Axemas 2: Blood Slay

It's a tough life in my racket. Hey folks back again for another blog and this time around director/writer/producer/actor John Ward (Chapman's Storage: Fake Commercial, Axemas, Frames of Fear 2, and Meathook Massacre 4) has entrusted me to give his newest creation of the Axemas series a review. Will it be as enjoyable as the first? Dare we hope it surpasses the original? This is Axemas 2: Blood Slay.

A holly, jolly homicide!

Under Dark Park Films and Always Out of The Box Entertainment we open with some good VST for soundtrack and eerie chords as grumpily guy in mid-twenties is chucking the Christmas Tree when he is grappled by Uncle Kris (Drew Marvick of Astro Zombies: M4- Invaders from Cyberspace, Scared to Death, Bob Freeman: Exterminator for Hire, Get Hansel!, It Stains the Sands Red and Pool Party Massacre) and feel some Silent Night Deadly Night 2 vibes are coming our way. Hopefully not awesomely bad as Eric Freeman a.k.a. Ricky Caldwell of the Silent Night Deadly Night 2.  One garbage day quote and I will wince. Well just note his death scene made me smile.

With a morning investigative report on Chapman Storage confirming the timeline that it has been one year later. Surviving girl Sarah (Ashley Campbell of Any Body Can Dance 2, Distortion, Guard Dog, The Trust, Death to False Hipsters, Axemas, Drug Z and My Mom's a Joke) feels a bit more Sydney of Scream and less Laurie of Halloween.  Sarah has still been considered a suspect in these brutal murders...OF HER FRIENDS and yet the cops couldn't find enough evidence to link her to the killings. Surprised they just didn't fabricate some evidence, craft a story to fit their needs and then break for lunch.

Just want to meet a guy that doesn't want to ax murder me.

Montey Chapman of Chapman Storages(Phillip Trickey of House of Pain, Clown Motel Massacre and Axemas 2: Blood Slay) is channeling his inner Mayor Vaughn from Jaws, assuring us those weird mishaps of the year prior has just been an isolated incident, units are available to rent and it's a damn fine day...to move heavy objects.

Sarah still haunted of the ghosts of the past; seeks advice and counseling from Laura (Donna Hamblin of Mark of the Astro-Zombies, Killer Biker Chicks, Demon Haunt, Dead Ink, Sinister, Blood Mercury and Project M). The previous events are shrouding her every waking thought.   Plus, dead boyfriend manifesting to creep her is really off putting. Yeah I am relatively sure those are just hallucinations. A bit of dating advice from Laura seems to put Sarah in a better frame of mind. FYI, Sarah. Don't open a conversation with, "Hi I'm Sarah and my last boyfriend was brutally ax murdered by a lunatic in a Santa costume," Pro tip!

With a jaunt to a used bookstore (the intellectuals' hunting ground, ladies) Sarah roams through the aisles in search of MAN...or possibly a good paperback. Maybe some Charlaine Harris. Who knows. Bumbling into each other, Eric (Ben Stobber of Unwritten, The Immortal Wars, Axemas 2; Blood Slay, The Immortal Wars: Resurgence, Dress Code, Art of the Dead, Reversal and Los Angeles Shark Attack) makes his move after startling Sarah with his Dickens. A Christmas Carol that is. Nothing pervy. Sheesh. Hey this easy going guy even gives her a window of opportunity to bounce if he is a boring plebeian. Rock star move, brohan!

No! Go find your own storage unit for that! Ew!

Prepping for the big date, Sarah's nervous. So begins the first dating dance!!! muahahaha!!!! No, I'm not bitter. After cocktails and dinner, Sarah opts for a night cap.   The end of that puts Sarah on familiar stomping grounds.   She awakes for a new night of terror and the killers (oh yes, plural) are going to take their time with Sarah and drag it out.

Did I mention some kids making their way around this place?  You'd think one Santa slaying episode that happened only a year prior would be giving off hot neon light warnings, but hormones never listen.  Darn you pesky kids!! Git outta my murder place!

Fate is a fickle mistress as Tara (The lovely and talented Tommie Vegas of Project M, The Trust, Date Breakers, Party Night, Nite Nite, Can I Kil You?, Virus of the Dead, Vice Squad: Las Vegas and Vice Squad: Chicago) who pulls the greater Hail Mary save, and gets Sarah on her feet. Now they only have to survive the night and run the gauntlet of this massive complex that is no doubt, locked down for the night. Sarah and Tara (Hey that rhymed!) meet up with Tara's boyfriend James (Nicholas Jackman of Party Bus to Hell, Social Girls, Classacts, Finding Sara, The Auction and Murder 4 Dummies).

Both kids are homeless and were just looking for a place to crash but now it looks like murder is filling their stockings tonight. Wow that last line was pretty cheesy. In fear of Uncle Kris, the threesome are trying to find a way to stay alive and must band together to deal with a crazy Santa.

As was previous for the original, this is logged as a short film for an anthology series. We have solid performances, over the top slasher villain, some great gore scenes and good dialogue. This manages to stay within the same old school cut to gore gag shots and actually gives off a bit of terror. With a bit of a Scream and Silent Night Deadly Night 2 theme, this 34 minutes of evil could easily be deemed substantial work. With an easy premise to follow and an environment with proper mood lighting, you could easily see this in a full length feature. Minor CGI spatters, otherwise old school blood packs and bladders. Not surprising that John Ward has kept the same momentum as the first. 

He seems...less jolly.