I first became aware of Mr Friedal work, and in particular his 1974 debut Axe(aka Lisa, Lisa) around ten or so years back. Like many horror film fan I had become very curious in seeing all of the titles from the Video Nasty list( of which Axe is)- so I checked out the film. It’s fair to say that the titles on the Video Nasty list are a decidedly mixed( to say the least)- going from truly bad, shocking yet campy, generally shocking & transgressive , and lastly great, creative, moody, and impact full examples of film-making. Axe is one of the few video nasties( along with the likes of  The Witch Who Came from the Sea), that sits squarely in the last category- been a film that is both haunting, creatively conceived, and thought- provoking.

Axe's plot tells of three  criminals on the run- Steel, Lomax, and Billy. After killing two people, and terrorizing a third. The trio come across an isolated farm house, whose only occupants are a strange young woman and her paralyzed / wheel chair bound grandfather. 

This just over hour long film blends together a slow & moody pace, a few moments of sudden violence,  eerier symbolism,  and generally haunting & bleak atmosphere.  On the whole the small cast is good, and well selected. The gang leader Steel, is played by Jack Canon with  great smouldering intensity. His two side kicks Lomax( played by Ray Green) & Billy( played by Friedel)- have a nice yin/yang thing going, with Green a brutish & brutal bully, and Friedel subdued, out-of-his- depth, & caring. The strange young women Lisa( played by Leslie Lee) is she near mute, with-drawn, and troubled soul.  Ms Lee( in surprisingly her only film credit) plays the role in a perfectly understated, bleak & moody manner. Added to this we get a distinctively eerier yet slightly off-kilter main soundtrack theme, which brings together melodic-yet-bleak piano work & swirling/ stretching synth.  Axe is a film that mangers to use both horror & gangster movie traits, to create a very stark, brooding & troubling experience, that really is unlike anything else.

The second feature here is Friedel’s follow-up Kidnapped Coed( aka Date With A Kidnapper)- it’s from 1976( though filmed a few months after Axe), and once again brings together exploitation/criminal themes, with arty filming, weird characters, and a often troubling/bleak  atmosphere- all to create a highly distinctive bit of film-making.  As the films title suggest it’s about a Coed( played by Leslie Rivers) who is kidnapped at gunpoint by small-time criminal Eddie Matlock(played by Jack Cannon). The film is a blend of thriller, character study, & road movie- with an arty & often thought provoking edge to it. On the whole the atmosphere & vibe here varies more than Axe, going from taut & suddenly violent, onto dramatic-yet- slow, through to oddly tender & funny.  Also it has a slightly longer running time of near an hour & twenty minutes.

After working with Jack Cannon on Axe, Friedel wrote the part of Matlock for him, and he really shines in the lead, managing to portray an array of emotions though-out the film. Rivers is also very good as the Coed-blending together hurt innocence, cunning, and pathos- to create a well rounded & believable victim. I won’t go into the plot much beyond above, as really this is a film you need to watch fairly blind- so you can appreciate the rewarding & often strange twists that happens on the pairs journey.

The third & final film on the blu ray is Blood Brothers, and this is somewhat of a Frankenstein monster of a film, blending together scenes from both Axe & Kidnapped Coed. The film was arranged & composed in 1999, utilizing selected scenes from both 1970 films. With the use screen titles Friedel tell the story of two separate & never met twin brothers, and each ones criminal activities- that are occurring( at times) just miles apart. It’s certainly a interesting concept for a film & using both films to create a third story is very clever. On the whole I’d say the result are a little mixed, and one keeps thinking ‘this scene is from that film & that scene is from this film’. I think if the other two films weren’t so flesh in my mind, it would work better. So I think I’ll certainly return to this at a latter date.

When I mentioned extra heavy in my intro I wasn’t kidding, as this has to be one the most packed & interesting discs I’ve come across. You firstly get new commentaries on all three films- Axe & Kidnapped Coed with Friedel,Phil Smoot production director on both films, and Worth Keeter make-up artist on both films. And on Blood Brothers the always informative,  passionate & dependable Steven Thrower. Also featured are two exclusive documentaries- one about the making of Axe & Kidnapped Coed, their histories, actors, etc. And one on George Newman Shaw & John Willhelm, who composed the soundtracks for both Axe & Kidnapped Coed, who both sadly died a year or so after the films came out. Both documentaries are just over or nearing an hour in lenght. Other extras include a stand alone featurette with Thrower discussing Friedel’s work & themes, plus a selection of Trailers, TV Spots & Radio Spots.

The other big extra here is the CD, and this features the first ever CD pressing of both soundtracks. The CD comes in at just over seventy two minutes, and takes in not just all the two soundtracks, but also a selection of other unrelated tracks that George Newman Shaw & John Willhelm worked on. The Axe soundtrack brings together the haunting main-theme, along with a few variations on this that see things turn a bit more jazz bound with addition of some moody sax work & Rhodes piano. The Axe soundtrack also features a few more stripped, stark & gloomy sonic sketches, as well as a country rock parody.
Moving onto the Kidnapped Coed soundtrack, and we go from  dramatic & manic title theme that's jazz meets squelching & frying synth craft. Onto more country rock parody, though to melancholic–yet sweet blends of wondering rich paino & sax. Onto a version of "Blue Danube", recreated in simmer & wonky blend of 70’s electronics & live drumming. As with the Axe soundtrack the music cues are fairly short & sharpe, but the pair offer up a lot of variation & mood through-out.
The extra & unrelated tracks are a little more lengthy, lasting between three & seven minutes, and these once again show both the pairs versatility & music prowess. We move jiving singer-songwriter meets jazz edges of "Celestial Air". Onto urgent & sleek electric piano meets blues jazz rock instrumental flavours of "Untitled instrumental".  Though to the  shifting pace of "Creeping Staircase", which goes from Goblin like blends of up-front bass, electric piano & synth mood. Though to some nice guitar breakdowns/ jamming, warbling ‘n’ spacey synth sounds,  and more pared back-yet taut jazzy piano runs.
As mentioned early-on the pair sadly died a few years after the making of Axe & Kidnapped Coed, and they where both only in the twenties- so this release is a fitting tribute to both of their talents, as both soundtrack writers & versatile musicians.

So in finish up I unreservedly recommend  picking up this release if you are a  fan of 70’s horror/ exploitation cinema, or for that matter are someone who enjoys creative & effecting film-making  in general. More people really need to see & appreciate Mr Friedel’s films, and add him to the list of  directors that manage to create great & distictive film, even on a shoe string budget.