Bloody Hell (2020 film)

Last updated
Bloody Hell
Bloody hell.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Alister Grierson
Screenplay by Robert Benjamin
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Brad Shield
Edited by
  • Robert Benjamin
  • Alister Grierson
Music by Brian Cachia
Production
companies
Distributed byEntertainment Squad
The Horror Collective
Release dates
  • 8 October 2020 (2020-10-08)(Australia)
  • 9 October 2020 (2020-10-09)(United States)
Running time
93 min
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$60,283 [1] [2]

Bloody Hell is a 2020 Australian horror comedy film directed by Alister Grierson and written by Robert Benjamin (in his screenwriting debut). It tells the story of a man with a mysterious past who flees from his homeland to escape his own personal hell - to unknowingly experience something even more sinister and hellish. The film stars Ben O'Toole, Caroline Craig and Matthew Sunderland.

Contents

The film premiered in Australia on October 8, 2020, [3] and in the United States a day later at the Nightstream Film Festival. [4]

Plot

Rex Coen, an American veteran, visits a bank to see a teller on whom he has a crush. While the two are flirting, a group of armed robbers storm the bank. With the help of his subconscious, which he sees as an external entity, Rex kills the group of robbers and saves everyone except one bystander who is accidentally shot.

Despite his heroics, Rex is sent to trial for the bystander who was killed and he takes a plea deal to serve eight years in prison. After harassment from the media upon his release, Rex decides to vacation to Finland and upon arriving is kidnapped by a conspicuous couple who films him in the airport. He awakens with one of his legs amputated and his hands bound to the ceiling. He works with his subconscious entity to discern that he is being held captive by a family of cannibals. The family consists of the father; the mother; the uncle; the daughter, Alia; the youngest brother, Olaf; the monstrously deformed eldest brother, Pati; and twin brothers who almost always appear wearing masks.

When he comes downstairs out of curiosity late that night, Rex takes Olaf hostage and tries to convince Alia to let him go. The noise attracts the family, and as he is threatening to kill Olaf unless he is set free, Rex's strength fails him and he drops the child. As the parents take Olaf to the hospital to treat his wounds, Alia tends to Rex, confessing that she likes him while explaining her family's ways.

Alia explains that her cannibalistic family, particularly Pati, kidnap American tourists to eat and that Rex is the latest victim. Alia is an outcast due to her non-violent tendencies and has been forced to be Pati's feeder. Driven by compassion, Alia gives Rex a knife for defense. When the family comes back, Rex kills the uncle with the knife and escapes the room. He then kills the father and both of the twins with a nailgun while Alia strangles her mother. The commotion draws out Pati, and in the ensuing struggle, Rex kills him with the sharp bone of his own amputated leg that he discovers in the family fridge.

As he and Alia escape and make plans to pick up Olaf from the hospital, Rex is praised by his subconscious entity, who realizes he is no longer needed and disappears. Alia and Rex return to America as a couple with Olaf. At a housewarming party, Alia suddenly imagines killing a guest who seems to be flirting with Rex and Olaf looks at a photo of his former family and muses aloud that it may be time for an "American banquet." In the final shot, a third brother is shown in the photo, implying the twins are actually triplets, and another member of the family is still alive.

Cast

Release

Bloody Hell was selected at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea, held in July 2021. It was showcased in the World Fantastic Red section of the festival. [5]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 91% based on reviews from 56 critics. The site's critic consensus reads, "For genre fans in the mood to watch some darkly funny mayhem, Bloody Hell lives up to its title in all the best ways." [6] [7] [8] [9]

Accolades

Brad Shield was nominated on his work for best cinematography at the 10th AACTA Awards. [10] At the 2021 APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards, composer Brian Cachia won Best Film Score of the Year. [11] It was also nominated for a Golden Trailer award for best motion poster. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival</span> Horror films festival in South Korea

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, or BiFan, formerly known as Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan, is an international film festival held annually in July in Bucheon, South Korea. Inaugurated in 1997, the festival focuses on South Korean and international horror, thriller, mystery and fantasy films, with particular attention to Asian cinema from East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is a non-competitive international film festival, with partial competition, awarding a number of awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloody Disgusting</span> American multi-media horror company

Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. The company expanded into other media including advertising, podcast networking, film, television, streaming media, and management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Na Hong-jin</span> South Korean film director and screenwriter

Na Hong-jin is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben O'Toole</span> Australian film and television actor

Ben O'Toole is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as Rex Coen in Bloody Hell, his recurring roles in several Australian TV series such as Amazing Grace, as well as for his supporting roles in films such as Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and 12 Strong (2018).

Folklore is a television horror anthology series that premiered on HBO Asia on October 7, 2018. On December 1, 2020, it was renewed for a second season.

<i>The Beta Test</i> 2021 film

The Beta Test is a 2021 dark comedy thriller film written and directed by Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe. It follows a talent agent whose life is turned upside-down after taking part in a secret sex pact; Cummings and McCabe star alongside Virginia Newcomb and Jessie Barr.

<i>The Medium</i> (2021 film) 2021 Thai–South Korean supernatural folk horror film

The Medium is a 2021 Thai-South Korean mockumentary supernatural folk horror film co-written and produced by Na Hong-jin and directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun. It is a co-production of Thailand's GDH 559 and South Korea's Showbox. The film premiered at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on 11 July 2021. It was theatrically released in South Korea on 14 July 2021. It was selected as the Thai entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards but was not nominated.

