13 Days of Horror: So I Married An Axe Murderer

“I feel like we could be one of those couples who stay together forever.” (Echoes) “Forever. Forever. Forever.” *Thunder and lightning*

Synopsis: Stuart Mackenzie (Mike Myers) loves being in love but his fear of commitment always forces him to end things just when they are going well. After Stuart meets butcher Harriet Michaels (Nancy Travis) he thinks he might have finally found the one but his cold feet tendencies gain traction again when Harriet’s past strongly suggests that she might be the notorious Mrs X: The Honeymoon Killer.

That’s not a horror film, I hear you say. Well, maybe… but what if it is? On its release So I Married An Axe Murderer was a critical and commercial failure which is a surprise given star Mike Myers’ rising fame. Some chalked the film’s lack of success up to its messy multi-genre juggling. Looking back at the cult classic however, its rom-com/sincere horror/humorous style is seen as just another of the film’s quirks rather than as weak direction.

It’s true that for a film about a serial killer there isn’t much straight horror but So I Married An Axe Murderer’s core plot is about the fear of love and commitment. Aargh!! *Psycho Theme Music* Relationships can be a scary thing and what makes the film so great is that – aside from the murderess suspicions – most all of us can relate to those fears that drive the surreal story.

Everything that contributes to the film’s cult status can be found in its opening minutes too, which is always a great thing. Boo Radleys’s now-super nostalgic ‘There She Goes’ plays over director Thomas Schlamme’s one-shot walk and talk following the life of a cappuccino before landing on Mike Myers in his punchline prime, cracking jokes at the coffee shop scene and his “70’s pimp” undercover cop friend. From the get-go we get a glimpse at the hit-after-hit musical ear of the film as well as the series of comedy sketches that will string together the narrative with Schlamme’s bouncy direction that will own us for the next 85 minutes.

It’s all cheese and fun to begin with and when the film does crack into its horror themes it isn’t afraid to go all out, throwing in shady, mountain-based hotels, rooftop fights in the rain and shrieking horror music. It’s like a cinematic episode of Saturday Night Live if all the sketches were linked.

Driven by an excellent cast of then-rising and high-profile stars like Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, Alan Arkin, Mike Myers again and Brenda Fricker So I Married An Axe Murderer is one of the funniest rom-com-horrors there is. So insanely quotable and sympathetic to audiences (hopefully aside from all the murderer stuff) this is one of Myers’ most overlooked films. You’ll laugh.. you’ll cry.. you’ll be terrified of your significant other for the rest of your life.

[For other comedy horrors that Mike Myers has starred in please see The Love Guru]