Edge of the Axe

Director - Jose Ramon Larraz

Cast - Barton Faulks, Christina Marie Lane

Distributor - Arrow Video

Number of Discs - 1

Reviewed by - Scott MacDonald

Date- 01/13/2020

    Before 2-3 years ago I knew Jose Ramon Larraz as the director of Vampyres and Black Candles.  I also knew him as the director of what I suspected of being a wonderful film that I could never see (Symptoms). That changed when Brad Hogue got Symptoms to me, and then Mondo Macabro finally got it out to Blu-ray. Then in 2019 Arrow Video released the Jose Larraz collection with 3 of the directors films (yes, including Vampyres) which was preceded the year prior by a Larraz collection by Dorado films). For a director I had only known for one film, I had suddenly a solid filmography to make my way through.

    Arrow Video's Larraz Collection from 2019 was initially called Vol. 1, but I do not think there will be a Vol. 2. Rather it appears that their following Larraz films will be released as single editions, and the first of these will be his slasher classic "Edge of the Axe".  Edge of the Axe would be Larraz's first slasher lensed in Mexico (as a stand-in for Northern California) in 1988, he would follow it up with another slasher Deadly Manor in 1990.

   The film takes place in "Paddock County" in Northern California where a killer in a plain white mask is taking out the women on the community with the titular axe. The cops can't figure out who is behind the mass slayings.

    There isn't much to the plot here, there is a romance between a local computer nerd Gerald, and his girlfriend Lillian who also try to do some impromptu detecting to save their own asses, plus the rest of the town. The film isn't a huge splatterfest, like what many would expect from a Euro-lensed slasher, but the kills are affective, and the killer is effectively creepy due to the plain-ness of the mask.  Larraz creates a solid, creepy, small-town atmosphere, and keeps everything going at a solid pace.

     Arrow Video presents Edge of an Axe with a solid 1:85:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer preserving the OAR of the film. Everything looks solid, organic, and film like.  Audio is in English with a mono HD audio track. Extras include 2 commentary tracks, plus cast and crew interviews, galleries, and trailers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.