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"We're Here. We're
Queer. We're Slashed
From Ear To Ear." |
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Written and
Directed by Paul
Etheredge-Ouszts
Starring Dylan Fergus,
Bryan Kirkwood, Hank
Harris, Andrew Levitas
Distributed by Regent -
2005 - 85mins - Rated R |
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When the night belongs to the devil, the party goes to Hell. |
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Eddie: Two guys got
murdered in their car last night.
Chaz: Were they boning each other?
Eddie: Yes, Chaz, they were boning each other.
Chaz: Ha ha! At least they died doing it, right?
"HellBent," from writer/director Paul Etheredge-Ouszts, is currently
playing the indie circuit billed as the "First Gay Slasher Movie."
While this is certainly a marketable "calling card" destined to
attract audiences to yet another low-budget horror film, "HellBent"
is, rather surprisingly, a horrifying (if fairly predictable and
stereotypical) thriller with quite a few moments of social relevance
and insight interspersed.
"HellBent" allowed me to continue my 18-year holiday tradition of
seeing a horror film on Christmas Day. It's a quirky tradition
grounded upon my own life tragedies, and yet even as I have healed my
own loss and grief issues I find myself clinging proudly to this
favorite holiday activity.
While I am not gay, in fact, I could see myself spending Christmas
with the men featured in this film and, through strong performances
and character development (again, fairly predictable development) I
found myself caring about the men in question yet able to predict
consistently who would be the next to die.
I have several gay friends, and I saw most of them in the lives of
these men. The film centers on Eddie, played by Dylan Fergus, a young
man who works at a local Hollywood precinct whose dreams of following
in his father's footsteps as a policeman were shattered by an accident
that hurts his vision. On Halloween night in Santa Monica (essentially
a time of gay celebration), he gets the chance to do a touch of real
police work by being an official presence at the festivities along
with his buddies. Eddie is a responsible, hunky young man joined by
his butch, bisexual roommate Chaz, played by Andrew Levitas along with
Toby, a more masculine narcissistic hottie who ends up dressed in drag
played by Matt Phillips, and, finally, the insecure yet incredibly
likable Joey (Hank Harris), who is desperate to get a hunk's attention
by wearing a sex slave outfit to the festivities.
If you recognize the last name on this list, then you've pretty much
figured out my initial attraction to the film. We've previously seen
Hank Harris in one of my most beloved films, "Pumpkin," in which he
played a disabled young man who ends up involved with a sorority girl
played by Christina Ricci. That film's dark humor balanced with social
insights almost, at times, seems transferred to the horror setting of
this film and, again, Harris offers an even more surprisingly,
well-balanced performance.
While on their way to the festivities, the boys unknowingly run into a
buff, "Devil" that appears headed to the festivities. What they don't
realize, until later, is that this man had the night before brutally
murdered the couple in question in the opening quote for this review.
Thus, their few sarcastic, biting comments as they pass by the "Devil"
would seal their fate for the rest of the night.
Writer/Director, in partnership with Joseph Wolf (co-creator of
"Halloween" and Executive Producer of "Nightmare on Elm Street), has
created a film with the perfect blend of dark, almost black humor,
creating involving characters, and placing them in downright
horrifying situations. While a few mild liberties are taken with the
Santa Monica setting (EXAMPLE: including woods that don't exist),
Ouszts utilizes the city perfectly and includes scenery from 2001
Halloween night festivities.
The resolution of the film is fairly predictable, yet in many ways
itself a powerful social statement on the fate of these young men. The
reality is that "HellBent" could ultimately work without the "gay"
twist or marketing angle. It's a genuinely involving, horrifying film
that is set in the gay community and, yet, the writer/director is
smart enough to capitalize on that setting with authenticity and
clarity. Are these characters stereotypical? Yes, they are...but,
generally, these stereotypes are right on the money and can be easily
found during any Friday night visit to your local gay bar.
What makes "HellBent" work so masterfully is the clarity of vision of
Ouszts, the involvement of Wolf, strong production values (for a
low-budget), and the performances of the cast, who exhibit a
camaraderie that makes it impossible to not watch the screen as they
are imperiled and, ultimately, meeting their fates.
The killer in question is horrifying and frightening, yet oddly sexy,
when seen and could hold his own with any of our famously horrific
killers. Likewise, the violence is done with great suspense and the
film includes some of the strongest decapitation scenes witnessed in
years.
One can't help think about the phrase "scream queen" when viewing "HellBent,"
but even the campiness of that thought is what elevates this film. The
best horror films do one of two things...they either ground themselves
in frightening, stark reality OR they suspend themselves just beyond
the point of believability so that the audience can suspend judgment
and simply enjoy the festivities. Somehow, 'HellBent" manages to do
both. "HellBent" presents characters that are richly (if
stereotypically) human, inviting men (with a few stray "straights"
thrown in) and places them in both realistic and slightly unbelievable
situations in resolving their fates. The balance is perfect and the
blend is horrifying and involving.
It's been eighteen years of a holiday tradition that has brought me
some of the worst horror films created and dumped on the Christmas
holiday. However, this Christmas was special and I'll be "HellBent" to
improve upon it in future years! |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
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