Welcome back to Rotten Ink as we countdown to Halloween 2026 with another spooktacular “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. For this one we will be heading to the Honey Island Swamp as we explore the legend of Victor Crowley, a supernatural killer that has taken so many lives of those who are foolish enough to enter his swamp at night. And when planning the Halloween updates this year, the first on the list of must-cover was Hatchet as this is a film series that helped bring back the splatter to slasher films and throughout the rule book of having to have messages and meaning to your Horror. So if you are ready, let’s get in this boat I rented from Reverend Zombie and make our way to the old Crowley Cabin that is set in the swamps of Honey Island.
Victor Crowley is the killer of Hatchet film series, and this unstoppable killer has many ways to deal death to those who enter his swamp. Victor Crowley was a deformed kid who lived with his father in the Honey Island Swamp as the town’s kids would mock him for his appearance. One Halloween Night, a group of youth by accident set the Crowley house on fire and this leads to Victor’s father accidentally killing him with a hatchet when he tried to chop down the door to save his son from burning to death. After his father passed away from a broken heart, the spirit of Victor Crowley stalks and haunts the woods murdering anyone who dares to enter his swamp. Victor Crowley is supernatural being who haunts the swamp every night and is a hulking deformed killer whose appearance terrifies those who see him as does his howling scream that fills the night air. Victor Crowley being supernatural can move very fast and can stalk and surprise his victims by appearing out of nowhere. Crowley is super strong and can use his bare hands to rip a person apart or even punch through their body or even knock their heads off as he is very violent and likes to make peoples deaths very painful and gruesome. He is also very skilled with all types of tools to deal death from hacking through a body with a sharp hatchet, to using a shovel to remove a persons head, using a belt sander to remove a face and even a iron pole to impale body parts. One issue for humans is that they can only hurt Victory Crowley but can not kill him as he is able to be shot, stabbed, set on fire and even impaled and while it slows him down it does not kill him as he just keeps coming as his whole mission is to cause death. Victor Crowley only has a few weaknesses with the biggest one being tied to the Honey Island Swamp and the area around his home, as his spirit is stuck there due to his tragic death and cannot go beyond its boundaries. He also can only come alive at night making the day light hours safe for anyone who can survive his massacres. Truly Victor Crowley is one of the deadliest supernatural slashers we have ever look at here as he is an unstoppable force that will always deal death to those who are foolish enough to enter his swamp.
Now that we have chatted about the ultimate killing machine Victor Crowley we should now take a look at the film he is from Hatchet! And like always I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and then after that I will write about the film’s production and then my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s get a little deeper into the Honey Island Swamp and a little closer to the Crowley house as its time to talk about this cult classic.
Hatchet (2006)
“A motley crew of tourists embark on a boat ride of the haunted Louisiana bayous where they learn the terrifying tale of local legend “Victor Crowley,” a horribly disfigured man who was accidentally killed with a hatchet by the hands of his own father. But when the boat sinks and the ghost story turns out to be real, the group tries desperately to escape the swamp with their lives . . . and all of their pieces.”
Adam Green is an indie filmmaker who had made his mark on the world of horror when he began working on a horror comedy film called Hatchet, that was his take on the slasher film genre and would bring humor and extreme gore together to the delight of viewers. Green first came up with the idea for Hatchet at the age of 8 when he was at summer camp and the counselors told a story about a haunted cabin and a killer called Hatchet-Face that would get any kid that would go near it, and later that night he came up with the characters backstory to scare his fellow campers. This memory stuck with Green and in 2005 his spooky camp story would become a reality as he started filming Hatchet and would be the writer and director of the film. And he was able to get a budget of $1.5 million with a teaser trailer being filmed in New Orleans gaining it lots of attention and help getting the film the money. The film was shot around Sable Ranch, a classic filming location based out of Santa Clarita, California and would work perfect once dressed up to look like the swamps of New Orleans. The film would cast such names as Tamara Feldman, Joel Moore, Perry Shen, Deon Richmond, Patrika Darbo and horror icon Kane Hodder would have duel roles both as the monster killer Victor Crowley as well as the killer Father in flashback scenes. Other Icons of horror cinema in the film include Tony Todd, Robert Englund and John Carl Buechler. The film once complete would play at film festivals and would become a cult classic very quickly as it was filled with other the top blood and gore. It would then get a limited run in theaters on September 7, 2007 and would bring in around $208,550.00 for Anchor Bay Entertainment who would also be the ones to release the film on home media. When released most horror fans really liked the bloodbath of a film while critics were very much split on it, but Adam Green knew he had something special and the film would spawn three sequels as of this update with a fifth film in talks. And Victor Crowley is now considered a major horror character right alongside Freddy Kruger, Michel Myers, Norman Bates, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface and Chucky. Adam Green has gone on to also direct Gingerdead Man 2: Passion Of The Crust, Grace, Frozen and Digging Up The Marrow to name a few. The film in 2006 would be released alongside such other horror films as Silent Hill, Slither, The Hills Have Eyes, See No Evil, Black Sheep, Turistas, Dracula’s Curse, Final Destination 3, Easter Bunny Kill Kill, Saw III, The Host, Evil Bong, Big Bad Wolf and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning to name a few.
