TUBI CONTINUED… AXEGRINDER III (2022) ***

Tubi didn’t have Axegrinder 2, so I just jumped right ahead to 3.  My expectations were in the toilet since the original was so bad.  Much to my surprise, I really dug this one.

The high-tech security system at the mental institution goes on the fritz, allowing all the loonies to escape.  Freddy, the psycho axe killer returns home to discover a couple is now living in his old house.  He then takes after them with an axe to reclaim his property. 

The film features a solid cast for this sort of thing.  The director of Manos Returns, Tonjia Atomic shows up as the star of the security system commercial.  Speaking of Manos, the star of the original Manos, The Hands of Fate, Jackey Neyman Jones also turns up as a documentary host.  While her role is little more than an extended cameo, it nice that she graced the film with her Z-Movie legacy.  It was also fun seeing Mel Heflin, a veteran of the Camp Blood series, popping up for a bit. 

Sure, Axegrinder III is guilty of padding.  It opens with flashbacks to the first movie and has long scenes of people watching TV.  Since most of the shows they watch feature chicks modeling naked and/or showering, it’s okay by me. 

Oh, and if you like your ladies on the thicc side, this movie will be right up your alley.  They have no qualms with getting naked too.  There’s even a hot tub three-way with an extra-large throuple.  If you’re a fan of BBW’s, you’ll definitely want to add an extra Half-Star to the rating.  (There are also lots of scenes of people eating hotdogs for whatever reason.) 

This one is a little different than the original in that the killer doesn’t wear a clown mask.  Instead, he just pulls the brim of his baseball cap down over his face, kind of like the killer in the Prom Night remake.  It also takes him about half the movie to finally use his trusty axe.  Most of the time, he strangles, stabs, and hammers people.  That’s not really a criticism, but merely an observation.  Either way, it’s still a big improvement over the original.  The highlight comes when an influencer chains herself to a tree to protest deforestation and gets offed by the killer.  The theme song, which sounds inspired by the “Disco Jason” theme from Friday the 13th 3-D, is really groovy, too.