Axe (1977) User Reviews

Very low budget 70's exploitation film with problems but with plus points too

[Red-Barracuda · 5/10 · 19 May 2015]

Axe is yet another very low budget exploitation flick that would be very obscure today was it not for the fact that it gained lasting notoriety as one of the infamous video nasties. These were of course films deemed criminally obscene by the British authorities back in the early 80's as a consequence of the unregulated home video boom. Furthermore, Axe was one of the 39 titles that remained on the list to the very end and so is regarded by purists as one of the 'true' video nasties. Having just seen it, it doesn't really warrant such a label as, while it has its moments, it's hardly all that shocking even compared with many other similar films from the time. It does appear to have taken a lot of influence from another more notorious video nasty, namely Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left (1972). The story-line has some pretty obvious similarities. Three criminals go on the run after killing two men and wind up at a remote house where an unstable young woman called Lisa lives with her paralyzed grandfather. They subsequently terrorise these people but the gangsters are in for a shock when Lisa enacts vicious revenge on them.

I got the feeling when watching this one that its fashions implied that it might have been made in the early 70's as opposed to the specified release year of 1977. If this is so, it hardly seems so unlikely as this is an ultra-low budget affair with quite a number of deficiencies about it due to the inexperience of the film-makers and the obvious limitations of the production. It's exactly the kind of movie that could conceivably have sat on a shelf for a while before a distributer picked it up. Whatever the case, it seems to have been released as a film that would make up only part of the bill at the American drive-in circuit. It only clocks in at just over an hour and even the credit sequence is very elongated to extend the run-time (so protracted that I even picked up on the very minor trivia fact that the make-up artist was Worth Keeter the future director of the Pamlea Anderson soft-core classic Snapdragon (1993)). Despite the minimal run-time there is a pretty obvious lack of material and the film has many scenes that seem to just be padding. Little is explained in the film in terms of character motivations or background, things just happen. Aside from the lacking story, it's not in all honesty a very well-directed or edited film either.

Yet despite all this, it does have something. The very low-key and minimalist approach does achieve a certain strange atmosphere and it's also shot reasonably well. The lack of any background or explanations does also inadvertently give the whole endeavour a somewhat enigmatic feel, which kind of works in its favour at least to a certain extent. I suppose it mostly falls under the rape/revenge sub-genre of film, which was quite popular at the time. It isn't really a very graphic example of this type of film though. Although I did find think the nastiest scene was the one where two of the bullies terrorise a nice cashier girl in a convenience store. They stop short of either killing or assaulting her but they humiliate her nevertheless. It was a scene I found very unpleasant to tell you the truth. The subsequent, more typical rape/revenge material was done in ways that was less disturbing oddly enough. Overall, while it's undeniable that this is a film with pacing problems, it does have a lo-fi ambiance that ensures that it's worth a watch, especially if you like 70's exploitation.

What this movie needed was a background story about Lisa.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 28 April 2021]

I saw the 64 mins version for the first time recently aft reading few glowing reviews.

Used to watch a lottuva horror movies on vhs during the late 80s n early 90s. This one got skipped.

Comparisons to Last House.. will crop up but apart from murderers taking asylum in an isolated house, this one is different but a bit boring inspite of being a relatively short film.

One of the best part is the cinematography, the rural isolation with the creepy farmhouse is well captured.

They shud have shown some background story about Lisa's psychology.

Can someone tell me who was the man trying to enter Lisa's farm but got chased away by the two murderers during the meal around 31st min.

Did Lisa informed the cops during their first visit or later after the two murders.

Why did the third bearded trespasser ran out after seeing the dead body in the chimney?

Unpleasant sleazy exploitation horror film.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 15 November 2004]

More widely released under the title 'axe'. Three men, Steele (Jack Canon), Lomax (Ray Green) and Billy (director Frederick R. Friedel) break into an apartment. They lie in wait for the owner, Audrey. It becomes clear that Steele is in charge but Billy is uncomfortable. When he eventually arrives home with his gay lover Audrey is brutally beaten to death by Steele and Lomax, and his friend jumps out of the nearest window. The men decide to escape the city for a while and lay low in the countryside. After terrorizing a girl (Carol Miller) who works in a shop by making her strip and trying to shoot apples off her head, they end up at a remote farm house where a young girl named Lisa (Leslie Lee) who looks after the farm and her paralyzed grandfather (Douglas Powers) who sits around all day in his wheelchair watching a T.V. that doesn't seem to work properly. They more or less invite themselves to stay. Once again Billy is uneasy about the idea, but since he is implicated in a murder he reluctantly goes along with it. Later that night Lomax tries to rape Lisa, she reaches over to a table beside her bed and pulls a straight razor out. From then on Lisa turns the tables on her tormentors and turn them against each other, before eventually calling the police. But what will the police find when they turn up? Will the criminals escape? And will Lisa and her grandfather survive? Written, directed and starring Frederick R. Friedel this is a sleazy little exploitation film. It's script is mildly interesting, as Lisa switches between murderer and innocent child, Leslie Lee's performance is actually rather good. In fact most of the cast are OK in their roles, even though there are only ten characters in the whole film. But no back story is given to any of the them, we don't know how Lisa's grandfather was paralyzed or why Steele and Lomax beat Audrey to death in the opening sequence, any of their surnames, none of them are developed. There is no real violence or gore in it, just a little bit of blood here and there and a decapitated chicken. Technically the film sucks, the photography is jerky and the lighting is non-existent so you can't see whats going on during scenes at night, the sound is poor as there is a constant hiss all the way through and a lot of the film seems dubbed, and the music is awful and becomes annoying very quickly. But the film does have a real sleazy atmosphere about it, and entertains to a point. The film only lasts just over an hour which is just as well, but it did seem longer. Worth a watch if you like this sort of thing, but casual viewers should avoid it.

A Peek Behind The Scenes on AXE

[PatGallegher · 23 December 2007]

As it happens, I was on the crew of LISA,LISA, which has been re-released as AXE (among other titles). I'm billed as Richard W. Helms. I did gaffing, focus pulling, and some sound, as well as some of the driving stunts (there weren't many, and most of them were not included in the finished film).

A lot of the reviewers have mentioned Frederick Friedel's choppy and cryptic direction of this film. Much of this may be due to the contributions by J.G 'Pat' Patterson who, with his wife Nita, performed most of the producing duties. Pat also did most of the cutting on the film - I recall visiting him in the editing bay at his Westinghouse Boulevard studios (actually just a warehouse) while he was piecing the film together. While my memory of events might be tainted after forty years, it does seem that there was a great deal of plot left on the cutting-room floor, because of time constraints placed on Patterson by his distributor. LISA,LISA was planned to play as part of a three-or-four film bill at local drive-ins, and the owners of those drive-ins didn't want people hanging in their cars TOO long without making a trip to the concession counter. It may be that the film's lack of characterization is attributable more to overenthusiastic editing than to inept directing or an incomplete screenplay.

To give you an idea just how low-budget this film was, all of the principle filming was completed in a little over a week and a half, at four locations - the soon-to-be torn down Hotel Charlotte in uptown Charlotte, NC; a convenience store in Charlotte; a lovely and very expensive Tudor home on Queens Road in Charlotte; and a vacated farmhouse near Waxhaw, south of Charlotte.

Most of the crew was paid a flat rate of $80-$100. That's not a per diem. It was $80 - $100 for the entire shooting schedule. This was late 1973, and a hundred bucks meant a lot more back then than it does now, but it was still chickenfeed. I have no idea what the actors were paid, but it wouldn't have been much more - certainly no more than a thousand for the principles and somewhat less for day players.

The film stock was rationed like water in a desert. Most of it was bought as left-over surplus stock from better-heeled production companies, and kept in a refrigerator in Pat Patterson's office. Retakes were discouraged.

The target audience, as has been noted several times by other reviewers, was the drive-in crowd who needed some background noise while they made out. For that reason, Patterson - through Rick Friedel - may have seen little need for such dramatic devices as back story and character development. In those days, people attending drive-in movies paid for darkness and privacy, not great cinema. Some have already alluded to Harry Novak's exploitation films, and he was involved with the distribution of this little gem.

One very important note is that the Director of Photography was Austin McKinney, who went on to work on a number of James Cameron films, including the Terminator series, and with John Carpenter in Escape From New York. Sadly, McKinney passed away late in 2013.

Some interesting notes - several people associated with this film died quite soon after it was completed, including Leslie Lee who played the main character, Lisa. She committed suicide sometime in the late 1970s.(NOTE!!!! Update 01/06/2013: I later discovered that this was not the case. This was the result of a conversation I had with another crew member in the 1980s, in which I was told that Leslie had killed herself. Leslie Lee, I am happy to say, is still alive and well, and lives alternately in Southern California and in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico). Two crew members, George Shaw and John Willhelm, died in a car crash on the way to Columbia, SC, in mid-1976. Pat Patterson died of cancer sometime in 1975, as memory serves. Rick Friedel, the titular director, was alive the last time I checked, but his career in feature films was pretty scant after the release of LISA, LISA / AXE.

LISA, LISA premiered at the Viking Twin Drive-In Theatre on Freedom Drive in Charlotte, NC, sometime in the fall of 1974. It played on a bill with a really silly movie called WHEN WOMEN HAD TAILS, or HOW WOMEN LOST THEIR TAILS - I can't recall the exact title - and a re-release of one of the PREACHERMAN films.

Despite the film's weaknesses - and there are many - I distinctly recall a strong sense among the crew at the time that we were doing something creative and interesting. Many crew members went on to work on other low-budget films, so we clearly didn't find this to be a negative experience.

For true fans of the bizarre drive-in exploitation films of the late 1960s and early 1970s, I'd suggest getting a copy of AXE. If nothing else, it shows that a bunch of college students can put together a movie that will last at least forty years.

why NOT to hang around weird, mute girls.

[Nightman85 · 3/10 · 5 January 2006]

Three gangsters commit murder, then take to the road where they end up at the farm of a disturbed young woman.

