HellBent (2004)

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 | Gay | Killer | 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:

Tattoo Woman: [after Eddie asks to put up a poster in the shop] Knock yourself out.

Movie Connections:

References Scream (1996/I)

First Ever Gay Slasher Flick Hits It's Mark!

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!