Axe  (1977)

Theatrical Release Information:
Axe

Released originally under the title Lisa, Lisa, this seedy murder-fest was later re-titled during drive-in circulation then again for its video release in 1985 as The California Axe Massacre to capitalize on the hype of another new arrival to video, Tobe Hooper's cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film itself (actually filmed in North Carolina, not California) has little in common with Hooper's hit; the bloody revenge scenario is more reminiscent of Wes Craven's Last House on the Left. It involves a gang of grimy fugitives who hole up in the rural abode of a pretty but unstable young woman (Leslie Lee) and proceed to abuse her and her grandfather. Of course, things get out of hand from there, and the hoods kill the old fogey, which brings gory retribution as the sweet young thing brandishes the title implement. Painfully cheap-looking, this tawdry exploiter is too slow-moving to sustain the interest of chop-em-up fans who might be lured by the title. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide