Edge of the Axe (1988)

Very well executed

Instant Favorite.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

I wish this was one of the slashers that fell into the public domain, if only so it could distributed on DVD. I mean really. There is only one bad thing about this movie, and that's the lame song they made for it (also, the fact it plays louder than all the other music). The acting is actually pretty good, not feeling too stiff, the story is intriguing and fun, and most of the music is pretty good. Just the beginning to this movie feels brilliant, building up unreal amounts of tension with so little effort (sadly, this tension seems to go to waste). I love the look of the killer with the distinct, skull-like mask that would have worked well in the Halloween sequels. The gore is nice and the axing is satisfying. Hopefully it will get a nice restored release one day.

I remember seeing "Edge of an Axe" many years ago on German satellite television.It's the highest time to watch it again.Jose Rammon Larraz has made a steady output of horror films including "Vampyres"(1974),"Symptoms"(1974),"Stigma"(1979),"The National Mummy"(1980),"Rest in Pieces"(1987)and "Deadly Manor"(1990).A series of brutal axe murders is plaguing small town in Northern California.The killer wears white Michael Myers inspired mask and rain slicker and the police is unable to trace the suspect.The pace is fast and the direction is solid,but there is not enough strong gore for my liking."Pieces" by Juan Piquer Simon is much bloodier and more brutal than "Edge of an Axe".Still if you like low-budget slasher movies give this one a chance.7 axes out of 10.

Edge of the Axe has a lot of basic slasher elements. Plenty of murders by somebody in a creepy mask, a couple chase scenes, and a cute leading lady. So what is it about this movie that makes it so underrated? Well unlike most slasher films the acting is actually not too grotesquely bad (at least the two main characters are okay actors), the murders are actually pretty shocking because they happen at times you don't expect like a woman being murdered in a car wash during broad daylight, the killer is a HUGE surprise and you never see it coming (in which the ending to this movie is pretty similar to the ending in The Dorm that Dripped Blood, Cheerleader Camp, and even somewhat like Unhinged). The plot is pretty simple and generic. Somebody is whacking off locals in a small suburban town and nobody has any idea who the killer is. The main suspect in the crime is a guy named Gerald, who meanwhile is having a relationship with a cute blonde girl named Lilly. Lilly and Gerald do a little investigating of their own to find out who the killer is while more people are getting killed off. And the more people get killed, the more red herrings come along. So after a while the killer starts to target Lilly and Gerald.One of the best things about the murder scenes is that they have really good cat-and-mouse scenes that add suspense and make you wonder if the person being chased might actually survive or not. Another thing is that even though the killer resembles Michael Myers they're creepy because the person being murdered does know who it is before they're killed (like a woman saying "Oh, it's you" before the killer puts on the mask and kills her) Another thing about this movie is that it ends very abruptly. That might not seem like a positive thing but the movie ends RIGHT when you realize who the killer is. And the way you find out they're the killer is in a very strange subtle way which consists of them making a demented smile at the camera as the final shot of the film. So basically if you really like slasher movies get this. It's tricky, it's kind of unusual compared to other slashers, it's a pretty good slasher movie.

The pre-credits scene is the best scene in the movie. A woman takes her car through a car wash. We glimpse a figure through the translucent window looking in on the car wash, and through the suds covering the car windows. A figure wearing a mouthless white mask swings an axe at the front windshield, killing the driver. Her blood drips down the window with the soap suds.Following the credits, we meet computer geek and freelance electronics repairman Gerald. He and a friend stop by a restaurant/bar and Gerald meets Lillian, a video game nut. They start a relationship, and he gives her one of his old computers so they can instant message each other. Meanwhile, bodies are turning up: mostly women, but even a decapitated pig and a dead dog.One suspect is a workman at the church (Lillian's father, I think). Lillian tells Gerald she fears her brother Charlie might have something to do with it. She says after she accidentally caused him to fracture his skull he was hospitalized and she hasn't heard what become of him since.There are some good scenes involving the discovery of bodies or just body parts and a scene involving blood dripping from the ceiling. The killer's attack scenes are fairly good. What happens in between isn't as good, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to pick up a cheap ex- rental copy of this and to watch it.Unfortunately, the end credits do not identify the actors and their characters. Some actors are named in the opening credits, but the end credits identify only the crew.