BLOODY HELL – A Review by John Strange
Rex (Ben O’Toole) has a thing for Maddy (Ashlee Lollback), a teller at his bank. With a little finagling, he can be waited on by the woman he wants to date. Just as he is about to lock in a date, bank robbers storm the bank, killing the bank’s guard!
At this point, the standard storyline takes a hard left! Rex does a great job wiping out the bandits and saving everyone until his “inner voice” talks him into one shot too many.
That voice, who we can see (played by Ben as well), gives Rex ideas but not always great advice. That advice gets him eight years in prison.
Following his release, he heads to Finland where he figures he’ll be safe from the idiots and paparazzi. Safe… in a horror movie. Yeah, right.
Bloody Hell is listed as an “action-packed horror-comedy”. The writer used bits from many other related films to flavor this scary romp into coocoo-ville. From the odd brother in Goonies (gone horribly wrong) to Ash (Bruce Campbell’s character) from Evil Dead, there are similarities to other horror flicks everywhere you look. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a thing.
I have to admit that with the glut of horror movies, I was reticent to watch this film. The PR rep asked me to watch it anyway. I’m still not sure I am glad he did, as it is… different, for sure.
This film has all the earmarks of a potential classic. That is, for horror-buffs. For the average movie-goer, it’s an interesting film that they will likely enjoy (if they can get past a couple of scenes of horror-movie violence), but they will probably never watch it again. Horror fans, well, they are either going to adore this film or laugh it off the planet. But, going back to Evil Dead and its sequels, the first is more likely to my way of thinking.
On a final note, Ben O’Toole has a decent filmography already but I think he has a good future as a leading man in the film industry!
Director: Alister Grierson
Screenwriter: Robert Benjamin
Cast: Ben O’Toole, Caroline Craig, Matthew Sunderland, Travis Jeffery, Jack Finsterer, Meg Fraser, Ashlee Lollback
MPAA Rating: R (for bloody violence, gore, and language throughout)
Selig Rating: “Normal folks” – 3 Stars // “Horror folks” – 4 Stars
Runtime: 94 Min.
Trailer: BLOODY HELL Trailer
Release Date:
January 14, 2021: Select Theaters, Drive-Ins, and On-Demand
January 19, 2021: DVD/Blu-Ray
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
