A is For...

We begin our Horror A to Z with a tale of mobs, murder, and molestation. In his film Axe, director Frederick Friedel introduces us to three gangsters who are awaiting the return of an associate in a city hotel room. The man has apparently crossed the other three, and they intend on taking revenge. Once the associate arrives, the gangsters get to work. They beat and eventually kill him. The two sadistic thugs laugh the whole incident off and decide that they should wait for the matter to blow over. The third, more sensitive, man has trouble reconciling his conscious with his actions.



The three men set out for the country, making a pit stop at a convenience store along the way. The thugs humiliate and terrorize the employees, all the while getting off on it. The third man once again feels guilt weighing him down, though he feels helpless to do anything.


Eventually, the men find a secluded farm house where a young girl, Lisa, cares for her paralyzed grandfather. Though Lisa is just a girl, she has lived a tough life that has matured her beyond her years. She spends her days killing chickens for food, and taking care of the small farm she lives on.

As soon as they arrive, the men begin unleashing hell upon Lisa. They force her to cook and clean after them, they mistreat her, and even sexually assault her. Drawing upon her animal slaughtering skills, Lisa avenges herself using the titular weapon on the men.

Axe is a low budget, no plot, gore film from the early 1970's. The characters presented here are overwhelmingly one dimensional (with the exception of the sensitive gangster.) The purpose of this film is simply to show blood and guts, with the after thought of entertaining an audience. I have to admit, they achieve these goals in spades. Axe is a brutal little film, to be sure. However, it is the epitome of the slasher genre. Though it's not as highly regarded as Last House on the Left, or I Spit On Your Grave, it's also not as graphically disturbing. You can watch this revenge story without feeling dirty afterwards.

Posted in: axe,Frederick Friedel,Horror,Horror A To Z