Bloody Hell is a 2020 Australian horror comedy film directed by Alister Grierson and written by Robert Benjamin (in his screenwriting debut). It tells the story of a man with a mysterious past who flees from his homeland to escape his own personal hell - to unknowingly experience something even more sinister and hellish. The film stars Ben O'Toole, Caroline Craig and Matthew Sunderland.
| Bloody Hell | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Alister Grierson |
| Screenplay by | Robert Benjamin |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Brad Shield |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Brian Cachia |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Entertainment Squad The Horror Collective |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 min |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $60,283[1][2] |
The film premiered in Australia on October 8, 2020,[3] and in the United States a day later at the Nightstream Film Festival.[4]
Plot edit
Rex Coen, an American veteran, visits a bank to see a teller on whom he has a crush. While the two are flirting, a group of armed robbers storm the bank. With the help of his subconscious, which he sees as an external entity, Rex kills the group of robbers and saves everyone except one bystander who is accidentally shot.
Despite his heroics, Rex is sent to trial for the bystander who was killed and he takes a plea deal to serve eight years in prison. After harassment from the media upon his release, Rex decides to vacation to Finland and upon arriving is kidnapped by a conspicuous couple who films him in the airport. He awakens with one of his legs amputated and his hands bound to the ceiling. He works with his subconscious entity to discern that he is being held captive by a family of cannibals. The family consists of the father; the mother; the uncle; the daughter, Alia; the youngest brother, Olaf; the monstrously deformed eldest brother, Pati; and twin brothers who almost always appear wearing masks.
When he comes downstairs out of curiosity late that night, Rex takes Olaf hostage and tries to convince Alia to let him go. The noise attracts the family, and as he is threatening to kill Olaf unless he is set free, Rex's strength fails him and he drops the child. As the parents take Olaf to the hospital to treat his wounds, Alia tends to Rex, confessing that she likes him while explaining her family's ways.
Alia explains that her cannibalistic family, particularly Pati, kidnap American tourists to eat and that Rex is the latest victim. Alia is an outcast due to her non-violent tendencies and has been forced to be Pati's feeder. Driven by compassion, Alia gives Rex a knife for defense. When the family comes back, Rex kills the uncle with the knife and escapes the room. He then kills the father and both of the twins with a nailgun while Alia strangles her mother. The commotion draws out Pati, and in the ensuing struggle, Rex kills him with the sharp bone of his own amputated leg that he discovers in the family fridge.
As he and Alia escape and make plans to pick up Olaf from the hospital, Rex is praised by his subconscious entity, who realizes he is no longer needed and disappears. Alia and Rex return to America as a couple with Olaf. At a housewarming party, Alia suddenly imagines killing a guest who seems to be flirting with Rex and Olaf looks at a photo of his former family and muses aloud that it may be time for an "American banquet." In the final shot, a third brother is shown in the photo, implying the twins are actually triplets, and another member of the family is still alive.
Cast edit
- Ben O'Toole as Rex Coen
- Caroline Craig as Mother
- Matthew Sunderland as Father
- Travis Jeffery as Gael / Gideon
- Jack Finsterer as Uncle
- Meg Fraser as Alia
- David Hill as Olli
- Joshua Brennan as Pete
- Ashlee Lollback as Maddy
- Sophia Emberson-Bain as Olivia
- Russ Gallagher as Robert Bell
Release edit
Bloody Hell was selected at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea, held in July 2021. It was showcased in the World Fantastic Red section of the festival.[5]
Reception edit
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 91% based on reviews from 56 critics. The site's critic consensus reads, "For genre fans in the mood to watch some darkly funny mayhem, Bloody Hell lives up to its title in all the best ways."[6][7][8][9]
Accolades edit
Brad Shield was nominated on his work for best cinematography at the 10th AACTA Awards.[10] At the 2021 APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards, composer Brian Cachia won Best Film Score of the Year.[11] It was also nominated for a Golden Trailer award for best motion poster.[12]
References edit
- ^ "Bloody Hell (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "Bloody Hell (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "Australian Horror Film 'Bloody Hell' Movie Hopes For A 3-Film Franchise + Acquires Distribution Deal". Mother of Movies. April 22, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Nightstream Film Fest: Bloody Hell (2020)". Morbidly Beautiful. October 9, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2021". Bifan.kr. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "Bloody Hell". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ DeFore, John (14 January 2021). "'Bloody Hell': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ NOEL MURRAY (14 January 2021). "Review: Freaky shenanigans abound in overstuffed dark comedy 'Bloody Hell'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Bugbee, Teo (14 January 2021). "'Bloody Hell' Review: An Acrid Thriller Bites Off Too Much". The New York Times.
- ^ "AACTA Awards | AACTA". www.aacta.org. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Congratulations to the 2021 Screen Music Awards winners". APRA AMCOS Australia. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
- ^ Grierson, Alister (2021-01-14), Bloody Hell (Action, Comedy, Horror), Eclectik Vision, Entertainment Squad, Heart Sleeve Productions, retrieved 2022-06-25
External links edit
- Bloody Hell at IMDb
- Bloody Hell at AllMovie
