What would happen if you went out with friends to the woods to camp, have fun and have sex? You'd get killed by a guy with a sledge hammer, of course! Welcome to the new indie horror film, Sledge, directed by Kristian Hanson John Sovie II. The film stars Travis Hanson, Duston Bowman, Stephanie Tupper, Russell Matoes, Desiree Holmes, and Kristian Hanson as the killer Adam Lynch.
I've been following Kristian's work since he published his first written work, Fat Kid's Wolfy's Revenge, and when I finally watched Sledge, I knew I was going to be in for a ride involving blood, killing, horror references, and crazy humor.
Sledge is your classic slasher (sledger?) movie that revolves around the man, Adam Lynch, who wields a sledge hammer as his favorite weapon. He stalks and kills his hapless camping victims much in the same way Jason Vorhees would in Friday the 13th.
Speaking of which, it seems that Mr. Lynch is a mix between the two classic horror icons Jason Vorhees and Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Kruger. Adam Lynch favors stalking those who intrude on his turf in a mask which totally covers his face, but has a way of talking that reminds me of Freddy Kruger.
Sledge, in my movie is a pretty decent indie film, especially for Hanson's first publicly released movie. The film did have a few minor hiccups, but ultimately didn't really effect the appeal of the movie. These hiccups included a few odd cuts, mainly in the scenes where a killing was happening, mainly during the "killing blow" with the sledge hammer. But, I'm not counting this against the film itself. I just personally thought some of these death scenes could have run just a bit "smoother."
In Sledge, the story that ran during the course of the movie was a pretty good one. There are a lot of interaction between the characters that help develop their personalities and the bonds between each of them. People who enjoy character growth in movies will enjoy this, as there is a fair amount of conversations between characters going on during the low parts of Sledge.
My only real gripe with Sledge is I would have liked to see more of Adam Lynch throughout the course of the 1 hour and 15 minute running time. Lynch brings in some added character that is absent from a lot of horror movie villains. This is why seeing a little more of him would have been nice. Perhaps we will see him have more screen time in a sequel sometime?
Overall, Sledge was an enjoyable movie. I think the length of the movie was about spot on in comparison to the film's pacing. Much longer, and it could started to become a bit long winded. Those who like the indie, B horror flicks should get a kick out of Sledge. Plus, there is an introduction to the movie by another Kristian Hanson original, Assly the Puppet. It would do ya good to give Sledge a try.