Hellbent (2004) Reviews

• Honest slasher.

  cedde62006-11-11

  Four gay men are out for a night of fun at the infamous West Hollywood Halloween Carnival but make the big mistake to moon at a muscular fella wearing a horny mask. Little do they know they just provoked a serial killer who can truly hold a grudge... Make no mistake, this is classic slasher territory. The film opens with the murder of a couple making out in a car parked in the woods and from there, well I'm sure you can fill the gap. The originality here of course lies in the characters and for once, thank God, they are not the clichés one could have expected and feared. They are fun loving young men celebrating who they are (as opposed to so many miserable gay characters of the past struggling with their sexuality) and witty as hell, which makes for some funny lines here and there. Don't get me wrong though. "Hellbent" doesn't play the self referential game that most modern slashers do. At times, the movie is tense and, I must admit, the last part got me on the edge of my seat. The characters are sympathetic and humane, albeit not quite fleshed out. The movie is well shot, the acting is convincing and some death scenes are quite impressive. Sure, the plot is a bit thin but then again: it's only a slasher (hardly rocket science). Far from redefining the genre or breaking new grounds, the movie is at least honest in its intentions. "Hellbent" is actually less of a gay movie for a strictly gay audience than it is a pure pop-corn movie for any open-minded movie goer looking for a genuine good time.

• Solid slasher film with great pacing and tone

  Jim-D2008-02-01

  As a longtime slasher fan, I'm always looking forward to a new entry in one of my favorite sub-genres. When I first heard about this one, I was wary. Not because it was a gay slasher film, but because I was worried that the characters weren't going to be portrayed as real people, but rather caricatures of gay stereotypes. In order for a slasher film to succeed, you need to believe the victims... and thankfully, with Hellbent, I did. What I got in this film was a really solid slasher flick that was really fun from beginning to end, with beautiful cinematography, plentiful gore, and a very fun locale. While the killer has no direct motive, it works within the context of the story and the movie never gets bogged down with pacing problems. The characters, while an eclectic bunch, are all believable and keep the story moving along. While the occasional stereotype shows up, one gets the feeling that these are real people in a real situation, which is refreshing. The fact that the central characters are gay quits being a gimmick after the opening scene. Judging from other reviews here, it appears as though a lot of people didn't care for this film, but I really did have a good time with it. Its funny, gory, and entertaining - which is all I ever ask of my slasher movies. People wanting high cinema should look somewhere else... but if you want high cinema, you probably aren't a slasher fan anyways.

• First Ever Gay Slasher Flick Hits It's Mark!

  augiedog2004-07-31

  I saw Hellbent near the end of the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. I'm so glad I saw it when I did - it was a super finale to the film festival. Hellbent is great fun, probably the most fun I've had in years during a horror flick. It delivers on all counts - it's scary as hell (sorry, I couldn't resist!), gruesome in a couple of well placed scenes, and funny without weakening the tension. In fact, it's one of the scariest films I've seen in quite some time. In addition, the action revolves around five hunky gay men who are pursued by the psycho slasher - a refreshing and welcome change. Four gay men go out in West Hollywood on Halloween night to have a good time, unaware that the previously mentioned psycho slasher has his eye on them. The boys party like only gay men can, and one of them talks to another hunk that he's seen around who joins them. One by one the boys are picked off until the final confrontation. What makes this film differ from others in the horror/slasher genre is the concentration on and the respect for the characters of the film. Paul Etheredge-Ouzts develops well-fleshed characters for the film, giving the performers much to work with in the story. The cast is terrific, in addition to being great to look at. Matt Phillips is particularly effective, funny and even touching, showing the vulnerability of his character even through drag. I had the opportunity to meet Paul Etheredge-Ouzts and Matt Phillips at the film festival. I was fortunate to be able to compliment them on their great work for Hellbent. I hope to see Hellbent again soon when it's released on a national scale. It's great fun - and I'll be looking for Hellbent 2 soon!

• a welcomed return to the slasher genre

  mattbrat2005-02-23

  We screened this film at the reelout queer film festival in Kingston last month. The producers wouldn't send us a preview copy of the movie, ensuring us that it was of fine quality and would pack the seats. Well they were right. I'm a huge slasher buff and prefer the old school 70s/early 80s style slice and dice flicks to the lame self-referential ones today. Maybe it was the graininess of the 35mm print the studio sent, but I felt like I was watching a film made during that era. The film wasn't at all camp, (something one naturally would expect from a gay horror movie) in fact, it was pretty darn intense. And the creators of the film were damn smart to write sympathetic characters we could relate to. This movie shouldn't be classified as a "gay" movie, anyone who enjoys slasher flicks with likable characters to cheer on will enjoy it. I hope it becomes available on DVD soon and look forward to the inevitable sequel HellBent... er?

• Pleasantly Surprised

  iliterate22007-01-21

  I rented this movie last night with friends and at first we were looking for a really bad movie with half naked men in it....actually looking for a homo-erotic horror by David DeCouteau.....what we found was Hellbent.....A really good horror movie....I got scared....it wasn't too campy it wasn't over the top gay....though as in most horror movies the characters sometimes do things...well quite often do things that make you say "why are you parking there?"...or .."Don't go near him."...it was just a group of gay guys ( very attractive gay guys) being stalked and I thought it was great. I'd recommend it to any horror fan looking for a good slasher flick....the acting is decent and the effects are very well done.