An effectively spooky character portrayal by Leslie Lee and some good filming locations, doesn't quite save this ultra low-budgeter from being an unsatisfying horror flick. While it does have the occasional moment of gore, Axe a.k.a. Lisa, Lisa makes for an uneven slasher film and is a bit too light on the violence to really be considered a true exploitation thriller. It's pretty much a mixed bag, that never really finds its effectiveness. The films choppy editing and stilted direction definitely takes away from it too.

So, all in all it's kind of hard to find a place for this weird B flick, the curious may find something of interest in it, but don't expect another Last House on the Left (1972).

* 1/2 out of ****

Sick and twisted axshler oddity of the seventies

[Bogey Man · 2/10 · 24 August 2003]

Frederick R. Friedel's Lisa, Lisa (1974, more famous titles include Axe and The California Axe Massacre) is among those weird and twisted horror exploitation films that were made in the US and elsewhere especially in the seventies after Herschell Gordon Lewis had "created" the "gore movie" term with his Blood Feast (1963) and other similar films of his. The closest thing to Friedel's film that I can imagine is Marc Lawrence's ultra rare Daddy's Deadly Darling aka Pigs (1972) which has equally menacing rural milieu, dark and deadly farm houses and overall feel of unexplained psychosis.

Axe opens with a scene with three well suited gangsters that wait for their friend who apparently has betrayed them and so will get a lesson from the boys. A murder takes place after which an escape from police to the farm areas. They terrorize an innocent shop keeper on their way and finally make it to a house inhabited by a shy, silent and very strange girl, Lisa, and her paralyzed and helpless grandfather whom Lisa lives with, alone. The gangsters soon notice the attractiveness of the young girl (very strangely and making the film even more "suspicious" considered what will happen later in the film, the cover of the old British tape which was banned, says the age of the girl being thirteen while there's not a mention of her age in the film itself!) and some axe wielding and also boringly slow moving terror soon happens.

The film runs only 60 minutes plus the credits but it feels much longer. This is the kind of marginal horror film that practically cannot be seen/watched more than once as it offers nothing significantly special or interesting that would give a motive to see it again sometimes in the future. Even those mostly looking for gore in their films won't get too much from this film, which isn't always the case. The story is filled with mysterious holes and unexplained things and none of the characters get developed to anywhere so they are all more than uninteresting. Nothing about the past of the gangsters and the reason of the beginning, nothing about the girl and her strange silence and self destructive behaviour, nothing. But there are some elements in the film that make me wonder what was in the head of the director/writer, other than to make another exploitation cheapie for the drive-ins.

Most notably I mean the ending which is among the most twistedly repellent I've seen in these films. The cannibalistic habits of Tobe Hooper characters will feel tame in comparison to those of the Axe's people as nothing is explained and Lisa acts as "naughtily" towards her relative as she does towards the thugs. This is definitely among the things that I will remember about this film, and also the final nail to the coffin of these "so twisted and insane no wonder the directors don't have plenty of future films on their credits" films to which the mentioned Pigs, in which, the pigs of a mysterious old farm keeper eat people, also belongs.

Otherwise Axe is not as strong or graphic as some of the time's other efforts. There are couple of murders and attempted violations of the girl, but much is left off-screen which definitely isn't a bad idea. Still this is an exploitation film and includes also some nastier bits and gore, with the kind of close-ups and other camera proofs that make it clear what were the motives to make this film and market it like. There's nothing interesting visually, and the editing is sometimes very bad as well as the acting and that makes it naturally even more difficult to sit through, despite its short running time.

The only really interesting and effective element in the film is the soundtrack that consists of very strange and high keyboard voices and waves that naturally are among the things that make the film look and sound so weird when compared to other films of its kind. The soundtrack may sound annoying too, but it adds nicely to the atmosphere and it becomes clear that things inside Lisa's head are not as they should, but since nothing is explained further and nothing else is this interesting, it cannot raise this film too much higher and the element can be appreciated only as a single succesful piece in a very flawed work. But it still could be completely without interest (and run longer), so spending the hour with this odd example of the seventies B cinema didn't just go in vain as it could have! 2/10

Quite interesting and disturbing, if misogynistic

[tomgillespie2002 · 4/10 · 26 September 2011]

It's quite often difficult to ascertain the reasons that many of the films on the video nasties list are there. We all just assume that they are there due to graphic violence, and explicit gore. We also largely assume that they are mostly, intrinsically rubbish. Whilst I have not seen all of the films on the list, the handful that I have, are varying in quality. It's always a surprise when the film is interesting, or has some kind of purpose, or layering of meaning. Axe, or the more ethereal original title, Lisa, Lisa, is one of the ones that at once, looks cheaply made (some sequences had the strange mise-en-scene of a H G Lewis movie), but also has an idea - simplistic but well thought-out - that gives the film a subtle gravitas.

The first part of the film follows three criminals, Steele (Jack Canon), Lomax (Ray Green), and the moral voice to the violence, Billy (played by the writer/director Frederick R. Friedel). On the journey with these characters, we are introduced to their brand of criminal activity. In a convenience store, Steele and Lomax mock and taunt the female clerk, throwing fruit at her, then forcing her to take off her blouse, humiliating her before going further. This shows overtly the misogynistic attitude of the main two. Billy, as throughout the film, is the person against the murdering, and acts as the moral arbiter to the horrific acts.

