Here Comes Hell

Here Comes Hell (2019)

Runtime: 75 minutes

Directed by: Jack McHenry

Starring: Jessica Webber, Margaret Clunie, Charlie Robb, Timothy Renouf, Tom Baily

From: Trashouse Films

Or: When you suddenly notice that you now have 1,500 followers on Letterboxd.

As I've stated many times before, the number of people that follow me here is flabbergasting; sure, I can be overly critical of myself but the number of times I've gone back to look at a previous review and notice a mistake... it's embarrassing. All that said, I'll thank everyone. As this was not noticed until today the film I watched last night wasn't something that figured to be a 5 star classic, or even some popular modern picture I had avoided until now. Instead, I was happy to get the Shudder app working again on my Roku TV (at least from my understanding I am not the only one who has had this problem) so while scrolling through my queue, something I've known of for the past two years was finally watched. Shame on me for not pulling the trigger on something that can be described as “a 1930's British version of Sam Raimi directs The Evil Dead.”

It apes the 30's style pretty hard; aside from the black & white film and the fullscreen aspect ratio, it is set in that decade, it's the acting style most sport, and the music is for something you could have heard in something of that vintage. Yet there are also Deadites-that's what they blatantly were. The first half of this 75 minute piece introduces the main characters (in essence the only characters) and brings them to an old abandoned mansion. All are rich tools except for one working class girl, Elizabeth. The style-including dialogue-is totally from the Great Depression era. A séance is done-which is a bad idea considering the mansion's previous owner has vanished. There is a demarcation line about halfway through; after a certain moment, the film changes and in comes such things as graphic gore, modern filmmaking references and some F bombs. Is it a spoiler to note that the rich folk are the ones who are gone after by the spirits and Elizabeth is the heroine?

Not everything the movie tries is successful-this includes the moments where CG had to be used. The flaws being acknowledged, personally Here Comes Hell was a pretty good time. Me loving the conceit & the filmmakers not botching the premise will go a long way. The practical effects do look good for the minuscule budget. If my context clues were not clear enough, this is a horror/comedy light in tone which has garnered a mixed reaction from even people on Letterboxd, let alone the general public. Personally, it was a relief to see some people get together and try something different from the norm that isn't yet more zombies, something trying to rip off The Conjuring universe, cheap jump scares, or worst of all, haughty pretentious nonsense I find to be tedious. It's a silly movie which has chuckles, blood and best of all, no winking at the camera foolishness. A welcome addition to Shudder, I say.