Axeman Synopsis

The film begins with Rachel, a seventeen year old college student who is being held in a dark and isolated room decorated with photographs of mutilated victims she once knew. As we see her struggling to free herself in a state of confusion and fear, we are introduced to the Axeman. As the serial killer walks at a fast pace holding a blood-smeared axe, it’s clear that he’s determined to make Rachel his next victim. As the tension builds due to the shrieking score music and constant use of shadows, we see the Axeman enter the room Rachel is being held in. As he rapidly approaches her meeting her in a dark and isolated room, he comes face to face with Rachel. Suspense is then created as the Axeman raises his blood-stained axe ready to mutilate Rachel but we are left at this point in the film on a cliff hanger. As the audience are left on edge waiting to see Rachel’s decapitated body, she suddenly wakes up and we learn that what we witnessed was a nightmare. This gives us hope for the protagonist as we’re hopeful that her day will be better. However, as events fall into place she realizes that she didn’t experience a horrifying dream.

To take a break from endless hours of studying she decides to leave college and go shopping with her friends. As the audience observe every day routines in an effective dark and slow paced editing style, for example the slicing of an orange in a market with the blade of the knife viewed through a close up. Also, the medium long shot of a little girl in the park sulking as she violently pulls off her dolls head off. But its when Rachel walks past a barbershop and sees a man's neck get cut as he gets shaved. As a drop of blood drips from his neck to the floor, the slow pace sees the droplet splashing violently to the floor and with the sound of a loud 'SPLASH', it's at this point in the film that we learn that what Rachel experienced wasn't a nightmare but a premonition.

As she returns back to college after teaching hours to continue studying, she begins to feel tired so to avoid another horrifying nightmare she makes her way to the bathroom to refresh herself. It is here, at the moment of recognition that a tall masked figure appears behind Rachel, grabbing her face with his hands covering her mouth and forcing her into the room she envisions early that morning.

As the exhausting struggle to free herself begins, we see the killer approaching the room as seen before, but this time the pace has been slowed down accompanied with low toned score music. This time flashback in between reveal him viciously slaughtering his previous victims and collecting certain body parts whilst following the plan he drew of an distorted human figure. As the flashbacks continue, we see the Axeman putting the particular body parts together. One body however, is missing a head.

Rachel refuses to give up without a fight and questions the killer in why he chose her of all people. The killer tells her she was chosen because she doesn’t deserve to be pretty. He then takes of his mask revealing a deformed face. The killer raises his axe and swings it down slicing Rachel’s head clean off. He picks up Rachel's head and we are left seeing the Axeman walking slowly out the door.

(Alex Christian)