After this the trio drive up to a large house that is occupied by Lisa (Leslie Lee), who looks after her completely paralysed grandfather. Lisa is a strange, seemingly internal character, who is forced to take the criminals in for the night, and feed them etc. After one Lomax attempts to rape her, she takes it upon herself to kill him, then proceeds to act this out to the rest of the criminals.

There are some very effective scenes, and some that are genuinely disturbing. The first killing of Lomax, Lisa takes a razor blade to the back of his neck. After he has clearly lost consciousness, she continues to saw at the neck. It's making me wince writing about it. So there are some very effective kills, and this is partly where I see the reason for it's contentiousness for the DPP. But I think fundamentally the reasons for the banning was more to do with the contempt for women. This is something that even the BBFC has many issues with.

In conclusion, the film is disturbing at times, and it's moral fibre a little on the side of misogyny. However, the film is quite interesting, and certainly has more going for it in narrative terms than much of the video nasties on offer.

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Brisk, unpleasant, and surreal, like a hatchet blow to the head

[drownsoda90 · 7/10 · 28 April 2015]

This no-budget schlocker follows a group of criminals— two of them unabashed chauvinists — who murder two gay men and then take off into the countryside to hide from the police. They come across a rural farmhouse where a young woman lives with her mute paralyzed grandfather. Expecting Southern hospitality, they get a little more than they bargained for.

"Axe" (also known as "Lisa, Lisa") has been on my "must watch" list for years now, so I'm happy to have finally seen it. The plot here is nonessential; there really isn't a story to be told. Writer and director Frederick Friedel takes concepts from other indie schlock films of the era ("Last House on the Left" comes to mind, as well as "I Spit on Your Grave," though "Axe" predates it) and moulds them into a tight-knit mood piece that is engaging in spite of the fact that it really goes nowhere.

There are few thrills to be had here and the unfolding of the skeletal narrative is lugubrious at best, but there is something to be said for the film's moody presentation. At times the cinematography evokes an almost documentary feel akin to Tobe Hooper's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and the languid farmhouse setting is quietly sinister. The characters are fairly one-dimensional; among the criminals are the two ruthless killers/chauvinists/rapists, and a sympathetic sidekick who actually possesses a conscience. The character of Lisa is inarguably the most ambiguous, lounging around the farm in a white prairie dress when she's not cutting herself in the bathroom or butchering chickens. The acting is sub-par but overall decent given the type of film this is.

Maybe the strangest thing about it is how brisk it is. The film barely runs over an hour in length, and this fact paired with the loose narrative ends does give the sense of an underdeveloped concept, although the quirks that come with its underdevelopment are perhaps what make it most memorable. In spite of what the advertising would have you believe, the gore is minimal, but the film is appreciable on an aesthetic level— especially for genre fans who find the notion of an unhinged Laura Ingalls wielding a hatchet to be inexplicably fascinating. 7/10.

California axe monotonous

[zombie2 · 2/10 · 24 September 1999]

I bought this movie from my local video store for $3 out of the previously viewed bin. Thank goodness it was only three bucks. The movie looks like it's trying to be a much less graphic cheap imitation of "Last House on the Left" or "I Spit on Your Grave." The front cover of the box reads, "AT LAST! TOTAL TERROR!" However this movie wouldn't scare anybody. A group of guys force their way into a farmhouse where a girl lives with her paralyzed father who may also be a deaf mute -- who knows? I hope they didn't actually PAY a guy to sit in a wheelchair and stare off into space the whole time.

Bizarre and Otherworldly

[deborahrighetti · 7/10 · 20 October 2020]

One of the sleepiest and slowest movies I've ever seen, but it casts a strange spell over the viewer and draws you in. It's cheap and feels like it was shot over a weekend, but every now and then, there's a really powerful moment or interesting shot that takes you by surprise. I enjoyed it more than I think I should have.

Axe

[HorrorFan1984 · 3/10 · 8 May 2020]

Three despicable criminals are about to meet their match when they encounter Lisa and her Axe!

The plot of Axe is three lowlifes causing random trouble to seemingly random people in nasty ways. They beat a gay man to death and humiliate a store clerk by pouring soda all over her after making her take her top off. We also meet a young girl living with her grandfather who seems completely out of it (it may have been the acting ...). The three men eventually barge their way into the farmhouse where the girl and grandfather live and start terrorizing them. We start to see that Lisa is not at all well as she contemplates suicide right after the men come in. When they try to sexually assault her, she fights back with her axe...

Axe must have the lowest budget of any horror film I have ever seen at $25,000 - and it shows. The editing and quality on this one is brutal. The music playing in the background is mostly this off-putting drum beat that seems completely out of place. The acting is abysmal from pretty much everyone involved as well, which comes when you hire non-actors. Also you don't expect much in terms of plot/story at a running time of just slightly over an hour.

