There is a brief moment early on in the English version where the dialogue drops out altogether, but it’s likely a source issue. The film is watchable in both English and Spanish language, the latter of which includes newly translated subtitles for English-speakers. Damage is negligible and the killings really pop, especially in contrast to the sleepy, hazy, California (ahem, Spain) vibes. Whether these character dynamics enrich the endeavor or just slow things down is up to the viewer’s individual taste, but as a piece of slightly elevated Americana with a Eurosleaze twist, EDGE OF THE AXE is quite unlike anything else.Īrrow Video presents EDGE OF THE AXE in a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative, and the results are excellent.
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Larraz spends a good deal of time fleshing out Gerald, Lillian, their friends, and the other residents of Paddock instead of simply lining them up and knocking them down-an obvious departure from the prototypical slasher’s assembly line of attractive meat sacks-and things build, bit by bit, to an improbably whacked out conclusion. Running contrary to these excesses is an equally European sense of deliberate pacing and character development. The murder setpieces are liberally flavored with Giallo flourish and Spaghetti Splatter splash. Castellari’s spiritual revenge Western KEOMA (1976) than anything produced contemporaneously across the pond. The title song may be rotten with folksy charm, but it comments on the action in a manner more indebted to Enzo G. But even without a clear tell betraying its country of origin, genre savvy viewers will be able to spot these roots. Cigar store Indians share the screen with Oliver Stone posters, Baptist Churches, and cans of Coca-Cola. iconography, giving EDGE OF THE AXE more Yankee flavor than just about any slasher made stateside. Set in Northern California, but largely shot in Madrid with an American cast, Larraz and his team go heavy on U.S. But things get a lot more complicated when charming computer geek, Gerald (Barton Faulks) starts romancing bright-eyed townie, Lillian (Christina Marie Lane), and the two stumble headlong into the psycho’s path. Prowling the night in a black trenchcoat and eerie, featureless mask, the crazed killer chops his way through a number of seemingly random local females while avoiding the authorities at every turn. The denizens of Paddock County are shocked by a spate of brutal murders rocking their rural community. The second of three transcontinental stalk-and-slash co-productions directed by José Ramón Larraz (preceded by 1987’s REST IN PIECES and followed by 1990’s DEADLY MANOR) EDGE OF THE AXE is a unique achievement in emulation-a Spanish-made slasher that’s as American and stuffed with sticky red goodness as cherry pie. It may come as a surprise, but Spain also had its fair share of enterprising filmmakers that attempted to replicate Western product with similarly less-than-convincing results. Now, don’t get me wrong: the country produced some of the most delectable genre fare of all time, but no one with two eyes in their skull would ever mistake a Fulci flick for an American one, despite its maker’s best efforts. Italian exploitation directors of the 1980s are often considered the ultimate knockoff artists despite the fact that…they just weren’t very good at it.
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Written by Joaquín Amichatis, Javier Elorrieta, José Frade, and Pablo de Aldebarán Starring Barton Faulks, Christina Marie Lane, and Page Mosely