Movie Review(s): Axemas and Axemas 2: Blood Slay

Brother, instead of sparing a dime, can you spare about an hour to watch two Christmas horror movies? You won't be disappointed.

The holidays may be over, but no matter what time of the year it is, everyone still gravitates toward anything Christmas. Especially when a good horror themed Christmas movie is in the mix.

In Axemas, a group of friends are planning to party the night away at the storage facility where David (Dillon Weishuhn) works. It's a perfect place to party since the main gate locks at eleven and won't open again until five in the morning. Plus, there are no cameras so it's a free for all party.

What they don't know is a psycho Santa (John E. Seymore) is living in one of the units and has already killed a thief (Tommy Sihavong).

Once inside one of the units, they start drinking and as the couples disappear Sarah (Ashley Campbell) and David don't know that their friends are being murdered by the psycho Santa.

In Axemas 2: Blood Slay a year has gone by and Sarah is still considered the prime suspect in the carnage at the storage facility.

Her friend Laura (Donna Hamblin) urges her to get out and meet people, especially a man. Due to her depression, she says that she doesn't feel like it, but changes her mind when Laura suggests that she go to a bookstore where she just might get lucky.

Sarah reluctantly stops off at a used bookstore and bumps into Eric (Ben Stobber). He asks her out to dinner and reluctantly she agrees, since he notices her from being on television.

At dinner, she tells him the story of the events from the prior year.

Since both movies are shorts (Axemas is 25 minutes and Axemas 2 comes in at 34 minutes) I couldn't go into much detail without too much away.

Axemas must have had a budget of about $1.95 but has the quality of much more. I say this jokingly since there's only one set and no costume budget. The sequel probably had a bigger budget ($10) since there are special effects, more wardrobe and more sets.

Writer/director John Ward did a fantastic job with both movies and it's good to see good tight short films. He didn't have to write a full ninety minute screenplay since both movies tell the stories within their allotted time frame and while they're short films, they both bring you into the stories right away and believe it or not, they do have the feel of a full length movie.

I had a feeling about what was going to happen in Axemas 2 and Hamblin is the clear breakout star of this film.

Both have twists to them and parts 3 and 4 are currently in pre-production and should be released in December of 2021.