I first saw Hatchet when it was released on DVD as I bought it day of release and went home and watched it that night, and I was a fan from the start as I loved the blend of dark humor and gross kills and truly Victor Crowley was a scary and brutal killer who was a true throwback to the 80’s and the big boom of supernatural slasher killers. And with Kane Hodder playing Crowley it was nice to see the stuntman and actor get to play another hulking killer after New Line Cinema replaced him from playing Jason Voorhees in the Friday The 13th movies as Kane is always great as these type of characters. The film has a rawness to it as it was not overly polished and the gore effects were gross and gritty something that was lacking from many horror at the time with the only other film series on this level being “Feast” that also turned up the gross and dark humor dial. The setting of the film also was very spooky as a swamp late at night with waters that are filled with snakes and alligators being also a threat besides the hulking killer who’s screams echo in the night as do that of his victims who are doing so out of pain and fear. Plus Adam Green does a great job of balancing characters you like and those who are just kind of scummy, but yet they go so well together as a group of want to be survivors who all just want to get out alive. Casting Tony Todd as the fake voodoo man Reverend Zombie was a great choice as Todd’s deep voice and line delivery always brings a touch of eeriness to his roles as from the start it is clear this con man is up to no good. Tamara Feldman, Mercedes McNab and Joleigh Fiore are all great in their roles and bring beauty to this otherwise dark and blood soaked swamp. The film would go on to spawn many sequels and I for one am a fan of all of those as well as they are just as over the top as the first one and each keeps adding to the story and legacy of Victor Crowley who in my opinion is truly a modern icon of horror movie villains, if you have not seen this film or its sequels and enjoy lots of gore, dark humor, cameos from many horror actors, then I think you will truly enjoy this.
Hatchet really is a great horror series of films that was a perfect fit to be made into a comic book series, and like always, American Mythology was the indie comic publisher to do just that as they have truly been making a name for themselves when it comes to horror comics based on horror films as they have released comics based on Night Of The Living Dead, Silent Night Deadly Night, Willy’s Wonderland and of course Hatchet. I would like to start by thanking both Mavericks and Bell Book And Comic for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would then like to thank both Adam Green and American Mythology for making a Hatchet comic series possible! I would also like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, we are now at the front door of the Crowley home, let’s see if Victor is home and if he has a hatchet we can borrow.
Hatchet # 0 ***
Released in 2017 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 0 of 3
Jack Cracker is a local man who lives just outside of Honey Island Swamp and is telling the legend of Victor Crowley and how he is an evil spirit that is a repeater as every night he returns to kill anyone that is dumb enough to enter his swamp, and how he kills them very violent and brutal ways. He talks about how he just tried to warn the haunted swamp tour group that Ben and Marcus (from the first movie) are on about the danger that awaited them. He thinks back to 1961 when he was just a young teenager and one day he ran off some bullies who were throwing rocks at Victor, only for Victor to attack him and take one of his eyes. As Jack heads into town for a patch for his blowup sex doll, Victor Crowley is killing all those who were on that tour boat one by bloody one, Jack even finds the camera of one of the victims that has videos of topless woman he filmed to make is own Girls Gone Wild type video. As he is heading back to his home he ends up saving the life of Marybeth Dunston who had just escaped an attack by Victor Crowley and heads back to his home with her as Victor watches on.
This issue is a great one as it is a way to bring the comic and the films together in order to remind fans of the past events as well as bring those who have not seen the films up to speed. The main character of the issue is Jack Cracker, a character from the first two films that was a town crazy person who boats around at night and drinks his own urine, but stays clear of the Honey Island Swamp and tries to warn anyone who dares goes there of the dangers. In the film he was played by John Carl Buechler and is a loony character. It’s sort of odd as he is kind of a hero as he does try to save peoples lives and does just that for Marybeth…but he is also very much crazy and unhinged. Victor Crowley is a killing machine in the issue as we get a look of him killing people from the past as well as currently as he massacres Ben and all those who were on the haunted swap tour. The comic is packed with lots of blood and gore and between it and the spooky local legend feel of the over all story is where the horror comes into play, as every town has these types of stories. The cover for this issue is really great as it shows Victor Crowley with his bloody hatchet in hand standing by his old family home and is truly eye catching for fans of the films. The interior art is fantastic and done by Andrew Mangum as I like the way he drew Victor Crowley as well as all the gore. If you like the first film, this is a great comic for you as it shows what Jack Cracker was doing as all those people were being slaughtered. Well let’s see what issue one has in store for us and what gruesome deaths Victor Crowley has planned.
