SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Toronto85 A masked serial killer is murdering women in a small town in 'Edge of the Axe'. We meet Gerald who loves computers, his exterminator friend Richard, two sisters Lillian/Susan, and Richard's older wife Laura. Our main character Gerald meets Lillian who he immediately clicks with. They end up talking about their love for video games, and he shows her his new computer and how it works. In the midst of all this "fun", young women are getting hacked to pieces by some maniac wearing a stark white mask and carrying around a large axe. A prostitute, a farmer's wife and a woman who works at the local church choir are among the victims. They all have one thing in common which lead us to a bit of a surprising ending.I really liked this one. it had some really close and intense moments with the killer stalking his/her victims. There are some really good night time scenes which are pretty eerie. The acting was okay throughout, especially from the lead characters. I didn't have any issues with it. 'Edge of the Axe' doesn't do THAT good of a job building up the characters and giving them much story, but which late eighties slasher flick did? There's this interesting rock beat that comes on each time the killer strikes which is surprisingly effective and creepy in a way.And I have to mention that this was the first slasher film I've ever seen to include a car wash murder. Check it out! 7/10

Luisito Joaquin Gonzalez (LuisitoJoaquinGonzalez) Whilst Spain's contribution to the slasher genre has not been by any means prolific, my country of birth has made a few noteworthy inclusions. Admittedly, the lacklustre 'El Cepo' was not the most memorable of titles, but Jesus Franco's 'Colegialas violadas' and Juan Piquer's 'Mil gritos tiene la noche' gained notoriety by joining the lengthy DPP list in the United Kingdom and spawning a legion of admirers.Jose Ramon Larraz, the Catalonian born filmmaker, first sprang to public attention with the outstanding thriller 'Síntomas', which earned him a Golden Palm nomination in 1974. Many regard his greatest cinematic project to be 'El Mirón' from 1977. The movie was impressively visual and had very little dialogue, which meant that everything was suggested with body language and eye contact and it made Héctor Alterio's award winning lead-performance much more of an outstanding achievement. Throughout the majority of his career, Larraz has demonstrated an ability to convey a cohesive and fluid plot without depending on gratuitous shock tactics. He continued to work steadily in cinema, travelling from his home in the United Kingdom to shoot pictures across Europe. In 1987 he directed the ambitious 'Descanse en Piezas', which was the first of two American-Spanish produced direct-to-video splatter flicks. Piezas boasted a creative synopsis but was plagued by a collectively inept cast and struggled to find a sizeable audience.Released in 1988, Al filo del hacha was Larraz's first slasher movie, although it wouldn't be his last. He returned to the category in 1990 with Deadly Manor, which signalled his exit from horror pictures. After the uninspiring comedy 'Sevilla Connection' in 1992, Larraz has remained anonymous in cinema, briefly resurfacing to direct a TV movie at the turn of the century.Shot on location in Mexico, Al filo del hacha tells the tale of a masked maniac stalking a small Northern Californian suburb. In the opening, a woman is brutally murdered in a car wash, which is the first of many successfully conveyed set pieces. We are later introduced to a likable cast, including Page Mosley playing a technically gifted drifter called Gerald Martin. After relocating to Paddock County, he meets with Lillian Nebbs (Christina Marie Lane), and the couple begin a romantic liaison. Meanwhile, as the psychopathic killer continues his rampage across the county, Gerald uses his online resources to find a link between the victims. Could his girlfriend be the killer's intended target?Whereas Descanse en Piezas boasted a logically creative plot, which mixed everything from suicide and reanimation to Dead and Buried-alike hostile small-townsfolk; Al filo del hacha is a typical slasher-whodunit that swims comfortably in the ocean of genre trappings. But unlike the huge majority of category inhabitants that relied so heavily on their heritage, Larraz's opus makes excellent use of the standard format to deliver an atmospheric and impressively dark environment.Despite a lack of gratuitous gore, the murders are impressively realistic and at times it feels almost like we are watching a snuff movie. The opening killing has become something of a favourite amongst collectors, although personally I found much more creativity in some of the later slaughters. Larraz is an experienced director and it shows consistently throughout the runtime. In places he manages to build some credible suspense and the tense final is competently handled. Javier Elorrieta's simple but unsettling score creates a harrowing mood and Tote Trenas' cinematography is visibly crisp.Whilst the cast of Descanse en piezas were incredibly poor to the extent that they ruined the feature in places, Al filo del hacha marks a significant improvement in terms of dramatics. Semi-prolific slasher star Page Mosley (Open House, Girl's Nite Out) delivers a career best performance as a likable lead, whilst the majority of cast members are approachable in supporting roles. Suspicion points at almost every character and Larraz wraps the plot neatly with an ambitious conclusion. Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that Hacha is a slasher movie devoid of stereotypes. You'll find no horny beer- swigging teenagers here. John Carpenter spoke elegantly of his decision to set Halloween in a normal everyday neighbourhood, in order to distance his movie from the haunted houses and dilapidated castles that have signified the genre. By doing so, he brought terror into our front rooms and reminded us that horror can strike in any place at any time. Giving us ordinary victims in ordinary environments, Larraz incorporated Carpenter's philosophy and avoided the platitudes so commonly linked with the slasher cycle.The killer looks creepy in Michael Myers-like blank mask and rain slicker, and the movie transcends its budget. There are numerous flaws throughout the runtime, but they never detract from the overall enjoyment, and the flick excels far more than it disappoints.Al Filo del Hacha may have been released too late to make an impact on the category, but reflection proves that its one of the best late entries to the cycle. Finally after a few attempts, we Spaniards have a slasher movie to be proud of.......

