Icons of Fright begins it's on-set coverage of HATCHET, thanks to contributing writer KEVIN KLEMM of GIRLS AND CORPSES MAGAZINE

LET THERE BE BLOOD

By Kevin Klemm, Contributing Writer.

01/27/10

For those of you who have never been on a live movie set, it’s always controlled chaos. And I do mean always! Except when you show up during dinner break, like I did last night for my on set visit with Adam Green’s latest film, Hatchet 2.

A weird sort of calm had invaded the set. Muffled conversation and the sound of chewing was all I could hear as I toured Victor Crowley’s swamp and house. All painstakingly recreated in a downtown L.A. soundstage with live trees, plants, and vines. Adding to the detail and atmosphere of the set, some of the plants started re-seeding themselves in the wood floor, along with mushrooms and mold. And I can’t help but wonder if those new spores and mold were behind the series of sicknesses that had hit the production crew during the week of our visit.

But tonight, as I walked the set, everyone was focused on the task at hand, and that was eating. They say that if you really want to keep your cast and crew happy during a shoot, you need to feed them good. Actor AJ Bowen told me that it’s been “The best food I’ve ever had on a film shoot”. When I relayed the compliment to Co-Producer Jason Miller, he told me that they learned their lesson on the set of Green’s previous film, Frozen. On that shoot the food was so bad that Director Adam Green ate nothing but Ice Cream. And that was in temperatures hovering close to zero.

Before I walked off the set, I looked up at the ceiling and saw blood splatters on the rafters and the ventilation units, maybe thirty feet up in the air, and thought to myself “oh yes, there will be blood….

Hatchet 2 marks the return of Adam Green at the helm, which along with his solid repertory company of actors and behind the scene film technicians, looks to be crafting another horror classic.

Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, and Parry Shen are back. I know what you’re thinking… Parry Shen’s character died in the first film. How can he be back? Well, in the first Hatchet, Parry’s character, Shawn, mentions a brother back in Detroit. So now Parry’s back as Shawn’s twin brother Justin. Oh, and we can’t forget John Carl Buechler’s return as Jack Cracker.

New to the cast is Danielle Harris (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) who takes over the role of Marybeth, Tom Holland (Director of such films as Fright Night and Childs Play) in his return to his acting roots, AJ Bowen, Alexis Peters, Ed Ackerman, and even Leatherface himself, R.A. Mihaloff come on board to add their acting expertise and possibly add to the films body count as well.

Picking up exactly where the first Hatchet ended, Green this time around ups the body count along with the blood. In fact, the bulk of the budget is slatted for practical gore effects, which shows you where the producer’s minds are at. Unlike the first film where the best kill is in the middle of the movie (Mrs Permatteo), Hatchet 2 keeps ratcheting up the kills, each one topping the previous one. I was lucky enough to watch Victor Crowley in action during my visit, and I can tell you that if you are a gore hound like me, you are not going to be disappointed.

Well, that’s just a little taste of what I found out during my visit to Hatched 2. Coming up in my next installment you’ll find out some interesting tidbits like:

Which of your favorite horror stars moonlight as Hollywood Ghost Hunters?

Kane Hodder’s tattoo. What is it? And where is it?

Plus all sorts of cool tidbits to wet your appetite for the most eagerly awaited Horror film of 2010, Hatchet 2.