Hatchet # 1 ***
Released in 2017 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 1 of 3
A group of treasure hunters lead by Manny enter Honey Island Swamp and as a group of them head towards the home of Victor Crowley two stay behind at the boat and build a fire on shore and wait for the others, but that was a big mistake as Victor appears and rips one man’s face off and then crushes his skull against a tree! He then uses a fishing hook to remove the others eye before pushing his head into the fire killing them both very painfully. We then jump to a small film school where students Johnny and Scottie want to make the next big horror movie and hire their friends Janie Mac, Marlene Stefani, Davidsen, Angie Crabitz, Mark L. Hannes and Mikey Wolfman to star in it…the film is called “Hatchetface Lives” that will be set in Honey Island Swamp and be based on the story of Victor Crowley, and with that the group plans their trip to make this horror film. Meanwhile back in the swamp Manny and his remaining crew are attacked by Victor who takes the life of one using a chain as Manny fires his shotgun hitting Victor in the chest causing damage but not stopping the killer.
What a fun a blood soaked first issue as the plot has a group of treasure hunters in the swamp with a group of film students on their way and all will be hunted down by the murderous Victor Crowley! The treasure hunters are in the swamp out of pure greed as they think the legend of the swamp is fake to keep people out and from finding the riches, but they soon find that they are wrong as they find massacred human body parts and three of them are brutally killed! And it’s clear that Manny, the leader of the treasure hunters is not going down without a fight as he thinks his shotgun will get him out of trouble. Meanwhile the film students are just goofballs who are wanting to make the next big slasher film hit and want to use the old legend of Victor Crowley to do so, but it’s clear that they do not truly understand that the legend is real and that they will be heading to their own deaths just to try and get an A in class and make some extra cash off their film. Victor Crowley is doing what he does best and that is slaughtering fools like cattle with the most brutal death being the face removal and skull crush…what a painful way to go. The issue has lots of gore and blood as it would not be a Hatchet product if it didn’t. The cover I have is very cool and eye catching as it has Victor Crowley removing the guts of one of his victims. Andrew Mangum is one more doing the interior art and it is really good stuff as he has a talent for drawing gruesome deaths. Another great issue making this series a hit for me this far, so let’s see what issue two has in store for us.
Hatchet # 2 ***
Released in 2018 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 2 of 3
The film students make it to New Orleans and Mari Gras is taking place they all head to Reverend Zombies store as they hired him to take them to the Honey Island Swamp, but he refuses and has his son Clive take them to a safer part of the swamp that as well has a cabin, but Johnny has an idea to try and get Clive to take them to the real location as they all enter the boat. Meanwhile Manny and his treasure hunting pal think they have taken down Victor with the gunshot wound, they are wrong as he gets back up and they both try to even stab the enraged killer who ends up killing Manny’s friend by gutting him with the knife and then cutting his head in half as Manny tries to get away Victor throws the knife at him. We then cut back to the boat and Clive tells them the true story of Victor Crowley and Honey Island Swamp and this causes Johnny to change the script up to add some of the true facts to his film. Clive leaves them in what they all think is a safe place but when Mark is in costume to play Hatchetface he runs into Victor Crowley who snaps his neck killing him instantly and as he drags the body of Mark back to his own cabin Victor is once more attacked by Manny and his shotgun, but like before it does the treasure hunter no good as Victor picks him up and throws him super hard against a tree spine first, and then Victor continues on with his quest of killing everyone.
This second issue is pretty dang fun even if the art this time around is very hit or miss, but more on that later. The plot has the film student making it to Honey Island Swamp were they are warned not to go to deep by both Reverend Zombie and his son Clive, but of course they go any way and think they are safe to film only for them to really be in the view and path of Victor Crowley who takes out their actor playing the killer first thing. Johnny is truly just a young and hungry filmmaker who has dreams of being a big name in the horror movie industry and is wanting to put his all into making the shot on video slasher film, but unknown to him all he really did is leave his friends to their deaths. Manny meanwhile is a treasure hunter all alone as all his friends have been killed and he keeps trying to fight back, but it’s no use as Victor Crowley just can not be stopped. And with his back being snapped by a big tree ,one would have to guess that he is done for the final count, but who knows maybe Manny has more fight in him then we all think. Victor Crowley is just as murderous as before as he is making quick work out of all those in his swamp this this issues best kill being the treasure hunter that is gutted and then has his skull split. The issue is packed with blood and gore and is doing a good job of making it feel like this is taking place in the movie universe, with the only thing it is lacking is the Adam Green style humor and Marybeth being used. The cover for this issue is pretty dang great as it has Victor Crowley crushing a man’s skull. The interior art is a little bit of a mess this issue as it is done by Andrew Mangum and at times panels look like unfinished sketches and this can kind of take you out of the mood of the comic, and its odd as other panels look great…I almost feel that he did some of this of a digital pad and that is why it looks so off. Over all though this is a good issue that keeps building the story and we know that this next issue is the final in the mini series and will have Johnny having to come face to face with Victor Crowley.
