Victor Crowley

***Victor Crowley*** (also known as ***Hatchet IV***) is a 2017 American slasher comedy film written and directed by Adam Green. It is the fourth installment in Green's *Hatchet* film series, and a sequel to *Hatchet III*. Kane Hodder returns to the role of the titular killer Victor Crowley. Critical reaction for the film was generally mixed, however it has been seen as the best sequel in the series.

## Plot

In 1964, Del (Jonah Ray) proposes to his girlfriend Sue (Kelly Vrooman) in Honey Island Swamp. However the couple hears Victor Crowley's (Kane Hodder) moans. Fearing that someone has been hurt, they investigate and find a hunter, who is decapitated by Crowley. The couple flees, but Crowley catches up with them and kills them.

In 2017, survivor of the Crowley massacre Andrew Yong (Parry Shen), who is believed by some people to have committed the murders himself, appears on his ex-wife, Sabrina's, show *The Sabrina Show*, to promote his new book about the events.

Meanwhile, Chloe (Katie Booth), her boyfriend Alex (Chase Williamson), and her best friend Rose (Laura Ortiz) plan to get Andrew to help them film a trailer for a movie they're making about the Crowley massacre. Andrew’s manager Kathleen (Felissa Rose) quickly ushers him out of the signing, much to the chagrin of Chloe, who never got to pitch her idea.

Andrew and Kathleen head out on a private charter plane with Sabrina and her crew: Austin (Brian Quinn), Casey (Tiffany Shepis), Jay (Tezz Yancey), and Zach (Blake Woodruff). However the plane's engine explodes and crashes in Honey Island Swamp, killing the pilots.

Elsewhere in the swamp, Chloe, Rose and Alex are about to begin filming their trailer alongside eccentric, swamp tour guide/local actor Dillon (Dave Sheridan). Rose and Dillon head off to investigate while Alex tries to calm Chloe down. Rose plays a video of Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd) reciting the voodoo curse that originally brought Crowley back.

At the plane wreckage, the survivors find Casey trapped underneath the seats with the water slowly rising. Rose and Dillon arrive and attempt to help the survivors when Crowley's screams are heard. Chloe and Alex find the old Crowley house, now a museum and memorial. Crowley then attacks the pair, killing Alex. Chloe flees and makes it to the plane wreckage, but is grievously wounded by Crowley, who drags her away, leaving her injured but alive as bait.

Kathleen begins to suffer from a panic attack and flees the plane. Austin attempts to stop her, but is killed by Crowley. Kathleen manages to contact the emergency services, but is killed by Crowley before she can say anything. Upon finishing Chloe off, Crowley attacks the plane, making it sink further and drowning Casey.

As the group begin to argue, Crowley attacks the plane again with a belt sander, and he almost damages the circuitry which restores power to the plane. Dillon locks himself in the pilot's cabin, hoping to radio for help and start the engine so they can use it to kill Crowley.

Andrew, Sabrina and Rose all flee in separate directions with Sabrina stealing Kathleen's phone from Rose before heading to Dillon's boat. At the boat, Crowley decapitates Sabrina. He then chases after Rose and throws her at Andrew and Dillon, who got the engine working. A stand-off between the three and Crowley ensues where Rose attempting to use Crowley's hatchet also fails to stop him, instead giving him the weapon back. Dillon tackles Crowley into the turbine, splattering Rose and Andrew in his and Crowley's blood.

In a mid-credits scene, Marybeth Dunston (Danielle Harris) watches a news report on the crash and the discovery of several mutilated bodies. Realizing Crowley has once again returned, she grabs a shotgun saying, "I've been waiting for you, motherfucker."

## Cast

Main article: List of Hatchet (film series) characters

Parry Shen as Andrew Yong

Laura Ortiz as Rose

Dave Sheridan as Dillon McMaster

Krystal Joy Brown as Sabrina

Felissa Rose as Kathleen

Brian Quinn as Austin

Tiffany Shepis as Casey

Chase Williamson as Alex

Katie Booth as Chloe Benjamin

Kelly Vrooman as Sue

Jonah Ray as Del Howison

Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley

Tyler Mane as Bernard

Blake Woodruff as Zach

Tony Todd as Reverend Zombie / Clive Washington

Adam Green as Co-Pilot Craig Borden

Joe Lynch as Pilot Matthew Waters

Additionally, Danielle Harris reprises her role as Marybeth Dunston from *Hatchet II* and *Hatchet III* in the film's mid-credits scene.

## Production

In November 2015, reports emerged that a fourth entry in the *Hatchet* series was in development. Simultaneously, various outlets alleged that a *New Nightmare*-esque premise was proposed by series creator Adam Green, but was rejected by the studio. However, *Dread Central* debunked these claims and instead revealed that Green opted not to move forward with the pitch. Green would later become disenchanted in continuing the franchise and was adamant there wouldn't be another installment. It wasn't until George A. Romero convinced Green to finally make the film at the Rock and Shock convention. Green immediately began work on the script, under the title *Arwen's Fancy Dinner*.

Principal photography began in secret under the working title *Arwen's Revenge*. Production spanned eleven days, while an entire day of filming was lost due to a set collapsing. Cast members Kane Hodder, Parry Shen, Laura Ortiz, Dave Sheridan, and Brian Quinn were officially revealed in August 2017.

In July 2017, it was announced that an official '10th Anniversary Event' screening of the original *Hatchet* film would be playing at the FrightFest Film Festival of 2017, featuring newly released footage. The same event, which took place on August 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, brought forth the announcement that it was actually the premiere of a secretly filmed *Hatchet* sequel titled *Victor Crowley*. Green said on the matter, "I couldn't be happier to partner with Dark Sky Films and bring Victor Crowley back to horror fans around the world. Resurrecting the series for its tenth anniversary was our way of saying thank you to everyone in The Hatchet Army and beyond who have supported this series since its inception. This bloodbath is for all of you."

## Release

### Theatrical

*Victor Crowley* debuted on August 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, California The film began screening in select theatres across the United States on October 5, 2017 on special one night events featuring Adam Green collectively known as the "Victor Crowley Road Show".

### Home media

The film was released on blu-ray and DVD on February 6, 2018.

## Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, *Victor Crowley* holds an approval rating of 67% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.

The film was met with mixed reviews, with many critics naming it the best sequel in the series. Steve Barton of *Dread Central* awarded the film a quality rating of 4 out of 5, stating that "*Victor Crowley* is a smartly written, outrageously funny, and incredibly gory affair that's nothing short of a gift for slasher fans who appreciate their films wrapped in viscera with gallons of blood to spare." JoBlo.com said of the film "VICTOR CROWLEY may be the best of the sequels to HATCHET, perhaps the best in the series." Kalyn Corrigan of *Bloody Disgusting* called it "the Gory Slasher Film You're Craving!", while critiquing "Sure, they spend a little too much time on the plane, and it would've been nice to see some of the more human characters last a bit longer during the runtime, but... in all honesty, it's just nice to have a series in the same iconic style that we can count on to carry us through the years of big studio films and over produced predictable cash grabs." Alternately, Brad Miska also reviewing for *Bloody Disgusting* said "While *Hatchet* has since become an iconic franchise, none of the sequels have been able to recreate the magic of the first film. The latest, *Victor Crowley*, is easily the worst of the bunch."

## Sequel

In October 2019, Danielle Harris revealed that two more films were planned by the studio, with the intention of shooting both back-to-back. In May 2020, Green said that a fifth film was a "safe bet" due to the financial success of *Victor Crowley*.