From the wilds of West Virginia comes HATCHET JACK, an independent slasher film from director Eddie Mahalick. Inspired by true events, this 46-minute thriller is an atmospheric, often disturbing film that deserves to be seen by a wide audience.

Working from a screenplay by Justin Sago, JACK is essentially a frame story, as a rural bartender (Mahalick, in one of several bit parts) warns a group of deer hunters about the legend of Hatchet Jack, a solitary madman with a grisly past who roams the woods of the Mountain State. Thus begins the story proper, as a group of Pittsburgh-area youths head to the town of Rivesville in search of the titular figure (though exactly why is never made clear).

For a micro-budgeted horror effort, HATCHET JACK presents quite a few pleasant surprises. Despite its cast of party-minded teens, the characters are refreshingly non-obnoxious and likeable, albeit a little thin. (At one point it's disclosed that one of the campers, played by Aaron Bernard, is terminally ill, a unique angle that's awkwardly presented and unfortunately never developed; a shame, since it would've been interesting to see how someone dying of cancer would react during your standard slasher scenario.) Hailing from the region themselves, the filmmakers thankfully avoid the usual hillbilly stereotypes that so often infect West Virginia-set movies (though there is a shotgun-toting redneck who makes a groan-inducing quip about a wrong turn). Mahalick also employs some clever editing techniques that, although they're a bit gimmicky, display more creativity than is usually seen in most DIY affairs. Director of photography L.B. Whittle deserves mention for capturing the natural beauty, and inherent creepiness, of the landscape, as well as providing nightmarish flashback scenes in stark black-and-white.

HATCHET JACK only makes one misstep, but it's a big one. Although the running time is half that of a feature film, it still takes the same time to establish its backdrop as a ninety-minute movie, leaving its climax uncomfortably rushed. (There's also some misguided ambiguity once the meat of the story gets underway, transitioning into the action in such a way that it feels like a dream sequence; by the time we realize what's happening is real, it lessens the impact.) It's still disorienting and gruesome, ending on a final note that's simultaneously grim, disturbing, and strangely moving.

Mahalick and his crew are a talent to watch. What else can you say about a film whose end credits alone are more inventive than most straight-to-DVD dreck? (Mahalick squeezes in a silent short ostensibly filmed by Hatchet Jack himself, a surreal, darkly humorous moment that's intriguing, even if it doesn't quite fit.) I sincerely hope the filmmakers decide to tweak HATCHET JACK into a full-length feature; not only is there plenty of material here to develop, it'd also give them a better chance of gaining national distribution (are you listening, Lionsgate?)

HATCHET JACK doesn't have a release date yet, though you can stay up to date on the film's status by visiting www.myspace.com/hatchetjackmovie.