I
listen and read so much horror, I sometimes forget where I discover
things. It was a few years ago that something led me into the
direction of Writer/Director Adam Green's work. I can't exactly
remember what led me there but boy am i glad it happened.
Hatchet was all a buzz among horror fans. It described itself as a throwback to 80's slasher flicks. In a world of remakes & rehashes, this looked like a promising start to an original horror franchise. When it was released, it delivered on all fronts.
It
gave us a brand new slasher villain with Victor Crowley, who had a
solid backstory. At the same time it provided what had been missing
in the horror world. Fun. It was gory fun with a scary new horror
icon. It also didn't hurt that Kane Hodder, Jason from Friday the
13th parts 7 thru 8 played the role of Crowley.
Immediately,
Adam Green had cemented his spot in the horror community. After
Hatchet, he along with Joel David Moore directed the psychological
thriller Spiral. Moore also stars in the movie and really shows his
acting chops in that one.
There
was a lot of buzz about an upcoming sequel to Hatchet but before it
would be released, Green would write and direct his most serious
horror movie to date. I am referring to his movie Frozen. No. I'm not
referring to the disney sensation. Green's Frozen was the story of
three friends that are trapped on a ski lift. If it sounds
ridiculous, its really not. Green does a great job at making the plot
as believable as he could. It's a terrifying story with terrific
acting making it a much watch for horror fans. Lots of cringe worthy
moments on this one. Oh, if you look close, you might just see Kane
Hodder in this one too.
Later
in 2010, Green would deliver what his fans had been clambering for
since Hatchet debuted. More of Victor Crowley. A sequel was on its
way to its audience. Green delivered an even more of an over the top
gore fest than the first one. It had a different feel than its
predecessor but picked up right where it left off. A noticeable
difference was replacing Hatchet's original actress, Tamara Feldman
with the horror veteran herself, Danielle Harris. I am not a fan of
changing characters in a franchise but if you’re going to do it,
you can't go wrong with Harris.
Three
years later, an announcement came that would cause some concern with
fans of Hatchet. A part three was indeed coming that would be written
by Green but it would not be directed by him this time around.
Instead, BJ Mcdonnell would take the directors chair. I was one of
the people that doubted this decision but when the movie was
released, Mcdonnell definitely proved himself worthy. I'm not exactly
sure how it happened but this one is even more over the top then part
two. It also does a good job of continuing the lore behind Victor
Crowley. One of it's new leads is also a very familiar face. Zach
Galligan, who you may remember from Gremlins. Also, Derek Mears is in
this one. He played Jason in the Friday the 13th and has
the added benefit of being one hell of a nice guy.
Adam
Green does two things very well that makes him unique. He surrounds
himself with people that share his same love for horror. The reason
McDonnell did so good with Hatchet lll was because he had worked on
the other two as well. The other thing Green does well, are his many
nods to the genre that we love, proving that he shares the same
passion. If you look at his work, the amount of cameos is staggering
from the horror/nerd community.
That
leads me to one of my favorite things that Adam Green has done.
Holliston. This is not a movie, in fact its a television series that
aired on Fearnet from 2012-2013. The best I can describe this show is
that its like a Disney channel show for adults. Sick, twisted,
adults. It has a laugh track that fits the tone of the show
perfectly. The show basically follows four friends in their geeky,
horror, nerdy, lives. The cast of the show are friends in real life
and it really shows. They really make you feel like part of their
group which is hard to achieve on screen sometimes.
I
recommend Holliston to anyone who loves horror/comedy because it has
some great nods to horror while being laugh out loud funny. The other
bonus to this show is the guest stars. It's insane the amount of
guest stars that have been in this show. Everyone from Seth Green to
Bill Moseley. Heck, Dee Snider is practically a regular. I have only
seen the first season so I need to track down season 2. As far as a
season three, well it's probably not going to happen anytime soon.
FearNet is no longer a channel so with it being the home of Holliston
that makes it a little tougher to move on. Now, from what I have
heard, Green still owns the rights to it so it could go somewhere
else.
If
you are a horror fan, do yourself a favor and check out the world of
Adam Green. You won't regret it. In all of his work, you can tell
that he is as much of fan as you are, if not more. Hatchet is one of
my favorite slasher flicks with extremely strong sequels which is
hard to do for some horror franchises. If you want something that
will keep you on the edge of your seat or have your girl jumping into
your arms at the intensity, then I recommend Frozen. Obviously, if
you want to laugh and sometimes be grossed out, then Holliston is
something you may want to hunt down.
No
matter what you choose, I'm sure like me, you will be glad that you
discovered the horror of Adam Green.
-R.T.
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