Item: Bloody Axe Wound
Rating: 4
Author: Vanessa

Bloody Axe Wound is that rare indie horror flick that doesn’t try too hard but still absolutely goes for it. It plays like a poetic rap sonnet to slasher fans without drowning itself in irony or winking at the camera every five minutes. There’s something charmingly chaotic about it, like it knows it’s a bit silly, but it respects the genre enough to bleed for it. And there is plenty of that too.

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Bloody Axe Wound (2025) Review – A Slasher That Cuts Deep

From its opening scene, there’s a strong sense of voice, it has confidence. It also kicks off with a hotplate to a hapless Diner employee’s face. If you were waiting for gore, you don’t have to wait long. The narrative is messy, sure, but it’s not lost. Some scenes take a while to land, but they’re paced with rhythm. And when it clicks? It clicks hard.

The Meta-Horror Setup

Abbie Bladecut is the adopted daughter of a legendary serial killer whose family sells VHS tapes of real-life slayings. But here’s the twist, they don’t record them. Tapes appear mysteriously on the doorstep after the murders are committed. The store (Real to Reel) exists in this bizarre space between real crime, horror fantasy, and content creation.

Her father gets a new victim list, heads out with Abbie as backup, dies mid-spree, and has to be buried alive to resurrect. When he can’t dig himself out, it’s a moment of both absurdity and metaphor: he’s too old to claw his way back into relevance. But Abby wants to. It’s Gen-Z doing what Gen-Z does best.

Roger tries to pass the torch to their video clerk son, which goes just as badly. Eventually, Abbie says screw it and takes the reins herself. Thats of course, if screw it means, she has to take over because otherwise “feminine rage” wouldn’t be covered in this genre mashup. She enlists Glenn (Eddie Leavy), the laundromat guy, with promises of “guest starring” on the tapes. The joke? He keeps showing up in scene after scene, a walking sight gag who just wants his five minutes of horror fame. It’s hilarious. It shouldn’t work, but it does.

Queer Romance in a Slasher Mask

Abbie starts killing because she has to. But then she meets Sam. One of the names on the list. The plan was to kill her. Instead? But when Sam breaks the mould of the slasher killer victim by fighting back, she crushes hard. And what starts as emotional manipulation flips. She’s the one who gets caught up. She’s supposed to kill Sam. But it turns out she’s in love with her. A cute addition to the narrative is breakthrough clues with background songs that ensure you understand the vibe.

There’s a scene under the full moon where they kiss while a sappy love song plays; it feels like something pulled straight from a vampire movie. You expect it to go dark. Instead, it goes sincere. And that’s when you realize Bloody Axe Wound has heart, not just guts.

Need more queer horror, Mother of Movies has loads of that too. Watch Hypochondriac | Boarding School or What Keeps You Alive next.

Let’s Talk Gore (Spoiler-Free but Bloody)

This thing is violent. Like, actually violent.

Jaws are ripped apart.
Heads? Mostly sliced right through, but generally mooshed into something.
People are stabbed, shoved through windows, and dismembered like it’s routine. Because it literally is.

But here’s the gold: the violence is done with style. It doesn’t lean so far into shock that it feels exploitative. It earns that Ultra Violent Cinema tag, but it also earns your respect. It walks the line between visceral and gleeful, which is exactly where a slasher like this should live.

There’s one kill with a trophy through the skull that feels as satisfying as it is sudden.

Final Thoughts

“Bloody Axe Wound” is the kind of film I champion on Mother of Movies. It’s indie, it’s punchy, it’s clever, and it respects horror fans. Yes, I wanted more from Jeffrey Dean Morgan. But when the kills are this fun and the chemistry hits this well? I can forgive a lot.

This is horror made by people who get it. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s sincere, splattery, and surprisingly sweet when it wants to be.

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A Slasher With a Brain and a Beat – Bloody Axe Wound 2025

For more movies with killers wearing wolf masks check out “Mother or Movies” curated list. For something new to watch with Wolves, watch It Feeds 2025.

Streaming & Accessibility

Bloody Axe Wound is currently streaming on Shudder and AMC+. At just 83 minutes, it’s short, sharp, and built for the binge crowd.

Despite being steeped in slasher lore, it’s accessible. Whether you’re horror fluent or just peeking in, you’ll catch enough references to feel in the know. And if you’re deep in the genre? There’s a whole extra layer to unpack. It’s the kind of title you re-watch, and make sure you look at all the elements.

