Despite only running fifty-five minutes including credits Axed to Pieces took two writers and directors, Dustin Ferguson (The Beast Beneath, I Drip Blood on Your Grave) under his Dark Infinity pseudonym and Jerimiah Douglas (Meathook Massacre Part VI: Bloodline). Why Ferguson would need a co-director for a feature that doesn’t even run an hour long is a bit of a mystery. And considering this is one of those films there seems to be no info out there on, it’s likely to stay that way.
The film opens with a filmed confession. A man (Mike Ferguson, Triassic Hunt, Nowhere to Run) tearfully recounts finding his wife with his best friend and taking an axe to them. Five years later a drunk (Jarad Allen, Angry Asian Murder Hornets, Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival) staggering down a creek bed finds an axe and is compelled to pick it up. A disembodied voice (Dustin Ferguson) informs him that it is now his job to kill.
As the death toll from the inevitable killing spree starts to rise it’s up to Dustin (Dustin Wonch) and Shaun (Shawn C. Phillips, Bloody Nun, Camp Blood 8: Revelations) to put a stop to the killings.
If you’re thinking that Axed to Pieces is another film about random folk wandering around in the woods and getting killed you’re not wrong. This time though the script actually tries to be more than a collection of killings.
Sheri Davis (Blood Craft, The Devil’s Heist) gets some funny lines as a full of herself model who runs into a pervy photographer (Erik Anthony Russo, Amityville Hex, Zombi VIII: Urban Decay) to set up the film’s first killings. It’s not exactly great satire but it is funny and sounds like a few celebrity interviews I’ve seen. Axed to Pieces is filled with that kind of snark aimed at everyone from Pokemon Go players to phone sex operators and stoners. It doesn’t always hit the mark, but it makes a nice change of pace.
There’s at least an attempt at gore effects this time around. They’re not particularly good, but it’s better than completely bloodless kills we’ve seen from Ferguson in the past. Scenes where the blood is obviously being squirted from just off-screen, are an unintentional laugh however.
There’s also a bit of 80s VHS nostalgia going on with the “Too gory for the silver screen” artwork, old school anti-piracy warning and the occasional faux tape noise. Which makes how well covered Sheri Davis is during her aerobics routine surprising. Back in the day, they were always played for maximum cleavage and jiggle.
Axed to Pieces is far from perfect. There’s still a bit too much padding. Both Julie Anne Prescott (Final Caller, Hi-Fear) and Jennifer Nangle (For Jennifer, Paranormal Attraction) are wasted in walk on and die type roles.
While it’s no Friday the 13th, or even Return to Splatter Farm, it is a big step up from Axegrinder 2. Fans of microbudget slashers should find Axed to Pieces a cut above much of the competition.
Axed to Pieces is available from SCS Entertainment. You can check their Facebook page for more information.