The Legend of Bloody Jack (2007)

**_Traditional slasher in the forest with too much padding_** Seven youths go to a cabin-in-the-woods to have a good time, but a mysterious man with an axe puts the kibosh on their plans. "The Legend of Bloody Jack" (2007) is a slasher in the tradition of "The Prey" and "The Final Terror," both released 24 years earlier. While not quite on the level of “The Final Terror” (which isn’t exactly great), it’s about on par with “The Prey.” It’s thankfully superior to the lousy "Don't Go in the Woods," but not as effective as “Berserker.” The reason I mention those specific flicks is because this is cut from the same cloth. Unlike “Don’t Go in the Woods,” the characters are fleshed-out a little, although not as well as in “Edge of the Axe.” The dramatic scenes are superior to those in the obscure “The Ridge” (2005), but the thrills in the second half are nowhere near as compelling. On the feminine front, ScarJo-lookalike Erica Curtis stands out as the redhead protagonist Dawn. Alicia Klein is worth a mention as insecure Shelly. Meanwhile there’s a top nudity sequence involving blonde Jessica Szab, who plays Lisa (just a heads up). Regrettably, there’s too much padding. For instance, the intro unnecessarily drags on too long. The flick would’ve worked better at about 73 minutes. As it is, it runs 1 hour, 28 minutes. In other words, fifteen tedious minutes needed shaved off. Still, if you’re an aficionado of cabin-in-the-woods horror, it’s proficient enough to check out. It was shot in the hills northeast or north of Los Angeles (Los Padres National Forest, Pine Mountain Club and Angeles National Forest). GRADE: C