I went into Axe with pretty low expectations given it's budget and extremely low reviews I had read. Sadly, the low expectations were met for me. Axe is a poorly and cheaply made movie. Budget aside, the acting and story aren't even all that great to be begin with.

3/10

Low-budget, but still a creepy well-acted flick

[Casey-52 · 8/10 · 28 June 1999]

A gang of three murderers escape the police, terrorize a salesgirl in a roadside grocerystore, then proceed to hide-out in a seemingly deserted farmhouse. They soon discover that a young girl, Lisa, and her paralyzed grandfather live there. The gang attempt some sleazy deeds, but Lisa shows how she can work an axe in self-defense.

Even though this movie is EXTREMELY low-budget and is only around 60 minutes long, it is still another example of how a low-budget can help a movie. The acting isn't always the best, but Leslie Lee is considerably creepy as Lisa the axe murderess. Filmed in North Carolina at a deserted farmhouse, the atmosphere is very isolated, like the farmhouse in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The movie doesn't really go anywhere, but it is a classic of its own kind and the soundtrack should be enshrined on CD. AXE is hard to find on video, but Something Weird Video offers it on a Special Edition gorgeous print video.

twisted Gothic horror

[disdressed12 · 6/10 · 24 June 2007]

"Lisa,Lisa" AKA "Axe" is a weird film to say the least.it a suspense thriller,guess.i think it's more a Gothic horror than any hing.it's not really terrifying,but there are a few images that will likely stick with you for awhile.this is really a minimalist film.there are only 5 main actors for the bulk of the movie and most of the movie takes place in one location.the budget is really low for this one,and for some reason, i find really fake looking blood more disturbing than if it's more realistic.i find it sicker,foe whatever reason.anyway,the movie,besides being a Gothic horror,is also very psychological.it's almost a character study of one girl,"Lisa""(Leslie Lee) and her inner demons.she is much more scary than the bad guys in the movie.Leslie Lee gives a very effective performance.the movie is not that long,but it is ponderously slow at times,where it seems very little is happening.this movie is not for those who like a lot happening in their movies.if you don't have a lot of patience,avoid this movie.i found it interesting,though very twisted.For me "Lisa,Lisa" is a 6/10

Scuzzy Last House rip-off

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 21 December 2015]

This grotty little exploitation film was obviously advertised to cash in on the popularity of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (hence the retitling from the film's original AXE), but it's not surprising that that film went on to be a classic while this languished in the depths of obscurity. This is a poorly-made, deadly dull affair, with the only positive side to the whole film being its relatively short running time. If you enjoy films where blank-faced actors and actresses deliver their lines stiffly, where the special effects look like they've come from a bottle of ketchup, or where the plots are so simplistic that a child could write them, then this film may just be for you.

A big inspiration here has to be the sleazy LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, which has caused so much notoriety over the years. Many scenes share similarities, and California Axe Massacre tries very hard to evoke the same kind of disturbing disgust from the audience. But while LAST HOUSE was admittedly a very powerful film, the only power this film holds is the power to send you to sleep. A typical example is when our three 'gang' members enter a store and proceed to terrorise the staff there, asking a woman to take off her blouse and then throwing vegetables and pouring drink over her. It's hardly of the same standard, is it? The only thing this film is good for is a laugh, as scenes such as these frequently border on the amusing.

Things kick off with a supposed 'shocking' beating of a man to death, with the aid of a child's doll. We are introduced to our gang of men. One of them is dim-witted and, although white, has a large afro protruding from his head. He's pretty funny and also happens to be the director, giving you some idea of what you're in for. The next seems to perpetually smoke cigars (in one harrowing moment, he shoves a cigar into some poor victim's mouth!), is overweight and greying, and also a male chauvinist. The third is the ringleader and the only threatening one of the group, obviously modelling himself on 'Krug'. He's the best actor in the film.

After a long time, the gang arrives at a remote farmhouse where a blank-faced girl and her paralysed grandfather live. The thugs torment the grandfather, in scenes which border on bad taste. When one of them tries to rape the girl, she murders him with a razor, hacks his body up in the bath and puts the pieces into a trunk. Well, at least she's neat. This girl has a pivotal role in the film, which is why it's surprising that they chose such a non-actress to play her. After this happens, there's still half an hour to go, so many scenes of boredom. Eventually, the second bad guy gets axed to death, while the third is shot dead by police.

Originally banned as a video nasty (although only god knows why), this was finally released in the UK a couple of years back minus about twenty seconds of footage. Thus, all of the murder scenes are jumpy and disappointing, with only a bit of fake-looking blood splashing about. However, I hardly think that an extra twenty seconds of gory footage are going to make this film much better, however good they might be. This is a shoddily made shocker, that totally falls flat as a horror film. One to avoid.

She Hacks Her Way Into Our Hearts...

[azathothpwiggins · 29 September 2020]

AXE (aka: LISA, LISA) is the story of three desperate criminals, two of whom are sadistic murderers, and one with a working conscience. After committing mayhem, the trio decide to hide out at an isolated farmhouse inhabited by a young woman named Lisa (Leslie Lee) and her paralyzed grandfather. Unbeknownst to these crooks, Lisa is a tad unbalanced. All goes well until one of the miscreants tries to rape her, causing Lisa to show these bums some cold, hard steel!

