Axe, Little Lady...Big Ax

The trailer for our film today compares it to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."  Not a bad comparison, but decades later I would compare this gory gem to a cross between Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" and "I Spit on Your Grave." 1974's "Axe" (aka "Lisa, Lisa" and "California Axe Massacre") has a diminutive young lass put upon by a trio of sadistic thugs.  Yep...who do you think will prevail?

Our three antagonists are a sadistic bunch.  Led by Steele (Jack Canon), as the film begins we witness their homicidal ways.  Accompanied by Lomax (Ray Green) and Billy (Frederick R. Friedel, also the director) they are getting out of Dodge after a murder or two.  The evil trio ends up at a secluded farmhouse where they intend to lay low for awhile.  At the farmhouse we meet the sweet, diminutive Lisa (Leslie Lee).  As we examine Lisa it is apparent she is elegantly deranged.  She is just a little too comfortable with decapitations...you'll see. In what may be a fatal mistake, our fiends mistake her for a weak damsel.

Lisa runs a chicken farm all by herself.  Her grandpa (Douglas Powers) is a total invalid, and she must feed, bathe, and dress him.  This extra care has obviously played on Lisa's sanity.  When the scoundrels take over the farmhouse, we get a pretty good sense they are in dire trouble.  When Lomax tries to rape Lisa...the blood starts flowing.  Axes, razors, and Lisa's insanity will spell a very painful and deadly fate for the monsters.

 Who is the real monster in this film? Does Lisa have anything else in mind other than revenge? Does our trio of inaniacs have any prayer of surviving Lisa?  Lisa is very adept at slicing arteries, but be warned, she also has a talent for disposing of corpses.  Without saying too much, after watching this film, you may never want to taste Campbell's tomato soup ever again.  For a nasty, and fast paced drive-in shocker, see "Axe."