Axe

This grotty little exploitation film was obviously advertised to cash in on the popularity of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (hence the retitling from the film's original AXE), but it's not surprising that that film went on to be a classic while this languished in the depths of obscurity. This is a poorly-made, deadly dull affair, with the only positive side to the whole film being its relatively short running time. If you enjoy films where blank-faced actors and actresses deliver their lines stiffly, where the special effects look like they've come from a bottle of ketchup, or where the plots are so simplistic that a child could write them, then this film may just be for you. A big inspiration here has to be the sleazy LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, which has caused so much notoriety over the years. Many scenes share similarities, and California Axe Massacre tries very hard to evoke the same kind of disturbing disgust from the audience. But while LAST HOUSE was admittedly a very powerful film, the only power this film holds is the power to send you to sleep. A typical example is when our three 'gang' members enter a store and proceed to terrorise the staff there, asking a woman to take off her blouse and then throwing vegetables and pouring drink over her. It's hardly of the same standard, is it? The only thing this film is good for is a laugh, as scenes such as these frequently border on the amusing. Things kick off with a supposed 'shocking' beating of a man to death, with the aid of a child's doll. We are introduced to our gang of men. One of them is dim-witted and, although white, has a large afro protruding from his head. He's pretty funny and also happens to be the director, giving you some idea of what you're in for. The next seems to perpetually smoke cigars (in one harrowing moment, he shoves a cigar into some poor victim's mouth!), is overweight and greying, and also a male chauvinist. The third is the ringleader and the only threatening one of the group, obviously modelling himself on 'Krug'. He's the best actor in the film. After a long time, the gang arrives at a remote farmhouse where a blank-faced girl and her paralysed grandfather live. The thugs torment the grandfather, in scenes which border on bad taste. When one of them tries to rape the girl, she murders him with a razor, hacks his body up in the bath and puts the pieces into a trunk. Well, at least she's neat. This girl has a pivotal role in the film, which is why it's surprising that they chose such a non-actress to play her. After this happens, there's still half an hour to go, so many scenes of boredom. Eventually, the second bad guy gets axed to death, while the third is shot dead by police. Originally banned as a video nasty (although only god knows why), this was finally released in the UK a couple of years back minus about twenty seconds of footage. Thus, all of the murder scenes are jumpy and disappointing, with only a bit of fake-looking blood splashing about. However, I hardly think that an extra twenty seconds of gory footage are going to make this film much better, however good they might be. This is a shoddily made shocker, that totally falls flat as a horror film. One to avoid.

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source: Axe

It's quite often difficult to ascertain the reasons that many of the films on the video nasties list are there. We all just assume that they are there due to graphic violence, and explicit gore. We also largely assume that they are mostly, intrinsically rubbish. Whilst I have not seen all of the films on the list, the handful that I have, are varying in quality. It's always a surprise when the film is interesting, or has some kind of purpose, or layering of meaning. Axe, or the more ethereal original title, Lisa, Lisa, is one of the ones that at once, looks cheaply made (some sequences had the strange mise-en-scene of a H G Lewis movie), but also has an idea - simplistic but well thought-out - that gives the film a subtle gravitas. The first part of the film follows three criminals, Steele (Jack Canon), Lomax (Ray Green), and the moral voice to the violence, Billy (played by the writer/director Frederick R. Friedel). On the journey with these characters, we are introduced to their brand of criminal activity. In a convenience store, Steele and Lomax mock and taunt the female clerk, throwing fruit at her, then forcing her to take off her blouse, humiliating her before going further. This shows overtly the misogynistic attitude of the main two. Billy, as throughout the film, is the person against the murdering, and acts as the moral arbiter to the horrific acts. After this the trio drive up to a large house that is occupied by Lisa (Leslie Lee), who looks after her completely paralysed grandfather. Lisa is a strange, seemingly internal character, who is forced to take the criminals in for the night, and feed them etc. After one Lomax attempts to rape her, she takes it upon herself to kill him, then proceeds to act this out to the rest of the criminals. There are some very effective scenes, and some that are genuinely disturbing. The first killing of Lomax, Lisa takes a razor blade to the back of his neck. After he has clearly lost consciousness, she continues to saw at the neck. It's making me wince writing about it. So there are some very effective kills, and this is partly where I see the reason for it's contentiousness for the DPP. But I think fundamentally the reasons for the banning was more to do with the contempt for women. This is something that even the BBFC has many issues with. In conclusion, the film is disturbing at times, and it's moral fibre a little on the side of misogyny. However, the film is quite interesting, and certainly has more going for it in narrative terms than much of the video nasties on offer. www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