Ms. Lee could have played Lisa to the hilt, but downplays her madness instead. She's quiet, rarely uttering a word. This actually makes her creepier! A decent low-budget feature worth checking out...

Axe

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 4 November 2009]

Weird psycho-drama regarding a trio of killers, in suit and tie, who flee a city after pummeling someone to death(..the victim's gay lover takes a dive out a 12 story window to escape them!)barging in on a teenager and her senile grandfather, hiding out in their farmhouse, intruders demanding food and shelter. What the these three don't expect is that pretty Lisa doesn't hesitate in using a chopping ax to defend herself. Meanwhile, the grandfather, lost to the world around him, remains comatose, staring blankly, as the men offer danger to his granddaughter.

At a mere 61 minutes, you'd think a film with a synopsis as this would be over-the-top and gratuitous, but director / writer Frederick R Friedel adopts a more minimalist approach instead and both the performances and mood are very low-key. Most of the characters(..what few there are)are rather vacuous, empty vessels and the film presents them all as outsiders from society, misfits "hiding away" from civilization. The score uses a lot of drum beats and tambourine, along with a rather depressing music box tune and some chilling piano chords..like many low budget movies during the 70's, the score has moments where it's very eerie, while other times it can be a bit overbearing due to an overuse. Despite the graphic nature of the titular weapon used by Lisa to escape two attempts at rape by her captors, there is very little violence shown on screen, I'm guessing due to little budget. The film looks like it cost 10 bucks, with limited locations, and rather claustrophobic story staging most of the action within the farmhouse. There's more dependency on film blood while the blunt blows of the ax is shot off-screen.

Leslie Lee never breaks, as Lisa, from a look of other aloofness, seemingly off in another world. Perhaps her mundane existence and watching as her grandfather left her emotionally(..just a human shell, rotting away day by day) not to mention having no other family members, has created the person she is. Jack Cannon as ringleader Steele, plays him rather antagonistic, at times quite calm, with outbursts showing the kind of monster he truly is(..a little eccentric touch shows Steele cutting his finger nails before commencing to kill the fellow at the opening, and his toe nails the night they besiege Lisa's house). Ray Green, as tubby cigar-smoking Lomax, is about as depraved as Steele is, while Friedel(..the director of the movie), as Billy, seems to be a reasonable enough chap, along for the ride..Billy didn't partake in the clubbing of the victim, and openly chastises them for killing the man. But, even when they provoke and attempt to harm others(..like a supermarket check-out girl), they're more restrained than what you might see in other films concerning murderous bastards who enjoy hurting innocent people.

While nothing exactly extraordinary, Axe might appeal to those who enjoy low-budget oddities..I imagine this would be perfect material for a drive-in double bill. The story itself is simple enough and doesn't waste time..the history of it's production might account for why this is the case. Axe is another representative of an era(..the glorious 70's) where film-making was a possibility for quite a many folks. I think the most memorable aspect of the film is the central character, Lisa, because Leslie Lee paints a haunting figure, a young woman without much of a future, who seems to be merely existing, her only purpose as caregiver.

Little Lisa got an axe,gave her captive forty whacks.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 5/10 · 13 July 2009]

After having seen a documentary on the producer Harry Novac,i decided to try one of his films that a friend of my dad had passed over and after finding out the the film was shot in eleven days i feel that while its a flawed film,i still found it to be a enjoyable small horror film.

The plot: Three gangsters go to visit some guys that are overdue on their "payment",and when they realise that they are not going to get the payment,they decide to kill them.And after they have beaten up a shop assistant at a petal station,they think that it is best the they lay-low for a while in a remote farmhouse.And when they discover that they are not alone they get thrilled because they realise that they can keep the people (a young girl called Lisa and her very ill grandfather) as hostages.But none of them realise that Lisa has an axe,and the she has some plans of her own...

View on the film: The film starred and was written and directed by Fredrick Rfriedel,one of the main things he did well was to keep the film to a very lean running time of sixty three minutes and also doing some good dark comedy in the first half(The gangsters doing their own "remake" of the William Tall opening titles with the petal station assistant)But the main thing that lets the film down are a weaker second half with a big plot-hole (In the whole film,none of them even try to keep Lisa hostage well at all) and the score sounds very out of placed and not mixed into the film at all the gives it an oil effect.

Final view on the film: A really good lean fast-moving horror film,the is let down by a big plot hole and a very bad score.

Disappointing...

