Axe (film)

Writer-director Frederick R. Friedel had aspired to make a feature film by age 25, an aspiration fueled by Orson Welles's having directed Citizen Kane (1941) at that age.[3] "I had no pretensions that I was directing Citizen Kane," Friedel recalled, but he had long wanted to make a film, and had been living in Los Angeles trying to break into the film business.[3] Friedel pitched his idea for a horror film to producer J.G. Patterson; at the time, Friedel was entirely inexperienced, having never been on a film set, never cast a film, nor worked in a film production.[4] He credited Paterson as "setting everything in motion" in terms of getting the production started.[5]

Axe was shot over a period of nine days[6] in the winter of 1974.[7] It was shot on 35 mm film stock,[8] largely consisting of short-end film that had been returned to the Kodak distributor, which was cheaper than new rolls of film.[9]

Principal photography took place on location in a farmhouse outside Charlotte, North Carolina[10] on a budget of US$25,000.[3] The production paid a total of $25 to shoot in the house for around three days,[11] and much of the decorations and dressings inside were already present.[12] The Charlotte area was chosen by Friedel due to the low productions costs; J.G. Patterson, the film's producer had used the area for past films he had produced because of this.[13] The film's opening sequence was shot on location at the Hotel Charlotte.[14]

Ray Green portrayed Lomax, the leader of the gang,[15] while Jack Cannon portrayed Steele, one of Lomax's henchmen.[16] Director Friedel cast himself in the role of Billy, the guilt-ridden third member of the gang, primarily to help alleviate the production cost of hiring another actor.[17] Frank Jones, who appears as Aubrey, was in fact a local regional film distributor.[18] Carol Miller appears as the storewoman who is terrorized by the gang, and was cast because Friedel felt she possessed a natural shyness.[19]

Leslie Lee, who portrayed the withdrawn teenage Lisa, was actually 23 years old at the time of filming.[3] According to Friedel, Lee had claimed to have done modeling prior to auditioning for the role, and he felt she embodied "a lot of the feeling" he envisioned for the character.[20] "The key sometimes is just casting people who embody the character, and not somebody who has to act it—and I think, walking into the room, she really was Lisa."[21] A myth circulated that Lee died after the production, which was false; according to Friedel, as of 2015, Lee was alive and operated a diving boat in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with her husband.[22] As Lisa's grandfather, Douglas Powers was cast by Friedel due to his "evocative" face, as his character's facial expressions would serve as his only form of communication.[23]

Friedel recalled that the production sought to extend individual scenes "by any means possible" to give the film a longer running time, which included the extended opening and closing credits sequences.[24] Some dubbing was completed in post-production, particularly for the scenes in the car, as the crew had no means of capturing sound in a moving vehicle.[25]

Axe was originally released under the title Lisa, Lisa,[26] under which it screened in Greenville, South Carolina, beginning December 9, 1974.[1] It was re-released four years later in January 1978 under the title Axe, premiering in Los Angeles.[27] Friedel did not favor the title as he felt it lacked the subtlety, "surprise, and irony" of Lisa, Lisa; executive Harry Novak of Boxoffice International Pictures, chose to release the film in 1978 as Axe due to it being a more sensationalistic title.[28]

Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times praised the film's "angst-ridden" score and cinematography, which she felt "conveys rural isolation and sterility well." However, Gross was critical of the film's featuring a young girl committing violent acts, deeming the film ultimately exploitative and adding that its "slow pace and style emphasize sensationalism and ugliness."[29] Variety deemed the film "a fascinating but totally uncommercial film noir exercise in the horror genre."[30]

Sean Leonard from HorrorNews.net gave the film a mixed review, writing, "I have a hard time coming to an opinion on a film like this. At one point, I certainly won’t say it’s horrible, as it does have enough good moments to raise it above being classified as a waste of time."[31] Justin Kerswell from Hysteria Lives! awarded the film a negative 1.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "amaturish", and "mind numbingly dull". In his review, Kerswell criticized the film's plot, pacing, and soundtrack.[32]

Frank Lovece of TV Guide gave the film three out of four stars, calling it "a well-photographed, refreshingly naturalistic drama of almost mythic retribution and victimization. [...] The psychological narrative can be slack, and the acting and technical aspects are uneven. But overall, the film makes you wish Friedel had directed more pictures."[33]

The film was released on DVD by Image Entertainment on September 25, 2001.[34] In 2006, it was released by ILC Prime on March 27, April 10, and October 9. It was later released by 4Digital Media on October 20, 2008. The film was released for the first time on Blu-ray by Severin on December 15, 2015, as a double-feature alongside Friedel's Kidnapped Coed. The double-feature was also released on DVD that same day.[34]