Bloody Hell

Some genre films not only manage to exceed all our expectations but also to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout the story without any false notes and especially by offering us an original script, numerous jubilant scenes but also to discover a new director who has a real gift for storytelling. After several short films (Flight (2004), Bomb (2005)), Bloody Hell is Alister Grierson's new film after Kokoda (2006), Sanctum (2011) and Tiger (2018) and certainly his best to date. A true cinematic experience and a vibrant tribute to genre films, Bloody Hell perfectly mixes action film, horror comedy and somehow romantic film with this anti-hero par excellence reminding us in some ways of both John McClane (the nod to Die Hard is perfectly brought out) but also Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams with some clearly presented connections. One can never stress enough the importance in a genre film of paying attention not only to the characters but also to the rhythm and Bloody Hell could almost impose itself as a masterpiece of the genre as it constantly manages to amaze us and to juggle between the genres and give life to a character who is not only endearing but who seems to be marked by an extraordinary bad luck due to not being able to master his powerful survival instinct.

From the very first minutes, we discover the main character, Rex Coen (Ben O'Toole) who finds himself taken hostage in a bank by several criminals. Listening only to his courage, he manages not only to oppose them but also to settle their account once and for all while hitting on one of the bankers and saving her life. Unfortunately, his destructive rage for survival led him to commit an unforgivable mistake and led him to spend eight years in prison and at the same time become a local star for his indisputable courage and the violence he had to resort to to turn the situation around. His action having been filmed, he became a social network star in spite of himself and even eight years after the fact, when he was released from prison, the press seems to take a malicious pleasure in highlighting him in tabloids.

However Rex Coen only wants to live normally and his treatment to hold out has brought him to create a double of himself that is unreal but which seems to communicate with him (some scenes of the film thus refer us to the character of Ash in Evil Dead to our great pleasure). Determined to rebuild his life, Rex Coen decides to leave his city of Boise (Idaho) to seek refuge in Finland but once again bad luck will play against him and he will find himself taken hostage and tied up in a cellar of a family of psychopaths living in Helsinki. With only himself and the daughter, Alia (Meg Fraser) of the family to rely on, Rex Coen will have to save not only his life this time, but also that of the latter.

If Bloody Hell imposes itself as a real success, it is not only because Robert Benjamin's script is so efficient but also because the casting is perfectly elaborated and allows Ben O'Toole to find a role that is tailor-made and that has all the chances to catch the attention of the big Hollywood studios. After the successful and original Nekrotronic (2018) and supporting roles in Hollywood movies, he not only shows that he has all the qualities to be a hero in an action movie but also proves to be perfect in the comedy scenes of the movie. The humor here helps to mitigate the many gory effects of this film and above all shows us a real cultural contrast between Finland and the United States. It is certain that after seeing this movie, we will tend not to want to go to this country because the welcome of the people doesn't seem curiously attractive.

Bloody Hell also succeeds where many genre films fail because it shows once again that it is not the budget of a film that necessarily makes it successful but the commitment of a film's team to give the best of themselves. We will also appreciate the presence of actress Meg Fraser who proves to be an excellent and memorable scream queen whose courage and strength to survive will leave no one indifferent. After discovering this movie in excellent conditions, we can only advise you to watch it because it has every chance of coming as cult as the dead Evil of which he is one of the best descendants.

Bloody Hell
Directed by Alister Grierson
Produced by Joshua Paul, Brett Thornquest
Written by Robert Benjamin
Starring Ben O'Toole, Caroline Craig, Matthew Sunderland, Travis Jeffery, Jack Finsterer, Meg Fraser, Ashlee Lollback
Music by Brian Cachia
Cinematography: Brad Shield
Edited by Robert Benjamin, Alister Grierson
Distributed by The Horror Collective
Release date: January 14, 2021 (United State)
Running time: 94 Minutes

Viewed on December 25, 2020 (screener press)

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