EDGE OF THE AXE

The maniac at large

EDGE OF THE AXE (1988/aka Al filo del hacha/1988). Director: Joseph Braunstein (Jose Ramon Larraz).  

A woman killed in a car wash by an ax-wielding maniac is the first of several female victims in the small town of Paddock, which has only two cops. There are plenty of suspects: computer geek Gerald (Barton Faulks); his best friend, the exterminator Richard Simmons (Page Mosely), who married his older wife Laura (Patty Shepard of The Killer is One of 13) for her money; Police Chief McIntosh (Fred Holliday), who tries to discourage everyone from thinking a serial killer is on the loose; creepy Father Clinton (Elmer Modlin); and others. 

Christina Marie Lane and Barton Faulks

Now you might think that the residents of this town, not to mention the (unseen) mayor, would insist that the Police Chief call in the FBI when there is murder after murder with no one being arrested. Then it develops that all of the victims are connected, but only the computer nerd figures it out and only near the very end. The only thing more ridiculous is the identity of the killer -- this come out of nowhere -- who really doesn't seem physically capable of the killings, which are gruesome if not too graphic. The script is disjointed, as if if were written on the fly, or if scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Barton Faulks gives a more than decent performance as Gerald, but both he and best buddy Richard are pretty obnoxious characters. Apparently the director has some sort of following but it's hard to see why, as this film -- while it may have some suspense -- has no style or special flair to it at all. You wouldn't know that this was a Spanish production as the American cast all speak English and no one is dubbed. The movie was filmed at Big Bear in California.

Verdict: An ax murder movie you can miss. **1/4.