Hellbent (2004)

46% of critics liked it
(39 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(1,815 ratings)

The conventions of the slasher movie genre get a new twist in this independent horror story. It's late October, and Eddie (Dylan Fergus) aspires to be a cop on the West Hollywood Police Force's roster, though a vision problem has kept him from passing the physical. Eddie gets the assignment to look… More The conventions of the slasher movie genre get a new twist in this independent horror story. It's late October, and Eddie (Dylan Fergus) aspires to be a cop on the West Hollywood Police Force's roster, though a vision problem has kept him from passing the physical. Eddie gets the assignment to look into a grisly murder in which two men were found decapitated in a car parked on a remote lover's lane. Eddie tries to put the crime out of his mind when he heads out with three friends -- Joey (Hank Harris), Tobey (Matt Phillips), and Chaz (Andrew Levitas) -- for West Hollywood's over-the-top gay Halloween celebration. While festivity is in the air and hunky guys abound, Eddie soon discovers that the same killer he's been looking for is on the prowl at the block party, wielding a scythe and lopping off heads with aplomb. Can Eddie stop the killer before he murders his friends? And who is this fiend and what is his motivation? Hellbent received its world premiere at the 2004 San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Paul Etheredge, Paul Etheredge-Ouzts
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Sep 16, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Sep 12, 2006
Studio: Regent Releasing

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
A genre cheapie from its digital-video camerawork to its Casiotone soundtrack to its bland, buff cast, the movie is a cultural watershed in a dry gulch.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
The horror in the film is mediocre at best.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
A loyal gay audience may appreciate the novelty, but horror fans can find junk like this lining the shelves of any video store.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
The film goes through the motions familiar from mainstream slasher movies, but without an underlying logic motivating the action, the film becomes an exercise in blood-spattered boredom.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
This isn't a particularly good movie, and it's offensive in the way mid-range low-budget slasher shows usually are. But it works better than some.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Either it's a truly lousy retread of horror-movie clichés, or it's a mildly amusing sendup of them.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
By the time Etheredge-Ouzts uncorks the Suspiria-meets-Un Chant d'Amour climax, the film has snowballed enough subtext for five Robin Wood dissertations
Kam Williams, EURWeb
A typical, high body-count slasher flick except for two glaring departures from fright fare convention: (1), the black guy doesn't die first; and (2), virtually every characyer is gay.
Kam Williams, Upstage Magazine
Homo-erotic themes aside, this is otherwise a stock scary movie which rates out as an above-average example of the genre.
Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com
It's not deep and it's not unique, but HellBent approaches an oft-abused sub-genre with just enough originality and creativity to warrant some praise.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
An inadequate image and audio presentation of the one of the finer horror films to ever come out of the closet.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Elevates the conversation along its own parameters.
Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
Etheredge-Ouzts coasts on the idea that combining homosexuality with homicide is revolutionary.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
The only thing 'HellBent' proves is that in a slasher movie, homosexual victims can be as dumb as heterosexual ones. This is progress?
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com
Doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel with its narrative, but for horror fans, it's smarter than the norm and delivers a crafty little twist to the conventions of the genre.
Amanda Reyes, Film Threat
A refreshingly straight-up genre flick with lots of blood and a few nice scares along the way.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Steve K

Did taking place amid the gay scene in Hollywood make a difference with this slasher film? No, no it didn't. It spends so much time exercising the gay angle of the film that it forgets to be a slasher. Or entertaining. Pass on it.
Daniel P

A surprisingly effective slasher flick - the meagre budget often shows, but <i>Hellbent</i> has been made with a fair amount of conviction and has some very effective moments. The usual trapping and clichés of the genre are in evidence but there's some nicely skewed… More
A surprisingly effective slasher flick - the meagre budget often shows, but <i>Hellbent</i> has been made with a fair amount of conviction and has some very effective moments. The usual trapping and clichés of the genre are in evidence but there's some nicely skewed sequences. The 'First Gay Slasher' badge doesn't really add to much in and of itself except add a bit of novelty value, but there's a genius use of a character's disability in the final showdown and the leads are affable. It's also very funny in parts and nicely paced. Decent.
William G

Same old slasher, only with gay victims.
Sylvester K

Interesting setting and characters. Terrible plot and serial killer. So a serial killer that stalks this group of gay friends and killing them one by one... No motivation what so ever. It's a melodramatic slasher with some gay twists.