by Sometimes you just want to watch a mindless but enjoyable grind house film. This is how I’ve been feeling lately, but I haven’t really found anything that has scratched the itch. Then I heard about Axe, or Lisa, Lisa as the alternative title. This was declared a ‘video nasty’ in the UK upon release which I found intriguing, and the 68 minute runtime meant I wasn’t putting in a big commitment by throwing it on. After tracking down and watching the movie I was left pretty disappointed. It’s definitely cheesy, schlocky, and somewhat atmospheric but it lacked a certain hard hitting oomph. How a tame horror, barely horror grind house film like this became a video nasty is beyond me. With that said it’s a bit boring but might still be worth a watch.
We begin with three small time criminals; Steele, Billy and Lomax as they await in a hotel room. When the tenant returns they beat him to death for not paying up a debt. The three decide to seek refuge out in the countryside and wait until the whole thing blows over (not likely) but on the way stop at a grocery market to terrorize and humiliate the woman working there. They find an old decrepit farmhouse in the middle of nowhere and stop in to suggest the residents let them stay. This is where they meet Lisa. She’s a monotone girl taking care of her paralyzed grandfather and for all intents and purposes seems a little off kilter. The three criminals immediately take control of the situation and make Lisa serve them food and treat them like guests.
Unfortunately for them things are really wonky in Lisa’s Head. She heads to the bathroom to attempt suicide but cannot bring herself to do it. She then turns her focus on the three guests. Lomax sneaks into her room one night and assaults her, but she takes the same razor blade she intended to cut herself with and uses it to make quick work of the bad, bad man. She chops him into pieces and stows him away in an old chest. While helping Lisa move the heavy piece of furniture Billy discovers what’s left of his friend within it, but he sympathizes with her after she puts the blame on their other friend. Billy begins hatching a plot to take out his former partner with Lisa’s help, but she has plans of her own.
In case you’re skimming I’m going to make this review easy for you; Axe isn’t a very good movie. The film had a micro budget and its blatantly obvious that they weren’t working with much. In any scene where the camera is moving the cameraman is clearly on foot giving the whole thing an amature ‘made at home’ look. There aren’t any elaborate sets and the ones they use all feel very lived in and kind of unkempt. It adds to the sleazy feel of the movie but this appeal certainly not for everyone. Then you have the music. It was obviously composed in a rush by one person and is played only with a high pitched synth keyboard. It’s certainly eerie, but more so than that I would just call it repetitive. The soundtrack is a one trick pony that overstays it’s welcome quickly.
To be honest I just don’t see how this film became notorious. It’s rather tame with only a few racy scenes that barely showcase anything, and even the murder sequences are really tame. There’s barely any blood, and very little violence. The only conceivable reason for the film being considered so infamous is the antagonists age. This really just isn’t much of a horror film with a mostly silent and plodding killer who is crazy just because she hums, guts chickens, and stares blankly. There’s never any real tension. In addition, the protagonists (save for Billy) have no redeeming values as human beings making it very difficult to sympathize with them as they meet their untimely doom. Even at its just over an hour runtime Axe feels like it overstays it’s welcome.
It’s tough to classify this one. It’s not really much of a slasher film, and it’s much too shallow to be considered a psychological horror film. Heck, it just barely has enough of the elements to fit into this genre. I’m usually a bit lenient on obviously low budget affairs but this one is a bit painful due to its limitations. The decrepit old house and soundtrack do a fair bit to establish atmosphere, but everything else is half baked. Even your hardcore horror fans will have a tough time sitting through the film which is sad because it’s actually pretty short. As I mentioned earlier the only reason this one managed to game any notoriety is because it was classified as a ‘video nasty,’ but I really have no idea how.
Pros
- Great ambiance
- Atmosphere
Cons
- Lacks any kind of 'oomph'
- A little boring
