The movie was okay at best, keeping in mind the budget was only $250,000. The opening moments show the beauty of Saipan and how vivid it is, making you have the feeling of being in an exotic place since the camera work, photography and overall coverage was very well shot. The story takes place around a development team researching a location for a new five-star resort and the team arrive to meet their contact Alan (Simon Phillips), a local land seller along with the comic relief assistant, Pepe. There are a few comedic moments with Pepe involved that lowered the tone of the film and portrayed him as a joke and the planning team along with Alan cleverly depicting the need to domesticate and develop every wild and untouched location across the globe for profit.
While surveying the property they discover something unusual and the decide to go and have a look to see what it is. Once they arrive they discover an entrance to a world war two bunker. Since the bunker was conveniently built on ancient burial grounds, this serves as the plot for the team becoming trapped in the bunker as things turn more "terrifying" as they are faced with the torment of their past, all the guilt and sins they have committed come to life and serve as their fear and danger while they are trapped in the bunker. This is where the character development is supposed to take place and we learn about them. However, this is where the story falls apart. They soon discover an old man (Doug Jones) who is tall thin and scary looking, as he lunges at Alan, he panics and pushes the man into the wall who hits his head and dies shortly after. Once he dies a loud earthquake like shaking happens and the team pass out, waking to discover they are trapped in the bunker. It is at this point I figured out the ending and things got worse.
The set design was fairly good, however for a horror movie, things just seemed too well-lit and wooden to add anything to the fear factor many horror movies create. This is often a crucial element to add suspense and drama to those dark corridors and rooms, but since it was very well lit it made the encounters somewhat predictable. At some points you can see the seams in the set which could have been hidden had it been a little darker. As the team wander around aimlessly making totally illogical choices in the bunker trying to find a way out.
The creature effects and makeup was very good and for a movie that does not use CGI, it was very effective. The downfall, was that we just don't see enough of the "creatures" and their scenes are often very short, shaky or just a glimpse. The majority of the movie was spent wandering around a bunker looking for clues and the need for thrills or fear without jump- scares was too few. When I think of many films I think of the fear they invoke, the torment and suspense that builds up and the sudden adrenaline rushes you get from when the movie goes into overdrive. Gehenna unfortunately did not have much of this.
The acting, especially by Sean Sprawling was simple awful. Not one character really stood out and the actors playing them felt wooden and too artificial. Some characters were all unique, such as Alan being a bit of a sadistic bully and Pepe the lacky comic relief some you can like and most you will hate. There were often moments of social tension between them as the plot unfolds and the story goes on. This is often a very important aspect of movies. When you can relate to a character and understand them it often serves as the key ingredient when they are in danger, suffering or facing death. This builds a bond between the viewer and the characters. The characters were often more like typical horror stereotypes, The fearless leader holding the team together, the loyal gentleman trying to do the right thing, the young scared boy, the nasty bully and of course the comic relief. Gehenna tries to build the characters on many levels, but the direction in which the character's past unfolds left parts too vague that you cannot connect with the characters which in turn ruins the atmosphere when the team are in the face of mortal danger. If you think about a lot of horror movies it gives you key insight into the character's past and current state that serves as the bond between understanding the character and the tension when they are in danger. There are many flashbacks to support the history of the tunnel, the location in which they were built, but when it comes to the characters it is simply too vague. As they are haunted by their past "demons" while they wander around the bunker, most of the time you do not know why they are being haunted or what happened to cause their guilt and pain. An opening scene in the movie serves as a reference for one character, but it was too short and vague to make any sense at the earlier stage of the movie. Later in the movie you learn why, but for the rest of the victims it serves no benefit.
Gehenna is overall a an average B movie for the budget it had and for first time director, Hiroshi Katagiri. The performances were not too bad and the brief scenes from Lance Henrikson and Doug Jones are well used, albeit very, very short. Had the film had more push, urgency and suspense it would have been a much better final product. For those who like horror movies but are a little squeamish of them this film would be fine. It is not scary and has some good moments that will make you cringe, but do not expect extreme fear or suspense.
While surveying the property they discover something unusual and the decide to go and have a look to see what it is. Once they arrive they discover an entrance to a world war two bunker. Since the bunker was conveniently built on ancient burial grounds, this serves as the plot for the team becoming trapped in the bunker as things turn more "terrifying" as they are faced with the torment of their past, all the guilt and sins they have committed come to life and serve as their fear and danger while they are trapped in the bunker. This is where the character development is supposed to take place and we learn about them. However, this is where the story falls apart. They soon discover an old man (Doug Jones) who is tall thin and scary looking, as he lunges at Alan, he panics and pushes the man into the wall who hits his head and dies shortly after. Once he dies a loud earthquake like shaking happens and the team pass out, waking to discover they are trapped in the bunker. It is at this point I figured out the ending and things got worse.
The set design was fairly good, however for a horror movie, things just seemed too well-lit and wooden to add anything to the fear factor many horror movies create. This is often a crucial element to add suspense and drama to those dark corridors and rooms, but since it was very well lit it made the encounters somewhat predictable. At some points you can see the seams in the set which could have been hidden had it been a little darker. As the team wander around aimlessly making totally illogical choices in the bunker trying to find a way out.
The creature effects and makeup was very good and for a movie that does not use CGI, it was very effective. The downfall, was that we just don't see enough of the "creatures" and their scenes are often very short, shaky or just a glimpse. The majority of the movie was spent wandering around a bunker looking for clues and the need for thrills or fear without jump- scares was too few. When I think of many films I think of the fear they invoke, the torment and suspense that builds up and the sudden adrenaline rushes you get from when the movie goes into overdrive. Gehenna unfortunately did not have much of this.
The acting, especially by Sean Sprawling was simple awful. Not one character really stood out and the actors playing them felt wooden and too artificial. Some characters were all unique, such as Alan being a bit of a sadistic bully and Pepe the lacky comic relief some you can like and most you will hate. There were often moments of social tension between them as the plot unfolds and the story goes on. This is often a very important aspect of movies. When you can relate to a character and understand them it often serves as the key ingredient when they are in danger, suffering or facing death. This builds a bond between the viewer and the characters. The characters were often more like typical horror stereotypes, The fearless leader holding the team together, the loyal gentleman trying to do the right thing, the young scared boy, the nasty bully and of course the comic relief. Gehenna tries to build the characters on many levels, but the direction in which the character's past unfolds left parts too vague that you cannot connect with the characters which in turn ruins the atmosphere when the team are in the face of mortal danger. If you think about a lot of horror movies it gives you key insight into the character's past and current state that serves as the bond between understanding the character and the tension when they are in danger. There are many flashbacks to support the history of the tunnel, the location in which they were built, but when it comes to the characters it is simply too vague. As they are haunted by their past "demons" while they wander around the bunker, most of the time you do not know why they are being haunted or what happened to cause their guilt and pain. An opening scene in the movie serves as a reference for one character, but it was too short and vague to make any sense at the earlier stage of the movie. Later in the movie you learn why, but for the rest of the victims it serves no benefit.
Gehenna is overall a an average B movie for the budget it had and for first time director, Hiroshi Katagiri. The performances were not too bad and the brief scenes from Lance Henrikson and Doug Jones are well used, albeit very, very short. Had the film had more push, urgency and suspense it would have been a much better final product. For those who like horror movies but are a little squeamish of them this film would be fine. It is not scary and has some good moments that will make you cringe, but do not expect extreme fear or suspense.