<i>Honeydew</i> (film) 2020 American horror film

Honeydew is a 2020 American horror film written and directed by Devereux Milburn, and was later released in the US on March 12, 2021. The film stars Sawyer Spielberg, Malin Barr and Barbara Kingsley. It received generally mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Benny Loves You</i> Film by Karl Holt

Benny Loves You is a 2019 British horror comedy film directed, written, and produced by Karl Holt. It stars Claire Cartwright, George Collie, James Parsons, David Wayman, Lydia Hourihan and Holt himself. The film premiered at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre on November 21, 2019.

<i>Chathur Mukham</i> 2021 film directed by R. K. Sankar and Salil V.

Chathur Mukham is a 2021 Indian techno-horror thriller film directed by Ranjeet Kamala Sankar and Salil V for the screenplay written by Abhayakumar K and Anil Kurian. The film stars Sunny Wayne, Alencier Ley Lopez, Manju Warrier, Niranjana Anoop, Babu Annur, Shyamaprasad and Rony David in lead roles. Manoj has edited the film while Abinandhan Ramanujam handled the cinematography. Dawn Vincent composed the original songs and background score. The film is jointly produced by Jiss Toms and Justin Thomas under Jiss Toms Movies and Manju Warrier Productions. In the film, Thejaswini, a young woman, buys a cheap smartphone after she loses her old one in an accident. Soon, she is terrorised by a malevolent supernatural entity through the phone, which threatens her safety and those of others, making her seek help.

<i>Caveat</i> (film) 2020 Irish horror film

Caveat is a 2020 Irish horror film written, directed and edited by Damian Mc Carthy in his feature directorial debut. It stars Johnny French as Isaac, a drifter suffering from partial memory loss who accepts a job to look after a psychologically disturbed woman in a house on a secluded island. The film premiered at the IndieCork Film Festival in Ireland on 4 October 2020.

<i>Apps</i> (film) 2021 anthology horror fantasy film

Apps is a 2021 anthology horror fantasy film directed by Lucio A. Rojas, Sandra Arriagada, José Miguel Zúñiga, Camilo León and Samot Márquez. An international co-production of Chile and Argentina, the film consists of five short stories, each of which involves a mobile app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival</span> Film festival in Bucheon South Korea

The 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, an international film festival held in Bucheon, South Korea, took place from 8 to 18 July 2021, it featured 257 films from 47 countries. The film festival due to the impact of the COVID-19 is held in a 'hybrid' format at 5 different locations including Oul Madang and CGV Picnic from 8 to the 18 July.

<i>Show Me the Ghost</i> 2021 South Korean comedy horror film

Show Me the Ghost (Korean: 쇼미더고스트) is a 2021 South Korean comedy horror film, written and directed by Kim Eun-kyoung and starring Han Seung-yeon, Kim Hyun-mok and Hong Seung-bum. The film depicts the story of two job seeking best friends Ho-du and Yeji, whose dreams and hopes have been ruined. It was premiered at 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 10 and was theatrically released on September 9, 2021.

Adam Egypt Mortimer is an American director, comic writer, and producer known for directing Daniel Isn't Real and Archenemy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coralie Fargeat</span> French director and screenwriter

Coralie Fargeat is a French film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her 2017 debut feature film Revenge, for which she received awards from independent film festivals across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Suk-hyeong</span> South Korean actor

Lee Suk-hyeong is a South Korean actor. After making his debut with an indie film Today's Movie in 2014, he made a big impression on the minds of the audience through the indie films Jane of Dreams (2017) and Heart (2020).

<i>Incantation</i> (film) 2022 Taiwanese supernatural folk horror film

Incantation is a 2022 Taiwanese found footage supernatural folk horror film directed by Kevin Ko, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Chang Che-wei. The film was released in Taiwan on March 18, 2022, and it became the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror film. It received an international distribution from Netflix on July 8, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival</span> Film festival in Bucheon South Korea

The 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, an international film festival held in Bucheon, South Korea, began on 7 July 2022 with the slogan 'Stay Strange'. A non-competitive international film festival with a competitive section, opened with film Men by Alex Garland. This year the festival resumed its offline events after two years, which were curtailed due to COVID-19.

<i>Thunderbird</i> (2022 film) 2022 South Korean crime action film

Thunderbird is a 2022 South Korean crime action film directed by Lee Jae-won, starring Seo Hyun-woo, Lee Myeong-ro, and Lee Seol. It had its world premiere at the 24th Far East Film Festival on April 27, 2022, and was released theatrically on September 21, 2022, in South Korea.

References

  1. "Bloody Hell (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  2. "Bloody Hell (2020)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  3. "Australian Horror Film 'Bloody Hell' Movie Hopes For A 3-Film Franchise + Acquires Distribution Deal". Mother of Movies. April 22, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  4. "Nightstream Film Fest: Bloody Hell (2020)". Morbidly Beautiful. October 9, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  5. "Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2021". Bifan.kr. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  6. "Bloody Hell". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2022-06-25.
  7. DeFore, John (14 January 2021). "'Bloody Hell': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter .
  8. NOEL MURRAY (14 January 2021). "Review: Freaky shenanigans abound in overstuffed dark comedy 'Bloody Hell'". Los Angeles Times .
  9. Bugbee, Teo (14 January 2021). "'Bloody Hell' Review: An Acrid Thriller Bites Off Too Much". The New York Times .
  10. "AACTA Awards | AACTA". www.aacta.org. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  11. "Congratulations to the 2021 Screen Music Awards winners". APRA AMCOS Australia. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  12. Grierson, Alister (2021-01-14), Bloody Hell (Action, Comedy, Horror), Eclectik Vision, Entertainment Squad, Heart Sleeve Productions, retrieved 2022-06-25