The abrupt endin…
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Hatchet II
themole-3 — 12 years ago(July 09, 2013 05:32 AM)
As a lifetime fan of horror movies I really appreiacte every attempt to give things new little nuances.
Having watched HATCHET 1 and 2 in a row it struck me that both films have their final shots "trimmed" as if we are just cut off from the movie.
Not totally new, I know, but it was an obvious stylistic device chosen by the director.
Anyway it does not work at all to me!
A brilliant example of this trick is the ending of the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - and after decades of repeated watching I still feel totally exhausted when the credits start rolling.
In the sudden silence I feel my heart start beating again and my breath returns.
In HATCHET it just leaves me with an annoyed sort of confusion.
In a coitus interruptus sort of way I think:
"Oh, weren't we supposed to? And now it's Oh never mind!"
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that the ending is NOT the worn out "It's still alive!" effect.
But I'm surprised that it was done the way it is.
How do others feel? -
themole-3 — 12 years ago(July 12, 2013 02:15 AM)
Oh, just to make it clear:
I don't mind the open ending in the storyline-way.
And you could turn both films into one neat fan-edit without any problem.
What I'm irritated by is the technical "cut" of the shot.
It's like listening to a song with an abrupt ending - but it ends on the wrong note or beat.
As I said HATCHET seems to try something like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE but the effect here is anti-climactic. -
themole-3 — 12 years ago(July 12, 2013 01:36 PM)
Thanks for the links!
Sorry, but I can't express it any clearer.
I'm talking about the
technical
aspect of the exact second or frame that the film is cut - NOT any story aspect!
Optics and sound- not story or plot, okay?
Your links make it very clear:
TCM shows Leatherface whirling around like a lonely and crazy God for a felt eternity while the soundtracks fills up with nothing but chainsaw.
The cut comes as the chainsaw swings back towards the camera - and the effect is amazing (if you sit there to wait for the credits to roll, that is) since for a second I feel like I have died.
In the 6 seconds of footage in HATCHET we have 4 different cuts and 3 persons more or less interacting, until the scene goes blank.
My attention is too awake and there is still too much going on for me to "appreciate" the cut.
To me it looks like somebody just turned off the TV set before it was over - and I feel cheated for any sort of impact.
It wouldn't have struck me if HATCHET 2 had not done the same thing.
- not story or plot, okay?