HellBent (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Paul Etheredge

Writer:

Paul Etheredge (writer)

Release Date:

22 February 2006 (France)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

When The Night Belongs To The Devil, The Party Goes To Hell.

Plot:

Halloween in West Hollywood, two guys making out in a park are interrupted by a serial killer. Later that night, a group of gay kids decide to visit to the site of the murders.

Plot Keywords:

West Hollywood | Halloween | Killer | Gay | Murder

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Dylan Fergus	...	Eddie
Bryan Kirkwood	...	Jake
Hank Harris	...	Joey
Andrew Levitas	...	Chaz
Matt Phillips	...	Tobey
Samuel Phillips	...	Mikey
Kris Andersson	...	Drag Queen
Jazzmun	...	Main Drag Queen
Shaunt Benjamin	...	Police Officer (as Shaun Benjamin)
Wren T. Brown	...	Police Captain
Miguel Angel Caballero	...	Jorge (as Miguel Caballero)
Nick Collins	...	Queen No. 2
Blake Davis	...	Frat Guy
Jerry Farmer	...	Tattoo Artist
Rafael Feldman	...	Friend

Also Known As:

Untitled Thriller (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, sexual content, language and drug use.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Australia:MA (2006)

Company:

Sneak Preview Entertainment

Trivia:

MeatLocker, the fetish club featured in the movie, is in reality a church. When filming ran late on Saturday night, the crew had to race to remove all the hanging rubber corpses before Sunday service.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Joey is being placed on the table during the concert scene, the legs on his jeans are covered in fake blood. In the next shot, the pants are clean and they start to pretend to cut him up with the fake chainsaws.

Quotes:

EMT Guy: [wheeling the killer away on a stretcher] Relax, this guy's about as dangerous as a carrot.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Glitter Awards (2006) (V)

The first gay slasher film--too bad it's not really good

Being a gay man and a horror movie fan I was really looking forward to seeing this...but it's really not that good.

Film begins with two men making out in a car--until they are attacked and beheaded by a guy in a Satan suit. The next day is Halloween and four gay friends are attending the party in West Hollywood. They all fit the typical slasher film stereotypes: the nice guy (Dylan Fergus); the innocent, nervous guy (Hank Harris); the party animal (Andrew Levitas) and the one who wants to be loved for his mind NOT his body (Matt Phillps as a drag queen). While getting there they make fun of the guy in the Devil costume. During the night he stalks them...and kills them one by one. Who is he and why is he doing this? Don't bother asking--the film doesn't tell you!

The film is beautifully shot (some VERY nice images here) and the murder scenes are very gory and well-done. Also the actors were hired for their looks and bodies--but they're really pretty good! Fergus is handsome and likable; Harris is a little TOO nerdy; Levitas is drop dead gorgeous with a GREAT body...but overdoes it a little; Phillips is excellent as the drag queen--he looks stunning as a woman AND a guy. Also they are joined by Bryan Kirkwood who's pretty bad. He's obviously straight and seems uncomfortable. But there's two BIG problems with the film--the script and dialogue.

The script is chockful of stupid moments--someone is killed on a crowded dance floor...and nobody notices; the killer magically appears everywhere his victims are; we never find out who he is or why he's doing this. One one hand I thought thought this might be a tribute to the stupid 80s slasher films which were ALSO full of stupid incidents. On the other hand I thought---is that something we should pay tribute to? And the dialogue is just dreadful--no gay man (or straight man) talks like these guys.

But, all in all, it was fun seeing a slasher film with gay men and showing off some nice partial nudity (no frontal but the guys are shirtless 90% of the time and there is a group butt shot). I'm giving this an 8 because the guys were just incredible and gave good performances...but I can't say I loved this.

Recommended for gay men and horror movie fans who have no problem with gay guys. There's also plenty of room for a sequel. Let's hope there is one--with a better plot and dialogue.