You’re left with the sense that these ingredients, mixed slightly differently, could have added up to something rather more delicious, but as it is, your attention is drawn repeatedly to the artificiality of it all.

“Bloody Axe Wound” has a lot of incidents and a clear idea of where its characters should end up, but not much style of its own or a knack for connecting one formulaic dot to the next.

At its core, Bloody Axe Wound is a frustrating horror comedy that is largely saved by its huge heart. There is a lot of charm here and the actors really give it their all.

It’s easy to admire Lawrence’s use of throwbacky practical effects, but the retro visual aesthetic lacks the specificity to render it even shamelessly effective nostalgia, and the clumsy editing betrays an overall dearth of comic timing.