I probably have the crappiest taste in B-movies ever, but I immensely enjoyed watching this little oddity called "Axe" and so should you, at least as long as you too have a weakness for low-budgeted and unintentionally hilarious horror-trash from the seventies! One can only assume that writer/director/co-lead player Frederick R. Friedel wanted to shoot a film similar in style to both "Last House on the Left" (with sadistic criminals getting what was coming to them) and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (with country folks as maniacal killers), but he failed to achieve anything at all! There's nothing even remotely resembling to a script, since NONE of the potentially fascinating characters are given any backgrounds and NONE of their vile actions are explained. Why the hell did the three thugs kill the gay dude Pulp Fiction-style near the beginning and why-oh-why does Lisa play with razorblades and axes instead of Barbie dolls and teddy bears? Well, don't hold your breath waiting for explanations but just sit back and enjoy the camp. The running time is only 68 minutes, so depth and content would only have made it tedious, anyway. "Axe" opens with a trio of unlikely 'gangsters' breaking into the apartment for an anonymous guy. When he and his gay lover arrive home, two out of three 'gangsters' treat their target like an ashtray and beat him to death with a doll. That's a pretty funny sight already, but it gets even better when the gay lover just jumps out of the window and to his death. At that moment, the film's brilliant dialogues are demonstrated: "Why did he do that? It's twelve floors high!" "Nah, it's only nine…" After their glorious killing spree they flee into the countryside, make a quick stop to throw overripe apples at a convenient story lady, and end up in the house where Lisa lives with her vegetable grandpa. Introvert teenager Lisa looks like the ideal victim to rape, only she's a bit of an outcast, wandering around with razors in her pocket. Although amateurish and completely implausible, "Axe" somehow features an occasional moment of suspense and that's mainly thanks to Leslie Lee's cold portrayal of the uncanny little girl. Her facial expressions remain emotionless when she nastily butchers the intruders and she even has no moral issues hacking the bodies up for barbecue. The nihilistic and raw tone is undoubtedly the reason why "Axe" got marked as a video-nasty during the early 80's, as the fake gore and lame sleaze itself aren't the least bit disturbing. The film is actually most appropriate to cult fans with a bizarre sense of humor! Anyone who thinks it might be funny to see a handicapped old man getting covered in bloodstains or starts giggling by the idea of dead chickens lying on the sink for absolutely no reason really has to watch this movie!

Contains story + **spoilers** Lisa lives together with her paralyzed grandpa on a remoted farm in North Carolina. Some day three criminals on the run take them as their hostages. As one of the outlaws tries to rape Lisa, the young girls takes bitter revenge... This film can be watched as a mixture between "Last House on the Left" and "Desperate Hours". On principle, "Lisa, Lisa" is a movie that nobody needs: The gore keeps within limits and by a total running time of 70 minutes there´s not enough space to construct a far-reaching story or to develop the characters, although the whole plot would be much better if director and actor Frederick Friedel had done this! Probably one of those films to make a maximum profit with a minimum stake... Personally, however, I found "California Axe Massacre" (neither it happens in California, nor is there an axe massacre...) suspense-packed from beginning till the end, the atmosphere is sinister and the finale quite macabre. That makes "Lisa, Lisa" being an almost forgotten cult classic - short but effective! Like a dirty joke...

I bought this movie from my local video store for $3 out of the previously viewed bin. Thank goodness it was only three bucks. The movie looks like it's trying to be a much less graphic cheap imitation of "Last House on the Left" or "I Spit on Your Grave." The front cover of the box reads, "AT LAST! TOTAL TERROR!" However this movie wouldn't scare anybody. A group of guys force their way into a farmhouse where a girl lives with her paralyzed father who may also be a deaf mute -- who knows? I hope they didn't actually PAY a guy to sit in a wheelchair and stare off into space the whole time.

