Night of the Axe (2022) by Shawn Wright

Director: Shawn Wright

Year: 2022

Country: USA

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Slasher

Plot:

Getting together for a mini-reunion, a group of high-school friends decides to initiate a close co-worker into their friend group with a private house party, but when they realize the escaped serial killer from a local asylum has crashed the party must try to leave alive.

Review:

There was a lot to like with this simplistic, straightforward slasher throwback. One of the better elements here is that very straightforward approach that comes about with the indie style featured here. To the point and not wasting any time, this starts off with the asylum escape and turning immediately into the rampage across the community featuring a series of brief bits introducing the guests to the party in their own interactions that gets quite enjoyable. It gets even better once the group arrives at the party as the cordial interactions and series of games played there showcase them as being a fun and enjoyable group of friends to be around that keeps things light and breezy overall.

Once this setup is in place, the film becomes a solid series of indie-style ambush attacks that are carried off quite well. With the opening massacre of the residents in the area providing a baseline to get an idea of his viciousness and behavior, the type of instant ambush attacks usually featured in the genre are brought out with a slew of solid encounters and chases throughout this section of the film knocking off the guests and stragglers alike. Given the obvious low-budget limitations in play here with the setting and special effects work, it all comes together quite well for a fun time even with those factors sticking out and being the only real issues here.

Overview: **.5/5

An overall fun indie slasher that's not really hurt by too many detrimental factors, this one tends to be an overall fun quickie throwback that gets shut down mainly by the small indie elements that give its origins away. Those who are fine with those qualities or enjoy this kind of indie-style slasher will have a lot to enjoy with this one while only the viewers who aren't appreciative of those aspects won't like this one.