There were a number of low-budget, no-name horror movies that made the festival circuit or played in a few theaters this year - Black Sheep, Fido, Severance - but my favorite has to be Hatchet. Adam Green's rebirth of the slasher genre was an internet phenomenon before it was even complete. Green and his team shot some footage to prove they could make a modern slasher flick and just the buzz around their film made it a cult classic before it was even finished shooting. This is the era we live in - where a movie can be a horror hit before anyone has even seen it. Now that we have seen it, Hatchet mostly lives up to the hype. It doesn't hit the mark of the Carpenter or Craven flicks that inspired it, but it does enough right to make Green a horror talent worth watching. Featuring cameos by horror legends Kane Hodder, Robert Englund, and Tony Todd, Hatchet is one of those films that's clearly made by people who love the genre and that makes it a more pure experience than a lot of the purely-for-profit flicks currently littering the landscape. The people making Hatchet are just having fun and they want you to do the same.

If you grew up on movies like The Hills Have Eyes and the Friday the 13th series, you'll recognize the genre staples that Green is working with in Hatchet - a focus on quality kills, a villain that's more monster than human, and a tongue-in-cheek attitude that puts the focus on fun more than fear. Oh yeah, and lots of nudity. Hatchet, the story of Victor Crowley and his skull-splitting mayhem might have been stronger with a little bit of actual horror and not so much silliness, but it's still a fun rental and a solid addition to your next horror movie marathon. Slide it in between A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.

Anchor Bay has been one of the best DVD house for horror fans for years and they actually handled the theatrical release of Hatchet too, so they naturally give it a great home treatment. The video and audio presentation on the film are nearly perfect, especially considering the budget, and Hatchet comes with some great special features. It's hard to imagine you could have a question about Hatchet that wouldn't be answered by the commentary track or the lengthy featurettes about different aspects of the film. Like they often do, Anchor Bay is treating Hatchet like a genre classic before most people have even seen it. How do you make yourself a cult classic in the world of YouTube and Ultimate Edition DVDs? Treat yourself like one. Hatchet will be one, whether you like it or not. Luckily, you probably will.