Hellbent
(TLA Region 2 PAL DVD - Screener)
(2005)
review by Head Cheeze

In 1980, Al Pacino and William Friedkin teamed up for that decade’s most controversial film; the crime drama, Cruising, in which Pacino portrayed Steve Burns, a rookie cop recruited to go under cover into the New York “rough trade” community to flush out a serial killer preying on young gay men. The film got a brutal reception, with many theaters refusing to carry it, while activists protested outside of the ones that did. It’s a shame, because Crusing is actually a very dark, disturbing, and brilliantly acted film, with a stunning finale that leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. Sadly, people at that time just weren’t ready for that “sort of thing”.

Flash forward twenty five years. Openly gay performers have their own talk shows. Gay networks have popped up on cable systems all over the country. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is one of the top-rated cable series on television, while Showtime’s Queer as Folk and HBO’s Six Feet Under continue to push the boundaries in their depiction of the life and sexual conquests of single gay men. It seems that audiences have softened their stance, and now filmmakers and writers whose works were once thought taboo are now finally being brought into the mainstream.

They’re here, they’re queer…get over it.

So with the new horror flick, Hellbent- touted as the first “gay” slasher film- we are introduced to a world in which the festive atmosphere of West Hollywood’s annual Halloween Carnival serves as a backdrop for a series of brutal slayings.

Eddie (Fergus) is a paper pusher at the local precinct whose dreams of following in his father’s footsteps as a policeman were crushed by an accident that damaged his vision. When Eddie is offered the chance to do some actual police work- albeit just warning revelers at this evening’s Halloween Carnival about the previous night’s gruesome double homicide in the local park- Eddie jumps at the chance. He dons his father’s old uniform, and heads to the carnival with his friends Joey, Chaz, and Tobey. The four men encounter a shadowy figure in the park en route to the festivities- a huge man in a devil’s mask- and lob a few harmless insults in his direction before moving on toward the massive street party. However, the man in the Devil mask is never far behind, and, as the friends get separated, the killer picks them off one by one.
While Hellbent adheres to all of the basics of Slasher 101, the characters and locales make for a refreshing change of pace.

Director Paul Etheredge-Ouzts, obviously a student of the genre, creates a world awash with moody, vibrant colours, deep, dark shadow, and drenches it with lush atmosphere. He also uses his location, especially the actual footage of the Carnival, to great effect, as his antagonist walks the streets unnoticed amongst the other costumed revelers, creating a sense that, even in a crowd of thousands, our heroes are very much alone.

The production values are very high, with solid performances all around, and some great gore effects. Etheredge-Ouzts stages some great kill scenes here, and the impact of them is heightened by the fact that we grow to care about these likeable characters, as these aren’t the one-dimensional victims we’ve grown accustomed to. I also liked the fact that there is no backstory explaining the killer’s motives, nor is there any sort of revelation as to who he is or why he does what he does; this is just a silent killer who kills because he likes to, and that is fine by me.

People who have issues with homosexuality will obviously have issues with this film, as Hellbent is unflinching in its depiction of the gay lifestyle. There are a few scenes in which men kiss other men, sexual acts are alluded to, and, while it features no more nudity than any other film of its kind, the skin on display here is predominantly male. Personally, it doesn’t phase me one way or the other, but I know plenty of folks who refuse to even watch HBO’s OZ for fear they may be blinded by the sight of some con’s dick swinging in the breeze.

So, if the thought of this sort of thing bothers you, then you should probably skip over Hellbent. However, open-minded viewers will be rewarded with one of the most entertaining and ferociously original slashers to come along in quite some time.

Hellbent arrives on UK DVD courtesy of TLA Releasing, & is their first foray into the horror genre. The anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer is pretty damned good if the preview copy is anything to go by, whilst audio is Dolby 5.1 (the preview copy was only Dolby 2.0 but pretty good nonetheless). Sadly the extras were not available for review, but it boasts a featurette entitled “Backlot”, plus a trailer.