[cherootvendors · 2/10 · 7 May 2011]

In its trailer, Axe promises to be another slice of rural American Gothic in the vein of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Psycho (1960), but bears more of a resemblance to two other films on the final DPP list, The Last House on the Left (1972) and Fight for Your Life (1977). Unfortunately, and despite its claims to be as good as Chain Saw Massacre, Axe comes as a major disappointment. After watching Stephen Thrower's glowing review on the excellent DVD Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide, I was expecting a 'beautiful and well-made' little gem that could hold its own against Polanski's Repulsion (1965). I should have kept in mind that this is the guy who loves and defends Jess Franco movies. Far from being the 'well made and beautiful' art film Thrower would have us believe, Axe is a very poor movie in almost every respect. Its premise is familiar but has great potential: three low-life criminals on the run from the police hide out in the country farmhouse inhabited by a near-mute, neurotic girl and her invalid grandfather. Even before the criminals arrive it is clear that the girl, Lisa (Leslie Lee), is capable of extreme behaviour, which makes an inventive change from the usual, 'normal' household invaded by violent outsiders.

However, this one spark of inspiration quickly becomes forgotten during the course of an incredibly plodding, amateurishly-made movie. Most of the blame lies with writer-director-editor Friedel, for whom this was clearly a labour of love. The script is weak, with bland, stereotypical bad guys and flat dialogue; the direction is hopeless with regards to telling the story and creating tension, while the editing only compounds the flaws in both of these departments. (The interminable opening and closing credits are a good indication of the film's deadly slow pacing.) Then there's the acting: Jack Canon comes off 'best' (a relative term) out of the three villains, playing the leader of the gang, while Friedel easily gives the movie's worst turn as Billy, the criminal with a conscience but an atrocious beard-and-hair combo. Even the actor playing Lisa's invalid grandfather gives a more emotive, engaging performance. Yes, Friedel is bested by a man playing a fully-paralysed mute. Lee, however, is surprisingly effective as the enigmatic Lisa, and it's a shame she didn't have a better script and director at her service. There is something in her performance that recalls Camille Keaton in I Spit on Your Grave (1978) or Zoe Tamerlis in Ms. 45 (1981), but unfortunately this film is far too weak to stand up against these superior movies.

So why did this end up on the DPP list? As has been pointed out by others, one can only assume that the film's title and the misleading video sleeve were to blame, suggesting something along the lines of The Driller Killer (1979) or The Toolbox Murders (1977). It's unlikely that any of the film's few murder scenes would have made an impression on any of the MPs watching the Nasties compilation in the House of Commons, nor for that matter anyone renting this out in the hope of an evening's entertainment. As Thrower pointed out in his review, had the film been released under its original title, Lisa, Lisa, this probably wouldn't have come near the Video Nasties list; better still, it may never have come near my DVD player.

Film: * (out of 5) Nastiness: * (out of 5)

Not a great story, but an interesting effort all the same.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 5 May 2019]

Three criminals on the run make a stop-over at a remote homestead, on which two people live: meek young Lisa (Leslie Lee) and her paralyzed grandfather (Douglas Powers). Two out of these three criminals are pretty nasty types - the domineering, hair-trigger-tempered Steele (Jack Canon), the predatory Lomax (Ray Green) - but they seem to have met their match in the soft-spoken Lisa.

Don't look for much more story than that, in this regional production written and directed by Frederick R. Friedel, who also plays Billy, the youngest and most even-keeled of the gang. Also, don't expect a very lively affair: Friedel seems more determined to go for mood and feel (the film has an almost European sort of ambiance) than hardcore exploitation. That's not to say, however, that there isn't some very effective grisly violence on display. And while the blood present may be of that bright red movie variety, Friedel does take the opportunity to sort of goof around with the colour palate. There are gags involving ketchup and tomato soup, showing that he is not taking his film too, too seriously. Good location shooting (in North Carolina) and an atmospheric soundtrack (composed by George Newman Shaw & John Willhelm) are definite assets.

The acting gets the job done, with young Lee appealing in the central role. Canon and Green are appropriately loathsome, especially the former as he throws his weight around and makes everybody around him miserable. Friedel himself is okay as the one member of the gang with something resembling a conscience.

"Axe" a.k.a. "Lisa, Lisa" may not suit the tastes of all trash film fans, but it delivers a slow, quiet variation on the standard home invasion scenario.

Seven out of 10.

Video nasty is just plain boring

[lastliberal · 2/10 · 18 December 2008]

You'll find this video nasty on the shelves under the name Axe. Don't be tempted to spend your money even if it is at Wal-Mart, which I doubt.

After being banned in Britain, it was released uncut in 2005. They didn't do anyone any favors as the production values are bottom of the barrel, the acting is little to none, and the horror is all off screen. I can't even guess why it was banned in the first place unless it had to do with the rumor that the girl in the film was allegedly 13. No, nothing happens to her, as she kills an attempted rapist with a straight razor, and chops another with an axe after he fights her for about five minutes. Some tough guy - he can't even subdue a little girl.

Writer/director Frederick R. Friedel only made three films, turning to comedy after his failure at exploitation horror. Leslie Lee was only a voice in one other film. Ray Green was also in only one other film. Jack Canon didn't have much of a career - mostly voice work. And, this was granddad's (Douglas Powers) only film. In fact, the only person that had a long career in film was David Hayman, and he was only a voice on the TV in this film. He is probably happy about that.

bargain-basement film-making strikes out

[Clayton · 2/10 · 1 October 1998]

Just looking at the video box, which features a young woman with an axe raised in the air, you can probably guess what the film is going to consist of. Although the film isn't really ever boring and moves along at an average pace, the utter cheapness of the production pretty much sinks the whole affair. In contrast to that, one could say the sparseness of the production contributes to the overall detachment, the girl being alone at the farmhouse with the 3 killers. One of those "either you like it or either you hate it" low-budgeters.

