Edge Of The Axe is another in a long line of 80's slashers with an age old plot, a serial killer wearing a white mask and begins chopping up the ladies of Paddock County. The opening scene where a woman is brutally murdered in a car wash, which is the first of many successfully conveyed set pieces. We are later introduced to a likable cast, including Page Mosley playing a technically gifted drifter called Gerald Martin. After relocating to Paddock County, he meets with Lillian Nebbs (Christina Marie Lane), and the couple begin a romantic liaison. Meanwhile, as the psychopathic killer continues his rampage across the county, Gerald uses his online resources to find a link between the victims. Could his girlfriend be the killer's intended target? In my opinion "Edge Of The Axe" is a fun way to waste some time, I found some of the later murders rather creative Larraz is an experienced director and it shows consistently throughout the runtime. In places he manages to build some credible suspense and the tense final is competently handled. Another thing I liked about this movie is that it is devoid of stereotypes and the central characters are normal people and likable. The killer looks creepy in Michael Myers-like blank mask and rain slicker, and the movie transcends its budget. The beautiful summer-laden backdrops are visually picturesque and there's enough plot expansion to relate to the main characters.And I'd also like to point out that the final twist at the end, was awesome, I did not see that coming.

Edge of the Axe has a lot of basic slasher elements. Plenty of murders by somebody in a creepy mask, a couple chase scenes, and a cute leading lady. So what is it about this movie that makes it so underrated? Well unlike most slasher films the acting is actually not too grotesquely bad (at least the two main characters are okay actors), the murders are actually pretty shocking because they happen at times you don't expect like a woman being murdered in a car wash during broad daylight, the killer is a HUGE surprise and you never see it coming (in which the ending to this movie is pretty similar to the ending in The Dorm that Dripped Blood, Cheerleader Camp, and even somewhat like Unhinged). The plot is pretty simple and generic. Somebody is whacking off locals in a small suburban town and nobody has any idea who the killer is. The main suspect in the crime is a guy named Gerald, who meanwhile is having a relationship with a cute blonde girl named Lilly. Lilly and Gerald do a little investigating of their own to find out who the killer is while more people are getting killed off. And the more people get killed, the more red herrings come along. So after a while the killer starts to target Lilly and Gerald.One of the best things about the murder scenes is that they have really good cat-and-mouse scenes that add suspense and make you wonder if the person being chased might actually survive or not. Another thing is that even though the killer resembles Michael Myers they're creepy because the person being murdered does know who it is before they're killed (like a woman saying "Oh, it's you" before the killer puts on the mask and kills her) Another thing about this movie is that it ends very abruptly. That might not seem like a positive thing but the movie ends RIGHT when you realize who the killer is. And the way you find out they're the killer is in a very strange subtle way which consists of them making a demented smile at the camera as the final shot of the film. So basically if you really like slasher movies get this. It's tricky, it's kind of unusual compared to other slashers, it's a pretty good slasher movie.

Well I'm not a big fan of slasher flicks and the reason for that is mostly because they're all too similar. This film didn't do anything to change my opinion of slashers or like the genre any more than I did before seeing it; but as a strictly by the book slash-fest, it's not too bad and I have seen worse. The film is a Spanish and American co-production and is directed by one José Ramón Larraz - the man behind a number of trash 'classics' including Vampyres and Black Candles. Being a partly Spanish film, the film does seem to take a little bit of influence from Giallo tradition (that being prominent mostly in Italy, but also in Spain) as we do get a little bit of mystery towards the killer's identity. The plot is very simple as you would expect from a film like this and simply follows a man that goes round hacking up women with an axe. Naturally this soon attracts some attention from the local police force and an inept investigation into the murders is started.The title suggests that the murders will be committed with an axe - and indeed they are, and this is the film's strongest element. There are a couple of sequences that are quite brutal, but there's not a great deal of blood and this is unfortunate. The main problem with the film is the parts between the murders, which are largely very boring. The story surrounding the main characters is lacklustre at best and doesn't do much to hold the audience's interest. The mystery towards the killer's identity is slightly more interesting than the characters themselves; but even this is spoiled by the fact that it becomes obvious who the killer is far too early. The direction courtesy of José Ramón Larraz is decent enough - he builds suspense well in places, although the low budget gets in the way often and the film never rises above its trashiness. Overall, I really wouldn't recommend anyone goes out of their way to find this one. Slasher fans may find something to like but it's not one of the best of the genre.

A small woodsy town is beset by an an axe-swinging psychopath who dons a whiteface mask and raincoat. An assortment of odd characters make the suspect list, but authorities remain vexed as the death toll rises.As far as slasher entries go, I figure that EDGE OF THE AXE may be a notch or two above the quotidian. Nevermind the flat script, humdrum performances, and feeble "surprise" finale, because the murder scenes are graphic and quite brutal(and for the chronic watcher of body-count flicks, that will generally be the determining "hit or miss" factor). One murder scene which takes place in a drive-thru carwash is especially memorable.All things considered, an amusing enough timewaster which should have gorehounds doing a happy little tap-dance of appreciation...certainly nothing to sing about, but in a subgenre chockablock with so many truly deficient examples, it at least appears to be somewhat meritorious by comparison.5.5/10