Nightstream Review: ‘Bloody Hell’
A hilarious, gruesome and batshit insane toss-up of John Wick and The Hills Have Eyes with an impressively unhinged lead performance from Ben O’Toole.
It’s hard to make something that doesn’t feel derivative these days, especially in a climate so inundated with content, both good and bad. But that is exactly what director Alister Grierson and screenwriter Robert Benjamin have managed to do with Bloody Hell, a love letter to the horror genre that unabashedly references some of the classics while still managing to remain wholly unique and original.
Bloody Hell centers on Rex (Ben O’Toole), a man who is sent to prison for his role in the accidental murder of a teller during a bank robbery gone incredibly wrong. After spending 8 years in a jail cell, Rex decides to seek out a fresh new start and ends up choosing Helsinki as his new destination. An awkward chance encounter with a middle-aged married couple leads to him being abducted as soon as he steps foot out of the airport, and he soon finds himself waking up alone, chained to a ceiling and missing a leg in a dark and cold basement at the complete mercy of a dark and mysterious family.
O’Toole is an absolute riot in Bloody Hell, playing the double role of Rex and his subconscious, which manifests itself as another version of him that frequently engages him in conversation and acts out his dream scenarios. This creative decision could have been grating and too on-the-nose but in the hands of the charismatic O’Toole, it is executed to perfection, giving us an inner peek into his deepest thoughts and adding layers to his character in the process. Rex isn’t only trying to escape from the grasps of his captors but also from the shackles of guilt that have tied him down for the past 8 years and O’Toole perfectly captures the tumultuous physical and emotional journey of his character in a cathartic and authentic manner.
The rest of the cast do an excellent job as Rex’s mysterious captors, establishing a menacing presence that is gradually stripped away to reveal a family driven to terrible measures in order to provide for their child. Meg Fraser, in particular, is excellent as Alia, the “black sheep” of the family who repeatedly attempts to escape their clutches. The film also manages to capture an endearing air of quirkiness and eccentricity while still carrying a foreboding sense of tension and dread, striking a perfect balance between its horror influences and its comedic sensibilities in the process.
If there’s anything to criticize Bloody Hell for, it is its over-ambition, with Benjamin jam-packing a series of consecutive sequences and set pieces that aim way too high in scope and only barely stick their landing. It is also oddly paced, a series of flashbacks in its final act threatening to derail the film. But thankfully, its unique tone and unhinged central performance ensure that it stays firmly on track to its triumphant and crowd-pleasing finale, cementing its status as a future cult classic.
Rating: 4/5
Bloody Hell is currently screening at the 2020 Nightstream Virtual Film Festival. Tickets are available here.