Director Adam Green brought his patented flair for gore to Fantastic Fest with Hatchet II, the sequel to the well received Hatchet (2006.) The movie will be released in theaters unrated, the second October release to buck the trend and opt for no rating (the other being I Spit on Your Grave 2010, which also showed at the festival.)

Hatchet II has the distinction of being the first film that theater chain AMC will release and support in unrated form, through their independent program.  Dark Sky films is the distributor, and this marks the largest unrated release in major theaters in 25 years.  That’s  a huge development for horror, and for that reason alone, if you are a horror fan, you should support this movie by buying a ticket.

Although I personally adore Adam Green, and fully support his career, I found the hype for Hatchet perplexing.  I watched the film twice, just to see if I missed something, but I never found the movie to be very good.  The story behind Victor Crowley (played by Kane Hodder in both films) is interesting, but the secondary characters are grating, to say the least.

Fortunately most of those tourist types have been eliminated from the sequel, and the story has been stripped down to a bare bones slasher flick.  You get exactly what you expect, no more, no less.  It’s a good October release, and should satisfy those looking for a an old-school throwback to the films they grew up with, but don’t expect any new ground to be broken here.

Hatchet II literally picks up precisely where Hatchet left off.  Scream queen Danielle Harris steps into the role of Marybeth this time around. If you recall, she was the sole survivor of Victor Crowley’s bloodbath in Hatchet, and she flees to the safety of an isolated house occupied by a swamp dweller. All is fine and good until he actually finds out who she is, then he promptly kicks her out of his house.

Marybeth seeks answers from New Orleans Voodoo shop owner/ghost tour operator Reverend Zombie, played by horror icon Tony Todd (Candyman.)  He’s sympathetic to her plight, and decides to accompany her into the swamp to retrieve the bodies of her father and brother. They assemble a ragtag group of people to track down Crowley.

Exceptional writing, solid acting performances, and a refreshingly original premise elevate A Horrible Way To Die to the short list of must-sees from Fantastic Fest 2010. For a movie lover, there is nothing better than discovering a hidden gem in its pure state, before all the packaging and marketing sully the original vision.

Such was the case with this movie, which immediately emerged as one of my personal festival favorites. Writer Simon Barrett mines fresh territory in the serial killer genre by positing an intriguing premise; how would you move on with your life if your ex- boyfriend was a serial killer?

The story unfolds in a non-linear fashion, partially told in flashbacks. Sarah (played by Amy Seimetz) is a dental hygienist who is haunted by memories of her ex, who ended up being a Ted Bundy type serial killer. Understandably, she is crippled by self-doubt and insecurity because of her past, which makes a new relationship almost unthinkable. She regularly attends AA meetings.

Enter Kevin (Joe Swanberg), a sweetly awkward fellow addict who asks Sarah out. She tenuously accepts his invitation, and the two strike up a romance of sorts. Meanwhile, her ex escapes from prison during a routine transfer, and Sarah must come to grips with the fact that the man may be pursuing her. How will she share her dark secret with Kevin?

It’s a delicious spin on the whole serial killer sub-genre. The film slowly builds tension and lets us become familiar with the characters, so that when the twisty final act rolls around, it’s a real punch to the gut. Charismatic AJ Bowen (who also appeared in Hatchet 2, another Fantastic Fest movie) plays Sarah’s ex-boyfriend Garrick.

Like Mickey and Mallory in Natural Born Killers, Garrick has a rabid fan base that treats him like a celebrity. He gets fan mail and love letters when he is in prison and he has a facebook page and multiple websites dedicated to him.

It’s a chilling commentary on our current state of pop culture worship and our moral decline as a society. After all, we’ve already seen this type of behavior with Ted Bundy and multiple other serial killers; it’s hardly a far-fetched idea.