The new low budget slasher flick Hatchet is the exact kind of movie Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon pays homage to. Hatchet not only seems to be a throwback to 80's slasher horror, it feels like a product of that time. And that's exactly what writer/director Adam Green wanted. This isn't a homage. It's straight up, balls to the wall, 80's slasher goodness! The biggest thing holding Hatchet back (aside from a visibly minuscule budget) is the consistent tongue in cheek tone. Even the early Friday the 13th entries took themselves seriously when it came to the carnage. They were silly movies, but they weren't trying to be silly. Hatchet by contrast, opts for a more light hearted feel. I'll tell you where Hatchet fires on all cylinders. In the gore department. The kills (and there are several of them) are graphic but they're also extremely imaginative and hilariously over the top (the best involves a women having her jaw torn apart), and Green shoots these particular sequences with the love and passion that only a true fan of slasher films could possess. As for the story (a deformed killer by the name of Victor Crowley attacks those who trespass on his New Orleans backwoods property)--it's all too familiar, but then the same could be said for most 80's slasher movies. Green sets out to create a new iconic boogeyman complete with a mythological back story. He does manage to one up Scott Glosserman's Behind the Mask by including three icons of horror (as opposed to Vernon's two); Robert England (Freddy Krueger), Tony Todd (Candyman) and an effective Kane Hodder (Jason Vorhees). With nods to everything from the little seen Hell Night, to the more popular Friday the 13th series, to the cult classic Motel Hell, no slasher stone is left unturned in Hatchet. Green's debut was certainly shot on the cheap and while I can't honestly say I was ever really scared by it, I did admire it's spirit. It'll be nice to see what this film maker is capable of with a bigger budget.