Three criminals on the run make a stop-over at a remote homestead, on which two people live: meek young Lisa (Leslie Lee) and her paralyzed grandfather (Douglas Powers). Two out of these three criminals are pretty nasty types - the domineering, hair-trigger-tempered Steele (Jack Canon), the predatory Lomax (Ray Green) - but they seem to have met their match in the soft-spoken Lisa. Don't look for much more story than that, in this regional production written and directed by Frederick R. Friedel, who also plays Billy, the youngest and most even-keeled of the gang. Also, don't expect a very lively affair: Friedel seems more determined to go for mood and feel (the film has an almost European sort of ambiance) than hardcore exploitation. That's not to say, however, that there isn't some very effective grisly violence on display. And while the blood present may be of that bright red movie variety, Friedel does take the opportunity to sort of goof around with the colour palate. There are gags involving ketchup and tomato soup, showing that he is not taking his film too, too seriously. Good location shooting (in North Carolina) and an atmospheric soundtrack (composed by George Newman Shaw & John Willhelm) are definite assets. The acting gets the job done, with young Lee appealing in the central role. Canon and Green are appropriately loathsome, especially the former as he throws his weight around and makes everybody around him miserable. Friedel himself is okay as the one member of the gang with something resembling a conscience. "Axe" a.k.a. "Lisa, Lisa" may not suit the tastes of all trash film fans, but it delivers a slow, quiet variation on the standard home invasion scenario. Seven out of 10.

Axe is yet another very low budget exploitation flick that would be very obscure today was it not for the fact that it gained lasting notoriety as one of the infamous video nasties. These were of course films deemed criminally obscene by the British authorities back in the early 80's as a consequence of the unregulated home video boom. Furthermore, Axe was one of the 39 titles that remained on the list to the very end and so is regarded by purists as one of the 'true' video nasties. Having just seen it, it doesn't really warrant such a label as, while it has its moments, it's hardly all that shocking even compared with many other similar films from the time. It does appear to have taken a lot of influence from another more notorious video nasty, namely Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left (1972). The story-line has some pretty obvious similarities. Three criminals go on the run after killing two men and wind up at a remote house where an unstable young woman called Lisa lives with her paralyzed grandfather. They subsequently terrorise these people but the gangsters are in for a shock when Lisa enacts vicious revenge on them. I got the feeling when watching this one that its fashions implied that it might have been made in the early 70's as opposed to the specified release year of 1977. If this is so, it hardly seems so unlikely as this is an ultra-low budget affair with quite a number of deficiencies about it due to the inexperience of the film-makers and the obvious limitations of the production. It's exactly the kind of movie that could conceivably have sat on a shelf for a while before a distributer picked it up. Whatever the case, it seems to have been released as a film that would make up only part of the bill at the American drive-in circuit. It only clocks in at just over an hour and even the credit sequence is very elongated to extend the run-time (so protracted that I even picked up on the very minor trivia fact that the make-up artist was Worth Keeter the future director of the Pamlea Anderson soft-core classic Snapdragon (1993)). Despite the minimal run-time there is a pretty obvious lack of material and the film has many scenes that seem to just be padding. Little is explained in the film in terms of character motivations or background, things just happen. Aside from the lacking story, it's not in all honesty a very well-directed or edited film either. Yet despite all this, it does have something. The very low-key and minimalist approach does achieve a certain strange atmosphere and it's also shot reasonably well. The lack of any background or explanations does also inadvertently give the whole endeavour a somewhat enigmatic feel, which kind of works in its favour at least to a certain extent. I suppose it mostly falls under the rape/revenge sub-genre of film, which was quite popular at the time. It isn't really a very graphic example of this type of film though. Although I did find think the nastiest scene was the one where two of the bullies terrorise a nice cashier girl in a convenience store. They stop short of either killing or assaulting her but they humiliate her nevertheless. It was a scene I found very unpleasant to tell you the truth. The subsequent, more typical rape/revenge material was done in ways that was less disturbing oddly enough. Overall, while it's undeniable that this is a film with pacing problems, it does have a lo-fi ambiance that ensures that it's worth a watch, especially if you like 70's exploitation.

Three gangsters commit murder, then take to the road where they end up at the farm of a disturbed young woman. An effectively spooky character portrayal by Leslie Lee and some good filming locations, doesn't quite save this ultra low-budgeter from being an unsatisfying horror flick. While it does have the occasional moment of gore, Axe a.k.a. Lisa, Lisa makes for an uneven slasher film and is a bit too light on the violence to really be considered a true exploitation thriller. It's pretty much a mixed bag, that never really finds its effectiveness. The films choppy editing and stilted direction definitely takes away from it too. So, all in all it's kind of hard to find a place for this weird B flick, the curious may find something of interest in it, but don't expect another Last House on the Left (1972). * 1/2 out of ****