Yes, the axe is VERY useful, since it means I don't have to hunt down hammers anymore, but I'm still not about to take on CHAR guards with it (and I've fought quite a few in the underground facility), since shotguns aren't very friendly towards melee combatants (Heck, I got hit by one from max range once and it sent me from 23 HP to -8, and thats with an army suit).
And I suppose Jason might be a bit of a threat to someone who finds him accidentally without realizing he's where he is early on, but still, the music and intro kinda made me expect more is all

.
Edit: Went back to the hospital in my current playthrough to stock up on blue and green pills from the storage area (I had barricaded the rooms with them in it so other survivors wouldn't nab them)... Place was basically empty save a couple zombie patients and doctors and everything was splattered with blood and vomit... And damn did the music give me the chills going through there, especially that whole EKG lead in.