VOD from the Dead - HELLKAT (2021)
From Father Karras in “The Exorcist'' to more recent examples like Marcy from “Bright Hill Road” (recently reviewed and shamelessly plugged here) it is not uncommon for a horror film to allude to literally or figuratively a struggle for salvation and/or redemption. There is of course the religious sense of redemption/salvation we see commonly in horror, but also the acts of retribution characters take against someone or something wronged (paging Ms. Vorhees). The struggle for any kind of redemption in horror films manifests either as an internal struggle or an external one, but none take this level of manifested redemption to the lengths that “HELLKAT” aspires to. The tag-line is literally “Fight your demons. Save your soul”, so the naturally remaining question is, does “HELLKAT” have a soul worth fighting for?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Katrina “HellKat” Bash (SARAH T. COHEN) is cast into what I think is Hell where the proprietor, Jimmy Scott (RYAN DAVIES) pits HellKat against a series of demonic foes that she must dispose of in order to escape. Lucky for HellKat, not so much for the rest of the fiery fight card, she was an MMA fighter before she was sent down to Hell. Along the way, HellKat makes friends with a series of other trapped soul survivors vying to fight their way out, and naturally, they band together to break free into a peaceful afterlife. Will they make it, or will they be exiled to live out the remainder of their undead days in hellish purgatory?
Katrina “HellKat” Bash (SARAH T. COHEN) having a sentimental moment between bashing demon skulls
HOW IS IT?
I really wanted to like this movie, and while there are some things it gets right, there are certain decisions that I think may take away from the overall experience. To start, the charismatic heavy of Jimmy Scott. RYAN DAVIES does a great job chewing up the scenery in every possible way from the second he arrives in the first 5 minutes. The performance is so good, that I had to look up what his name was because I can’t recall it being used a lot. To my surprise seeing it be credited as Jimmy Scott caught me off-guard. The menace on display throughout the film inferred a much higher authority than the name Jimmy Scott elicits. While this sounds like a backhanded compliment, it’s more of a missed opportunity that subtracts some from the enjoyment. If I have missed something that explained this I will stand corrected, but it’s just an interesting choice.
Another is regarding the use of CGI. I’m not the curmudgeon of technological progress or anything, but there are some really great prosthetic and practical makeup effects on display here. So the decision to use the CGI effect to sink the eyeholes of a demon wearing prosthetics again feels like a missed opportunity. Not to deviate too far astray, but in my head I could hear Warner Herzog scolding the folks on the set of “The Mandalorian” saying “TRUST YOUR PUPPET”. That’s how I felt about some of the aesthetic choices, and that’s what they are choices. For me they do not work, but for others they just might and that’s okay too. There was a clear, and in my opinion good, decision to invest a lot in the creature designs which was nice to see some variation with those, but alas some of the decisions to use CGI hamper the overall impact.
The metaphor throughout the film is quite literally the tagline of the film. It’s a serviceable enough narrative that is well acted and seemed to draw inspiration from the likes of “Gladiator”, “Mortal Kombat”, and “Thor: Ragnarok” albeit with a demonic edge. There are some attempts at making the story more personal and deep, which for me fell a bit flat. HellKat clearly made a lot of traumatic mistakes that caused her to end up committing suicide and literally fighting her personal demons in hand-to-thand combat, but again it’s the choices made with the ending that really stand out. The added layer of tragedy and darkness that surround HellKat’s circumstance are supposedly reckoned with by the films conclusion, but given the gravity of the situation, and the demon fighting being mostly literal not internal, it’s hard to buy the end the film is selling.
Jimmy Scott (RYAN DAVIES) whispers sweet nothings to Katrina “HellKat” Bash (SARAH T. COHEN) as she fights for her soul
LAST RITES
“HELLKAT” is a great concept that teeters on greatness, while also falling victim to stylistic choices that detract from the fun of the premise. While I do appreciate the efforts to make the story more tragic and human, I found myself wanting “HELLKAT” to lean more into the absurdity of the situation and not take itself so seriously.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By:
Written By:
Starring:
SARAH T. COHEN (Katrina “HellKat” Bash)
RYAN DAVIES (Jimmy Scott)
ABI CASSON THOMPSON (Salt)
FRANCES KATZ (Zombee)
RICARDO FREITAS (Freddy ‘Fish’ Bones)
Runtime:
Where can you watch it?
ON DEMAND,DVD AND DIGITAL including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Dish Network, and all major cable providers February 2, 2021(That’s NOW!)
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