HalloweeN alumni Danielle Harris (Return & Revenge of Michael Myers and Rob Zombie’s HalloweeN & H2) and Bill Moseley (HalloweeN remake) star in Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet (2009). It’s a horror flick that doesn’t live up to the promise of its graphic and disturbing opening sequences. Things start off in 1978 with a tale of insanity, murder, rape, gunfire and ghostly apparitions.
It’s a shame that this story moves away from the “legend” involving Mary Hatchet that is established at the beginning. Things center instead on the antics of an unconvincing group of high school students (they’re mostly played by actors who are obviously in their mid to late twenties. There are dudes with receding hairlines, and, of course, there is Danielle Harris in her 30s). Most of Blood Night comes off as a long music video where nothing happens. We are offered scenes of the “teenagers” partying, dancing, drinking, having sex, and chatting.
The legend of the deceased Mary Hatchet is only briefly acknowledged during the film’s second act. It occurs via an insultingly corny scene at a grave site where the teens use a Ouija board and listen to Bill Moseley talk. Subsequent weird happenings, such as a door bursting open by itself, are of no major concern to any of the characters (they just brush it off…).
The story lacks scares but it does serve up some low-budget gore when a killer goes on a rampage and delivers a night of blood. Meanwhile, one of the characters experiences their own, personal “blood night” as well. By the time that Mary Hatchet becomes the focus of the film again, it’s too far removed from what was put forth at the story’s beginning.
Though the original 2009 title of this film was simply Blood Night, it became Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet for its DVD release in 2011. It’s tempting to draw comparisons to Hatchet II (2010) and Hatchet (2006). It’s possible that this film’s title changed to capitalize off of the Hatchet series’ notoriety. The main character in the Hatchet films is named Marybeth, and it was Danielle Harris who portrayed Marybeth in Hatchet II. Regardless, the character of “Mary Hatchet” is in Blood Night (predating Danielle Harris as Marybeth).
As for Bill Moseley, fans will be saddened to find out that, despite his co-star status, he isn’t in this film that much. When Moseley shows up for the second time near the end of the film, he’s dispatched in a manner reminiscent of Scatman Crothers in The Shining. Neither Danielle Harris nor Bill Moseley put in particularly good performances. At least, though, we get to see Danielle in a type of role that she usually isn’t known for.
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