Hellbent

Hellbent is the first gay slasher movie and it's great fun. The guys look great, there's a cute love story, the killer looks extremely sexy and there are some really gory scenes. The characters are nicely developed before some of them are killed. So you really care a bit about them, and that's more than you can say of most horror movies. Evidently it follows the rules of the slasher movie (the ten little Indians-scenario, the killer-behind-the door, etc.), but still it works. Sometimes the characters act just a bit too stupid, but that's just a minor point. I think that the ratings are really much too low, it's just a good slasher with some genuine scary moments. A great movie for a Saturday night.

Some may feel that queer cinema was due for a slasher film. But what is the point really? It's no longer enough for me to see a film only because it features attractive men with hot bodies. What about story? Character development? Acting? Are these not important?

The premise of this film is as follows. A psycho killer stalks a group of gay friends on Halloween night. That's it. More frustrating is the fact that at the end, the audience is given no indication as to who the killer is or why he did what he did. Honestly, if these were straight characters, would such an unoriginal film get released or even made for that matter? There wasn't even much humor in the film to make the excessive gore easier to take. I especially disliked the scene in the bathroom where the most likable character was beheaded right after he expressed his happiness about getting a phone number from a guy he liked.

So now we have our gay slasher film. A step forward or a step backward?

I can't deny that this movie had its problems, but I really did enjoy it. They managed to make me really care about the main characters so then when one of the guys is getting stalked I'm routing for him REALLY hard. They did great things to heighten the tension... I was FREAKING OUT in a lot of parts. Also, despite what the other guy on here said, I think they did some cool things with the directing and the shots. Actually the ONLY thing that made me really angry was the lack of reveal and discovery at the end... kind of aggravating, but altogether I'd say, if you like slasher flicks, this one's got tension and blood galore! Rent it, what've you got to lose? ... 3 bucks?

As a longtime slasher fan, I'm always looking forward to a new entry in one of my favorite sub-genres. When I first heard about this one, I was wary. Not because it was a gay slasher film, but because I was worried that the characters weren't going to be portrayed as real people, but rather caricatures of gay stereotypes. In order for a slasher film to succeed, you need to believe the victims... and thankfully, with Hellbent, I did.

What I got in this film was a really solid slasher flick that was really fun from beginning to end, with beautiful cinematography, plentiful gore, and a very fun locale. While the killer has no direct motive, it works within the context of the story and the movie never gets bogged down with pacing problems.

The characters, while an eclectic bunch, are all believable and keep the story moving along. While the occasional stereotype shows up, one gets the feeling that these are real people in a real situation, which is refreshing. The fact that the central characters are gay quits being a gimmick after the opening scene.

Judging from other reviews here, it appears as though a lot of people didn't care for this film, but I really did have a good time with it. Its funny, gory, and entertaining - which is all I ever ask of my slasher movies. People wanting high cinema should look somewhere else... but if you want high cinema, you probably aren't a slasher fan anyways.

Surely it couldn't be the first. But even if it is the "first gay slasher" it's just as bad as the last few slashers I saw for the breeder crowd. I hope the 2nd, 3rd and all subsequent gay slashers are better than this. I've seen better production values on an episode of "Degrassi Junior High." Not scary, suspenseful or even funny. And it seems that gay characters (even when created by gay men) can only be X-takin', circuit-party-frequentin', bathroom-stall-sex-havin' pretty boys. It's kinda tiresome. But hey - what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and if you're gonna have one-dimensional characters in a movie like "I Know What You Did Last Summer," why not have them in this one?