Bloody Axe Wound (2025) Review – Slasher Heart, Gore Gut

83 minutes
March 21, 2025 (Shudder/AMC+)
Horror / Comedy
USA • English

4 dusty video store rewinds out of 5

“A sharp, twisted ode to slasher fandom with just enough heart to bleed for.”

Bloody Axe Wound (2025) is streaming on:

Character & Performances – Minor Plot Reveals

Let’s start with the MVP: Abbie. She’s the heart of this whole thing. Her chemistry with Sam is beautifully understated; it doesn’t scream romance, but it doesn’t have to. They’re just… nice together. And sometimes, “nice” in a horror movie is surprisingly effective. Abbie felt like Sam’s anchor. Something like her spirit animal. That’s a vibe I wouldn’t change.

Molly Brown’s portrayal of Sam leans perfectly into this chaos. What’s wild is how much more she feels like Debra Morgan from Dexter here. Messy, unsure, deeply reactive, than she did in Dexter: Original Sin. It’s ironic considering the role’s parallel: sister to a serial killer there, potential victim-turned-lover of one here.

Why Less Morgan Hurt a Little

Then there’s Morgan. Look, what we got was fine, but it wasn’t enough. Personally, I was craving more screen time for him. This cameo version of an arch-nemesis clearly had something to offer, but we never saw it unfold. I kept waiting for Butch Slater to snap or steal the spotlight. It didn’t come.

Billy Bourke: Soft-Spoken Villain Vibes

Billy Burke brought a weird softness to Roger Bladecut. It almost worked. Almost. But if you’re expecting a hardcore horror dad, you might be let down. Still, his presence delivers some of the film’s funniest tonal shifts, especially post-resurrection. But if clever casting is more your thing, from that perspective, Burke offers the type of stereotypical villain. But he’s still a dad, and it shows.

Let’s not forget: Abbie’s grandma is a literal skeleton sitting in a chair, and nobody mentions it. Her zombified dad just casually reanimates. The whole town treats it like Monday morning. That tone? That’s what makes this movie special.

Bloody Axe Wound Explained – Full Plot Timeline & Ending Breakdown (Spoilers)

From tapes to trauma: setting up the killer legacy

Abbie Bladecut is the adopted daughter of Roger Bladecut — a prolific serial killer whose family business revolves around selling VHS tapes of murders. The catch? No one knows who films them, and the tapes just show up on the store’s doorstep after each kill. When Roger receives a new list of targets, Abbie tags along as his assistant, but the outing ends badly — Roger dies mid-kill from a heart attack.

Instead of mourning, Abbie buries him to trigger his resurrection (a known ritual in their twisted world). But Roger is aging, weak, and can’t claw his way back out. The message is clear: it’s time for a new killer in town.

Abbie’s slasher era: new blood and old problems

Abbie takes up the knife. She brings in Glenn, the store clerk, as her assistant — on the condition that he gets to be part of the action but not a victim. His solo attempt at killing fails spectacularly, forcing Abbie to step in. With Roger now acting more like a creepy coach than a killer, Abbie goes all-in and enrolls in high school to stalk her next round of victims.

Things go sideways when she catches feelings for Sam — one of her assigned targets. Meanwhile, she botches a kill, leaving another teen, Izzy, paralyzed. When she returns to finish the job, she hesitates, even as Izzy pleads for death.

Frustrated, Roger reenters the scene and starts picking off the teens himself. In response, the survivors — including Abbie — retreat to an abandoned summer camp, not realizing it’s the site of Roger’s original killing spree.

Final showdown: betrayals, burials, and resurrections

At the camp, paranoia sets in. Patty turns on Abbie, suspecting her connection to the murders. Sam steps in and kills Patty to save Abbie. But they don’t get a moment to breathe — Roger ambushes them and starts choking Sam.

Unable to watch the girl she loves die, Abbie kills Roger for good… or so she thinks. In that moment of emotion, she calls him “dad.” Sam is horrified. Just as Sam begins to confront Abbie, Roger uses his final breath to kill Sam in one last cruel twist.

Back home, Abbie closes the horror store. But the VHS tapes keep coming.

That ending? Let’s talk about the grave twist

In the film’s last moments, thunder cracks — the eerie sound that always accompanies a resurrection. Abbie walks to Roger’s grave and finds it empty.

Then it’s revealed: she buried Sam in Roger’s grave.

The final shot? Sam, bloodied and undead, crawling back to life.

Just like that… a new killer is born. Or maybe, something even worse.