Review: Axe to Grind (2015)

So… “Axe to Grind”. A weird little horror flick I stumbled across one rainy Thursday night in March when my cat Bosse had thrown up spaghetti carbonara on the carpet (don’t ask). Directed by Matt Zettell – not exactly Ingmar Bergman, but hey, the guy’s got guts, I’ll give him that.

The main draw here is Debbie Rochon. She’s a real scream queen from way back, and honestly, she carries this bloody mess like she’s dragging a corpse down Västerlånggatan. She plays a washed-up horror actress with a bit of a grudge and yes – an axe. The title is as subtle as a kick in the kneecap, which actually fits the tone pretty well.

There’s a homey, VHS-style warmth to the film, like something you’d rent from Hemmakväll in the ’90s, thinking “this’ll be trash” – and it is – but in a… comforting way? Part slasher, part soap opera, part fever dream. The gore’s sloppy, the pacing’s drunk, and the dialogue? Let’s just say Ingmar Jonsson from my old film discussion group would’ve thrown his popcorn at the screen.

But! I remember when I was 17 and did amateur theater in Karlstad, we put on this weird little horror play and I got to chop off someone’s fake leg with a foam axe. Watching this? Brought that memory crashing back almost too vividly. That same over-the-top drama, just with worse lighting and more nudity.

The effects are kind of like when my cousin tried to make zombie makeup with flour and ketchup. But I sorta loved that. There’s this sweaty sincerity to it, like they really believed this would be their Evil Dead.

Should you watch it? If you’ve got bad pizza, a good blanket, and questionable taste – ja, absolutely. Just don’t go in expecting Kubrick. This one’s for us who love B-movies and aren’t ashamed of it.

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