It looked like the characters in HATCHET III had figured out a way to destroy swamp-dwelling slasher Victor Crowley (played by Kane Hodder) for good at the end of that film, but thanks to some voodoo the killer managed to return again in VICTOR CROWLEY. The way he was defeated in III can't be replicated, so Crowley may be back for good… which could open the door wide open for an unlimited number of sequels, as long as the films are successful.
HATCHET franchise creator Adam Green wasn't making any promises about a HATCHET 5 when VICTOR CROWLEY was released, because he didn't want to get ahead of himself. They had to wait and see how well VICTOR CROWLEY did; in the past he had to scrap plans for a sequel to his film DIGGING UP THE MARROW because that movie's profits had been too heavily impacted by piracy.
Thankfully, it sounds like pirates didn't sink Victor Crowley, as Green is now talking like there is definitely going to be more HATCHET. Speaking with Horror Channel, Green said,
A major reason why the HATCHET sequels have succeeded is that they were planned out from the very start. In the first film I actually showed some of the weapons that “Victor Crowley" wouldn't actually use until the later films and I held back crucial elements of his mythology to be revealed later on down the road. Of course it was also a risky move given that there was no way of knowing if I’d ever get to make the sequels.
Originally I had only planned for HATCHET to be a trilogy, but when I decided to bring “Victor Crowley” back for more I planned out another complete roadmap for where it could all go. With the success of VICTOR CROWLEY (HATCHET 4) it looks like I’ll once again be able to make the sequels I have planned. I’ve been able to stay in love with “Victor Crowley” because I only head back into his swamp when I’m ready to do so. Given that HATCHET is a cult franchise and not a studio property, my crew and I have always been able to make each film only when we want to. The “Hatchet Army” has always been willing to patiently wait until I’m ready. Not every filmmaker has such a luxury and I have never taken it for granted.
The idea that HATCHET 5 could be moving forward is made even more exciting to me by the fact that Green has previously said that
If there is a HATCHET 5, Victor Crowley will be leaving the swamp.
I really want to see Crowley wreak havoc in a new location, whether he's stalking around homes just outside the swamp or if Green decides to drop him into the middle of New Orleans.
We'll let you know when there's more solid news about HATCHET 5. Hopefully it won't be long before Kane Hodder will be tearing people apart as Victor Crowley once again.