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Hatchet

(2007, Rated R, Horror, Starring Joel Moore, Tamara Feldman, Deon Richmond)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Gory monster/slasher spoof is drenched in blood.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Victims are rude, selfish, careless, and self-pitying; locals are demented (one is said to "drink his own piss"). An Asian character is especially stereotypical, soliciting a snide comment about "Uncle Remus meets Bruce Lee," with both terms being meant disparagingly.
  • Violence:

    Lots of spurting blood and eww-inducing vomit/spit. Monster (hunchbacked, deformed, gooey, and nonverbal) attacks two men at the start, leaving exposed bloody body parts and pulling out entrails in close-up, with blood spatters. Description and flashback of father "whacking" Victor in the head with a hatchet (bloody). Alligator attacks boat party; Marybeth shoots it (more blood). Once Victor appears in the woods, the assault is nonstop, featuring jump edits, screaming, running, falling, bloody hacking, insides pulled out, heads cut off and bouncing, a chainsaw, and (of course) a hatchet. Bodies look as if Victor has eaten them. Weapons include a gun and sharp implements (chainsaw, hatchet), as well as gasoline and a lighter (monster set on fire).
  • Sex:

    Repeated "girls gone wild"-style breast barings (nipples visible), as well as a girl-on-girl kiss encouraged by a sleazy videomaker. A couple tongue-kisses. Much talk about sex and desire by young men, including slang ("skank," "boobs," "t--ties," "nipple," "cooch," "sweaty balls," "d--k," "bag of d--ks," "lick me"). Discussion of syphilis ("You can't hook up with itchy chicks"). Ben describes imagined scene of ex-girlfriend "bent over" a love seat during sex with another man. Mentions of Playboy and condoms. Derogatory slang ("queer") and repetitive Marilyn Manson song lyrics ("Sex sex sex").
  • Language:

    Plenty of strong language, including multiple uses of "f--k" and "s--t" (with more in the Marilyn Manson song "This Is the New S--t," which plays at the beginning and end of the movie), as well as "bitch" (again, with more in song lyrics), "damn," "hell," "a--hole," "bastard," and "c--ksucker." Frequent obnoxious exchanges are peppered with "shut up" and "you suck."
  • Consumerism:

    Mentions of Mini-Cooper, Emeril (Lagasse), Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Father smokes a pipe. Various background characters smoke cigarettes and drink beer in an early Mardi Gras scene. A boy wears a necklace shaped like marijuana leaves.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Hatchet

Parents need to know that this gory, low-budget monster/slasher spoof is drenched in blood, including fake-looking but explicit dismemberments and beheadings. The first violent scene is typically sketchy (though it leaves bloody corpses), but later scenes are incessant, with blood spewing, lots of screaming, and limbs and heads flying. Weapons include a gun and sharp implements (chainsaw, hatchet), as well as gasoline and a lighter. There are frequent breast shots (part of a repeated joke about girls baring their chests for a "girls gone wild"-style video) and descriptions of adolescent male sex fantasies, with crude language. Swearing includes "s--t," "b--ch," and a select few "f--ks."

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about what draws people to this kind of movie. Why do people enjoy scary and/or gory movies? Does this fall into the "torture porn" subgenre? Why or why not? Does the quality of the production affect how scary (or not) a horror movie is? Families can also discuss whether this movie is innovative or conventional -- how is it similar to and different from other horror movies? Are you looking for creativity in a horror movie, or just blood and guts? Why or why not?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title off for age 16 and give it 1.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    Do not watch!

    Horrible slasher movie I saw when I was 8, but it was too stupid for anyone to watch. Not for kids 16 and under.

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 5.0

    WOW

    finally a horror movie thats is not a remake and MADE FROM A AMERICAN!!!!! my second favorite horror movie ever. my first is braindead or as known as dead alive. back to topic, this movie has something i have never seen before. an old lady(like 50-60) gets her jaw ripped open all the way to the back of her neck and her tongue is moving!!! great horror movie. if you don't like gore do not see this movie.

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