jrd_73 Jose Larraz made the entertaining film Vampyres but this slasher film is merely average. I tend to like the stalk and slash sub-genre but there is nothing about Edge of the Axe to make it stand out from many others of its type. Women in a small community are being killed off by someone with an ax. The (incompetent) police chief can't see the connection and seems somewhat resigned as bodies pile up in his small town. A computer genius (1988 model) takes up the investigation. Frequent genre star Jack Taylor turns up briefly. I counted nine deaths with four being partially or completely off screen (and that is including two bodies that are discovered post-murder). No nudity, no soothsayer, a half pint of blood, the killer wears a mask similar to the one in Torso. (shrug)

lost-in-limbo There's a killer in a small community who wears a mask and is chopping up women with an axe, and the sheriff seems oblivious to the threat despite the concerns of the locals. This leaves the computer whiz Gerald, who just arrived in town along with local girl his romancing Lillian to figure out the identity of the killer.As slashers go, Spanish director José Ramón Larraz's (Vampyres, Black Candles) 'Edge of the Axe' is a modest (and typical) low-budget throwback to the sub-genre. Maybe not as daring and spirited as it could have been with the work that's behind this director, but it's gloomy factor is detectable. The main problem here was that it would switch on and off. Meaning one minute it would have you grip (especially when it was focusing on the killer stalking their victims), but then suddenly it would release its firm hold (when it decided to meander on nowhere plot stoppages and awkward exchanges). Credit due, as it tries to develop its characters in some shape and promote red herrings, but few aggravations arose namely in the close-minded and uninterested attitude of the sheriff. Sure it's set in a small town, and the officers wouldn't have experienced anything quite like it, but the manner they went about things were tritely unconvincing.Larraz's direction is ably pulled off (despite sluggish passages) with a certain flourishing style (gliding camera-work) making the attack scenes viciously intense (although not particularly gory) and bleeding out a creepy atmosphere within a cowering country town in fear. The images of the brutal killer with their shiny axe and white plastered mask are an unnerving sight, but the revelation and story surrounding the masked murderer becomes rather daft and low-brow. I don't think it's as predictable, because I didn't really pick up on any clues that would suggest so but in the end it's too convenient and the sudden conclusion you see coming. There are some strange country music inclusions too, but the score has some ominous moments. The performances range from fair (Christina Marie Lane) to reasonably static (Barton Faulks). Patty Shepard shows up too.Effective when it wants to be brutal, but very casual otherwise. An unusual, if loose slasher enterprise.