HellBent

2/4

Starring: Dylan Fergus, Andrew Levitas, Matt Phillips, Hank Harris, Bryan Kirkwood

Rated R for Strong Horror Violence and Gore, Sexual Content, Language and Drug Use

I suppose it's only fair that since there are so many crappy horror movies featuring straight characters getting butchered that there be one with gay characters ending up in the morgue in various ways.  Actually, for a slasher movie that appeared to have been made for next to nothing, "HellBent" isn't half bad.  It looks like shit (not that that's an excuse..."Halloween" was made for $325,000 in 1978 dollars, which comes out to almost $1.2 million today, and that's pretty cheap), but at least writer/director Paul Etherage-Ouzts) knows how to make the most of it.  The shot selection is reasonably dynamic and there are some truly creepy scenes.

Eddie (Fergus) would be a cop had he not lost an eye in an accident.  I guess it makes sense that he's the worrywart of his group of friends.  They're going to a carnival for Halloween.  Eddie is extra cautious since the night before two gay men were brutally murdered nearby.  His friends, Tobey (Phillips), who is going in drag, Chaz (Levitas), a bisexual, and Joey (Harris), a gawky kid who is going in leather, are not so wary.  One by one, they are hunted by a mysterious man in a devil helmet carrying a nasty sickle.

Acting has never been a strong suit in the horror genre, and "HellBent" is no different (although considering how popular campy movies are in the gay community, that may be the intention).  The worst of the lot is Dylan Fergus, which is a shame since he's the protagonist.  Fergus' background is on the soap opera "Passions," and that's immediately obvious after watching him for two minutes on screen (he's cute, but untalented).  His co-stars are much better, although special mention has to be given to Matt Phillips, who's despondent plea to the killer (Matt, of course, doesn't know this yet) for some attention, earned a little of my sympathy.

Apart from the gay slant, this is a fairly ordinary slasher movie.  Characters do some amazingly stupid things, most aren't alive for the end credits, and there are gobs of gore.  None of them get naked, however, which is a hallmark of most slasher movies (pre-1990).  I suppose that's not surprising since the MPAA is so skittish about gay-themed movies (not that this movie had a chance in hell of being picked up for distribution).

"HellBent" isn't great, but compared to other horror movies, it's decent enough.

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