My cup of cha.

[RatedVforVinny · 8/10 · 8 December 2019]

Banned 'Video Nasty', that is in fact a great little exploiter. Really tragic, the moral panic that was caused from such films and subsequently the Mary Whitehouse witch-hunt of 1984. The cover suggests a slasher type but this verges on 'Last House on the Left' territory, which is a very good place to be. Made by cult director Harry Novak.

Memorably Off Kilter

[kittyelizabethfarmer · 6/10 · 4 February 2022]

Three thieves on the run stop at a rundown farmhouse owned by a practically mute young woman named Lisa and her wheelchair ridden grandfather. Little do they know that Lisa isn't as pure and sweet as she seems to be.

Axe gets a lot of production value out of the creepy farmhouse isolated in the middle of nowhere and all the performances are strange and have the feeling of being broadcast from another planet. This gives Axe an unusual atmosphere that can't be easily replicated and is the best reason to give it a watch.

One of the weaker video nasties!

[manchester_england2004 · 4/10 · 2 July 2009]

LISA, LISA (aka AXE) is one of the 74 entries on the notorious video nasties list compiled in the UK by the DPP (now CPS) back in the 1980s.

Whilst it is evidently one of the weaker entries on the list, it is definitely not the worst. It fares better than THE GHASTLY ONES and the absolutely dire SNUFF.

The plot follows that of a typical exploitation movie from the 1970s period. Three gangsters break into a guy's apartment, murder him and his lover and then seek refuge at a farmhouse inhabited by a strange girl who hardly speaks. I'm sure you can work out the rest.

The exceptionally short running time is perhaps the strongest point of this movie. In addition, a few good scenes stand out from an atmospheric point-of-view or an unintentional comical point-of-view.

The producers of the movie were clearly inspired by Wes Craven's exploitation classic, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. LISA, LISA is however, a much tamer movie as many who wrote on this comments page have already stated. The title, AXE, used as an alternative to the official LISA, LISA title is somewhat misleading. I won't give away spoilers as to why but you'll find out if you see the movie.

The acting in this movie is quite bad but definitely not as bad as that exhibited in the movies of gore legend Herschell Gordon Lewis. A murder scene early in the movie was so badly acted and directed that I struggled not to laugh. Sadly the movie did not contain much else to provoke such laughter in the same manner as the HG Lewis movies, which were entertaining due to high levels of unintentional humour.

On the subject of HG Lewis, viewers of this movie will see the inspiration taken from him with regard to gore. Sadly the gore-hounds will be disappointed with the results.

The movie is shot on the usual grainy film stock seemingly reserved for its type. However, it lacks the documentary style that was used so perfectly in THE Texas CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.

Whilst the movie has potential to be very creepy or exploitative, such potential is wasted by a combination of poor direction and a very flat acting performance from the lead actress, Leslie Lee. Much of the movie between the good scenes is very dull and can be something of an endurance exercise for less patient viewers.

The lack of explanation of motives or reasoning of any kind may have worked excellently in THE Texas CHAIN SAW MASSACRE due to the testament of the movie's strength to horrify and shock, but simply does not work at all in LISA, LISA.

Overall, this movie proved a disappointment. Exploitation fans will be disappointed by the tameness of the movie, whilst fans of the "so-bad-it's-good" movies will find few laughs or much else to entertain themselves with by seeing it. The movie adds nothing to either genre.

I recommend this movie only to "completists" of video nasties or exploitation movies. Gorehounds should stick to HG Lewis movies. Exploitation fans should stick to THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. Fans of the "so-bad-it's-good" movies would do better to see TROLL 2 again. And everyone else should stick to the well-established horror classics.

Strange atmosphere makes "Axe" kinda work.

[boredatwork · 10 July 2004]

"Axe" is an oddball piece of work that seems to avoid a lot of the horror standards. The flow of the film has a refreshing feeling of randomness that makes it work. Not a lot is explained in this film so viewers are left to discuss the who, what and why amongst themselves and die hard 70's low budget sleaze fans might even try to pick out a story after repeated viewings. "Axe" is competently shot and edited. As an aficionado of 70's b movies I personally felt that it has a great look to it. An atmosphere of paranoid weirdness is developed early on and digs in on the viewer. The film also scores points for it's original soundtracking although the main hook from the intro theme gets a little over used at times. The acting is on par for the course, no remarkable talent here, but some cool characters. The one guy who looks like Bob Ross adds an interesting dynamic to the group of thugs, it's hard to figure out why exactly he's rolling with them. The girl who plays Lisa is rather pretty and her performance is effective enough to draw sympathy from the viewer during the more tense scenes.

Nothing mindblowing here, but fans of the era and genre who have a bit of patience will enjoy this one. Gore fanatics might feel cheated by Axe but lovers of strange "wtf is going on here" movies should give this one a swing.