Axe (1974)

Synopsis

The movie Axe (1974), also titled Lisa, Lisa, is a controversial horror film that was banned in many countries due to its violent and disturbing content, often billed as one of the “video nasties” of the UK 1980s. It centers around three criminals who seek shelter in the home of a farmhouse after a robbery attempt. Unbeknownst to the criminals, the granddaughter has been raised in isolation and has developed a love for killing. The movie Axe (1974) depicts the sadistic granddaughter brutally murdering the criminals one by one with an axe.

The movie Axe (1974) opens with the three criminals – Steele, Billy and Fred – attempting to rob a store, with several acts of brutal violence part of the scene. They hijack a car in order to escape but crash it in the countryside. They approach a secluded farmhouse. There, an young woman, Lisa, lives a solitary existence with her disabled grandfather. She agrees to allow them to spend the night when they claim that Billy is sick. When the police arrive searching for the men, Lomax and Steele threaten Lisa with a gun, and she wards the officers away, assuring them she has not seen the criminals. At dinner, Lisa serves the three men a chicken she slaughtered that morning. While the men eat, Lisa attempts to cut herself in the upstairs bathroom but is interrupted by Billy, who knocks on the door.

What follows is a brutal series of events, after one of the men attempts to rape Lisa. Lisa goes on a revenge spree, leaving many dead.

Cast

Frederick Coffin as Steele
Carroll Baker as Lisa Brandt
George Rose as Joe Brandt
Ray Green as Billy
Michael Moffat as Fred
Leslie Lee as Stephen

Trivia

The movie Axe (1974) was based on the Mario Bava film Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970) and was marketed as a sequel to attract a wider audience.

Reviews

The London Economic described the movie Axe (1974): “Even at 68 minutes, AXE is brutally stretched to reach feature length, which means that every scene is protracted and meandering.” [1]

ScreamGeeks wrote: “Axe isn’t a very good movie. The film had a micro budget and its blatantly obvious that they weren’t working with much. ” [2]