No Tears in Hell

This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Scott Motisko. Now knowing that this was an independent horror film that was a wide 2025 release, that was something I was interested in seeing. I like to round out my end of year lists. Other than confirming this was in genre, I did come into this one blind.

Synopsis: in Alaska's winter darkness, a mother and son transform their house into a nightmare, drawing people in for nefarious reasons.

Now we start this off with voice-over narration. We will come back to it as well. The voice is Alex's (Luke Baines). He gives insight into how capitalism is causing the area he is from to struggle, pushing it into poverty. These recurring ramblings will also attempt to justify different things as well. I'll be honest, I didn't necessarily know that this was taking place in Alaska. It makes sense as we get into the thick of the story and is fitting as well.

It then takes us to meet Alex. He seems to be running a little trading post in this homeless camp. He trades cigarettes and one guy tries to get one from him. He refuses, due to him not having anything to trade. Instead, he does have a different offer. Alex is going to rob a nearby apartment. If this guy has a friend, they can do it together, splitting the haul. This is a set up though as he kills both guys.

Alex, with the help of his mother (Gwen Van Dam), disposes of bodies and she even helps lure victims. One is Patricia (Gabriella Westwood) who gets brought back to Alex's apartment. Another man, suspicious of the disappearances, contacts the police, but without last names, their help is limited. He also tried to convince Patricia not to go back, to no avail.

Things then all change when mother and Alex encounter Vicky (Tatjana Marjanovic) and Trish (Audrey Neal) at the local store. They're not the normal homeless people they target. They have families and people to come looking for them. Alex gets sloppy, his mother notices it and warns him. How long can he hide what he is doing before it becomes too much?

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is that this begins with the line 'Based on a True Story'. Now that made me roll my eyes until the end where there is text explaining this. This is loosely based on the Russian serial killer Alexander Spesitsev, who killed from 1991 to 1996. Moving this from Russia to Alaska makes sense. It does seem where things end up in this story were pulled directly from what happened in the true story. It also seems elements of what this mother and son duo did were inspirations.

Using a true story can be sensitive. Inspiration from Spesitsev is fine, but his actions involved targeting women and children with torture and rape. Setting the film in impoverished Alaska makes sense. The film humanizes Alex slightly, showing him as having more than the homeless, but also his monstrous side as he doesn't see them as people. This is a delicate balance, since there are real victims and families of them.

Let's shift over to filmmaking aspects as I think that's where the overall product shines. The brutal, realistic effects were great. It made me cringe to see Alex torturing his victims. There's something I'll come back with but seeing him toy with them as well is something that makes you feel uncomfortable. You can see despair setting in. The cinematography and framing were good there. I'd also say that the sound design and music fit what was needed. If I have a gripe, this runs too long. Being over one hundred minutes wasn't needed in my opinion. Editing down to 90 minutes makes this work better.

All that is left then would be the acting. The film is a character study of Alex, showcasing his abuse by his father (Ilir Fiora) and his mother's (Van Dam/Kathy Butler Sandvoss) initial powerlessness, followed by her empowering him against bullying. John McDonald plays the younger Alex, and together with Baines, they effectively portray the tortured character, making his actions understandable, though not justified. Marjanovic as Vicky and Neal as Trish, also perform well. The victims convincingly convey fear during attacks. Overall, the acting performances are solid.

In conclusion, this offers a chilling and unsettling dive into the monstrous actions of a mother-son duo, loosely inspired by real-life events. While it navigates a delicate line with its humanizing elements for Alex, the film excels in its technical execution, particularly with its brutal and realistic effects, compelling cinematography, and fitting sound design. Despite a slight issue with pacing, the strong performances from Baines, Van Dam and the supporting cast elevate this character study. It's a film that aims to make you uncomfortable and largely succeeds.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

This is NOT your run a the mill true crime. Based on a true story and truly raw when it gets started. Weak stomachs look away there is no talking around what's happening you are gonna witness and feel it. The main character is like something from a much older film. He makes you want to hate him for being who he is. Yes I know it's a role he fills it out perfectly. Make sure to wait till the end and read the truths about the case and the killer.

"No Tears in Hell" tells the story of Alex and his mother, who live in Alaska. Alex hunts and kills homeless people, and his mother assists him in covering up the crimes, going to the lengths of eating his victims. But Alex's mania goes awry when he sets his eyes on two college students who, like his mother says, will "have people coming to look for them"...

"No Tears in Hell" is inspired by the story of the "Siberian Ripper," Alexander Spesivtsev and his mother. And it is a brutal, harrowing gut punch of a movie. There is no humor in it, the violence is graphic and "in your face." I was incredibly impressed with just about everything in the film, the acting, sound, pacing, filming... everything is top-notch and delivers a movie that you will feel after it's done.

Solid recommendation from me. If you want a campy, "fun" horror flick, steer clear. But if you're ready for a brutal, no-holds-barred horror film, check it out.

Living in a small Aslaksan town, a man and his mother concoct a scam to get through life under the pretense of being sellers of illicit content for others as a pretense to lure them back to their apartment so they can kill and eat them, eventually drawing a detective onto their trail.

This was a severely disappointing though still watchable genre outing. Among the only things going for this one is the brutality and depravity of what's going on, from the torturing of the victims and the aftermath of the situation. The sense of normality that emerges from how they target, seduce, and begin ripping them to pieces with a sense of satisfaction throughout their operations, they carry out, taking out various street peddlers, homeless people, and other types before brutally dismembering and serving up body parts as they go along, makes everything feel grimy and disturbing. With the protracted gore in the kills and how the whole thing goes into a depraved tone with relative ease, there are some likable factors to his one. Beyond that, though, this one does manage to stumble quite a bit with one of the least interesting and charismatic killers ever. That stumbles the film significantly, where it doesn't make anything he does all that interesting, going around a community not doing much to hide his proclivities, yet never managing to get caught merely to keep the plot moving. He doesn't have any sympathetic quirks or doses of humanity that are necessary to help draw one away from the inhumane acts that are being committed, yet none of that occurs here, as it just moves from one scam to another in a slew of grimy seduction scenes, bland voiceover narration, and body parts. That keeps it feeling dull and uninteresting for quite a long stretch, holding it down all the more.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Nudity.