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:

Terri Laird, the red-haired woman in the tattoo shop, sings the song in the main title sequence.

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:

Jake: [to Eddie] You look like a pirate.

Movie Connections:

References Scream (1996/I)

Honest slasher.

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 is the characters and for once, thank God, they are not the cliché 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. "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.