Hatchet # 3 ***
Released in 2018 Cover Price $3.99 American Mythology # 3 of 3
Johnny has just filmed part of his film and has called for a lunch break as his crew go off to enjoy some food we find that Manny is still alive and wakes up in a body pile that is inside Crowley’s cabin and he quickly arms himself and makes his way into the swamp. Meanwhile Wolfman and Marlene are the next victims as Victor uses a fire poker to ram through the backside of Wolfman and through the back of Marlene’s head as she was giving her cast mate oral pleasures! While in the woods Johnny and Janie Mac are getting a little close all alone in the swamp, but Crowley breaks this connection up when he uses a saw to chop up Janie and bash Johnny in the side of his head. Meanwhile Scottie and the rest of the crew find the bodies of Marlene and Wolfman and are met by a bloody Johnny who tells them of Janie’s death and that there is a killer on the loose! As they try and figure out what to do a blade enters the skull of Davidsen as Victor Crowley has found them all now and its killing time! As the group run to the cabin and block the doors Scottie is the next to die as Victor rips the man in two right in front of his friends who watch on in horror. But before Victor can kill the other Manny rams a sharp spear through him dropping Victor for a short time and allowing Johnny and Angie Crabitz to escape with Manny and hide inside another cabin to come up with a plan on how to escape the island. Manny tells them that they just have to make it to sunrise and then he will disappear and they can make their way out of the swamp for good, they also rig traps in the cabin and once Victor comes busting in the triggers them and gets shot with arrows and Manny even jumps on his back to stab him in the neck with a big knife, this however does not stop Victor who uses an arrow to stab Johnny in the skull with and then he kills off Manny and as Angie Crabitz runs away and makes it to sunrise she is not safe as the comic ends with Victor grabbing her throat.
Poor Johnny and his filmmaking friends, they were never able to make their SOV slasher masterpiece and instead all meet gruesome and bloody deaths at the hands of Victor Crowley, a supernatural killer that they should have listened to the warning about. And while we do not see how Manny was killed, one could guess that by the end of this comic his time to meet his maker finally came. That is the crazy thing about this comic mini series is that treasure hunter Manny is kind of the hero as he tried to save his crew as well as the filmmakers, and was even willing to put his own life in danger for one of the females to escape that female being Angie Crabitz who made it to sunrise but still looks like she meets her fate at Victors hand being around her throat. Johnny as well in the end tries to be a hero, but it is clear that he is scared and is just no match for Victor who makes him pay for entering his swamp. Victor Crowley while takes a lot of punishment in this comic from being shot and stabbed still shows that he is unstoppable and that killing is his business and business is good, his best kill this issue is the death of Scottie as you can not do wrong with a person being ripped in two. The comic has lots of gore and blood and I forget to mention also lots of female nudity in this series. The cover for this issue is really cool as well and shows Victor as well as his families cabin. Once more the interior art by Andrew Mangum is that mixed bag as some panels really do look great while others looked rushed and incomplete…not sure why he did this kind of style for this comic’s last two issues. If you like the Hatchet movie series, you should really checkout this mini series as it is a fast read and really does the film series justice. Also for those of you wondering American Mythology has done other Hatchet comics after the release of this series. Check out the artwork below to see the style of Andrew Mangum that I liked in this blood splattered series.
This first Hatchet comic mini series really is a fun way to add to the legend and body count of Victor Crowley and while the act at times had some flaws, character not fully looking like the actors that played them in the film and even some missing characters that would have made the comic more epic, looking at you Marybeth Dunston, it is a great example of modern horror films getting the comic book treatment right. I will say that this far American Mythology as done a good job with their horror film turned horror comic projects. But I think that our time here at the Honey Island Swamp has come to an end as our next update will be just as brutal as we head to a cabin in the woods and visit with the Deadites as we take a look at The Evil Dead! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! Join Me….Join Me….Join Me for the next update that will be our big Halloween Update!
