It’s been three years since the Hatchet franchise was given a surprise continuation with Victor Crowley, and series creator Adam Green has always been open about making further installments.
The saga is an unapologetically old-school throwback to ‘80s slasher movies centered around Victor Crowley, the murderous subject of local legend stalking a New Orleans swamp. Born of an affair between his father and the nurse caring for the man’s terminally ill wife, he was cursed while in the womb and born so hideous that his mother died after laying eyes on him. He was accidentally killed by his father when their house caught fire after the locals who regularly tormented him threw in firecrackers, and then rose as a revenant to eternally relive the violence of his death and search for revenge against those who wronged him, killing anyone who ventures into his domain.
Of once again returning the giant killer to life, Green had this to unambiguously state:
“Given the success of Victor Crowley, it’s a safe bet that we’ll be seeing the Bayou Butcher paint the screen red again.”
He went on to discuss what made the films a success and why there are comparatively few entries in the series compared to other horror franchises.
“The biggest reason that the Hatchet series has remained so strong over the years is that the same key people have been involved with the making of each film. That is incredibly rare in this genre. We also don’t rush out sequels like they are being mass produced on a conveyor belt, and my crew and I only come back to the series when we are all truly ready to do so. The secret to how we’ve been able to fall back in love with Victor Crowley all over again each time is that we’ve always put a few years of working on other projects in between making Hatchet sequels.”
Personally, my thoughts on each Hatchet are much the same as the rest of Green’s output: I want to like them more than I actually do. His passion for his craft is evident in interviews, although his reliance on older tropes used without a hint of irony makes the movies feel preemptively dated.
Either way, the Hatchet movies certainly have their loyal fans, who will be more than happy to continue eating them up for as long as Green wants to keep making them.
