execution.
Underneath the fun conceit is a lack of internal logic and plot holes that make it difficult to understand what’s happening. The rental store is the major source of these unanswered questions, including how no one has figured out who the town’s Boogeyman is despite teenagers being murdered for decades and the laundromat worker (Eddie Leavy) somehow knowing about Bladecut (while desperately auditioning for a role in a film). In some sense, it feels like the store is just situated in an alternate dimension, completely unexplained and unacknowledged. But if we were to suspend our disbelief and accept the bizarre (non) existence of the store, this messiness is still found in the editing room. The film has a choppy feel to it that sometimes works perfectly with its chaotic scenes, but more often than not, the sudden jumps between time and ideas just gives us whiplash, adding to that initial confusion.
‘Bloody Axe Wound’ Needed To Commit to Its Ideas

As a more slapstick comedy, perhaps we could forgive the aforementioned messiness if Bloody Axe Wound catered to its meta-horror humor more. References to past slashers are carelessly littered throughout the movie. The basic idea of a murderous family is a subtle tribute to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with the skeletal body of Bladecut’s deceased mother giving a nod to Grandpa Sawyer and Norman Bates. Bladecut himself seems directly inspired by Freddy Krueger’s scarred facial features and has his own Friday the 13th summer camp massacre as a backstory (oh, and he always comes back). However, these homages are frustratingly fleeting, never reaching the tongue-in-cheek humor it seems to be aspiring to and quickly forgotten as we are pulled away into the next completely unrelated reference. In turn, the attempt to satirize the genre through the rental video store just doesn’t work — when none of the references are given any weight or novelty, it doesn’t connect to the genre enough to achieve its subversion.
The concept of barely scratching the surface of its ideas is also extended to the film’s coming-of-age arc. Abbie’s experience throughout high school is very paint-by-numbers mixed with the wrinkle of murder, but Arambulo’s chemistry with Brown actually edges some of these arbitrary narrative beats to the precipice of moving. It’s a pity we didn’t get more screen time for them together, especially with some of Brown’s wry and sarcastic performances — we genuinely believe she is a badass. It’s also clear that Arambulo’s strengths lie in this coming-of-age capacity, as she perfects the subtle looks of teenage conflicts. Beyond this arc, Arambulo’s performance is limited by an under-developed script, the same obstacle that Burke’s Bladecut has to deal with. Heavy make-up already restricts the movement in his face, and unfortunately, the nuance we saw him deliver in Fire Country is unable to overcome Bladecut’s bland dialogue.
Bloody Axe Wound had all the potential for a hilarious and even sweet horror-comedy, but its main issue was being unable to fully commit to its ideas. Spending more time with a concept, whether that be following through on a specific reference or adding depth to its characters, would help alleviate its unfocused, kitchen-sink, and choppy feel. The film has a range of interesting strings to tug at, but none of them are unraveled enough to feel fulfilled by the conclusion. All that being said, Bloody Axe Wound may not be a satirical masterpiece, a profound coming-of-age work or a belly-aching comedy, but its surface is shiny enough to guarantee a bloody good time while watching it — just don’t bite the blade any deeper.
Bloody Axe Wound comes to Shudder on March 21.

Bloody Axe Wound

‘Bloody Axe Wound’ is only fun on the surface, breaking away into a hopeful mess.

Release Date

December 27, 2024

Director

Matthew John Lawrence

Writers

Matthew John Lawrence

Sari Arambulo

Abbie Bladecut

Pros & Cons

The film’s exciting pace keeps our attention and makes for an enjoyable viewing experience.
Sari Arambulo and Molly Brown’s chemistry elevates the film’s coming-of-age story,.

The film’s “quirky” style of production actually makes it choppy and difficult to keep up with.
Plot holes litter the film’s premise, creating a confusing atmosphere.
It’s meta-horror and comedy is tired and arbitrary.