i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

Brilliant and touching

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Gay and lesbian cinema is relatively unadventurous. Aside from popular erotic films, prominent homosexual characters can generally only be found in dramatic or comedic films. To take a popular genre such as the horror movie and populate it with out and proud characters marks an otherwise clichéd film as notable.Before Hellbent (1994) came along only one director had been pushing the boundaries of acceptable sexual identity in genre movies. Under the Rapid Heart Pictures banner, David Decoteau has been churning out cheap, strongly homoerotic horror movies for years; notably the Brotherhood series made during the 00s. His movies feature casts of chiselled male model-types who take off their shirts a lot in between death scenes. Almost always with a girlfriend or prospective female love interest present, the films could be said to use monstrous themes to represent the demonisation of homosexuality. Wolves of Wall Street (2002) is a perfect example of this subtext in action.Unlike Decoteau's own slasher fare, such as 2001's Final Stab, Hellbent sets itself apart from that particular approach. While featuring it's share of handsome and muscular stars, Paul Etheredge-Ouzts' directorial debut avoids over-the-top erotica while being very frank about the sexuality of his protagonists. Hellbent is a straight slasher movie (pun intended) with the exception of scenes of man-on-man affection, restricted mainly to kissing. Hellbent is upfront but very restrained. It's a slasher movie where the characters just happen to be gay. Indeed some of the cast are straight themselves. This isn't a movie with an agenda beyond entertainment. Ageing producer Joseph Wolf has made a number of slasher movies, including Halloween (1978), and approached this project with the same perspective as all his others. He didn't care if the characters were gay, but I'm sure he thought it would be a novel selling point.Like all good slasher movies Hellbent draws you in with engaging characters, some decent plot development and good death scenes and received a broad UK release through TLA Releasing, specialists in indie and homosexual interest films. Hellbent had a lot of potential to crossover and could be found in Blockbuster amongst similar fare. I'm sure straight horror fans who might be deterred from seeing it after discovering it is gay would find much to enjoy. It's main flaw is that the mysterious, silent, mask wearing, wrestler-type antagonist is a thinly written villain. There is none of the complexity of a Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees or even Dr. Giggles (1992). Known only as the Devil, the sickle wielding psycho has a great presence but no depth. With a likable cast and a fun soundtrack of underground gay punk, Hellbent is 80 minutes of simple pleasure. A unique take on an overly familiar story. But just as Brokeback Mountain (2005) didn't really change anything in Hollywood, Hellbent didn't change the bias toward heterosexual protagonists in B-movies. Even DeCoteau's characters are still in the closet.

Only due to the fact that I love slasher/serial kill movies, did I rate this as high as 3.I skipped past the opening credits. The next scene opens in a cop station. In the ensuing seconds, it shows the cop browsing data on various wanted suspects. I believe the intent was that we would assume he was continuously going forward through the database. If you slo-mo and pause, you'll note the details in several suspects' files, and you'll note one that describes a sex crime. These details are displayed several times, and although the details are the same, the suspect's picture is different LOL

I had heard good reviews before finally seeing this movie and am already a fan of the horror genre.For a gay slasher film it was done tastefully.I like a movie like this that is more realistic instead of being b-rated and campy.I am glad the gay characters were more normal instead of showing all the negative stereotypes that a lot of TV shows and movies show.It's refreshing to see a regular gay movie about ordinary(but pretty)people in realistic circumstances.In some ways it's just eye candy since every character was cute and sexy,but no different then a lot of other movies.This movie has a good story,good actors,and nice effects with the right amount of suspense,gore and humor.It is very well directed,produced as well as acted.I hope a sequel is made to understand the motive to the killings and to see who is behind that demonic mask. The music was fantastic and I wish there was a soundtrack.I have never heard of most of the artists but like their music.I really like how it has a Halloween theme.The costumes were outrageous and the party blew me away and looked like a lot of fun.This is a nice alternative to watching Halloween on Halloween night(even though i'm a huge fan of J.Carpenter's film)because it gives you a choice between them.Of course I will watch them both personally.

HELLBENT is a tough movie to classify. Yes, it is about a serial killer on one Halloween night in West Hollywood, but it also seems to be a light-hearted takeoff on all the silly teenage massacre horror films. Is it parody or was it meant to be a thriller? No matter, because what we get is an entertaining, well-paced, witty-scripted, full of tension foray through the clubs and alleyways of the very colorful West Hollywood Halloween atmosphere.Don't search for story motivation: there doesn't seem to be one. A devil-garbed body builder beheads boys, leaving the corpses sans heads to the horror of the community just as Halloween festivities are beginning. Our main characters are four friends who are out for a good time, the leader of whom is costumed as a cop and in reality is a wannabe policeman who failed the course due the loss of an eye. His fellow friends are zippy, tight, and fun loving and along the way many of them fall victim to the 'devil's scythe' (and yes, that is shown in grisly detail!). There is a lot of chase action in dark rooms and darker woods and alleys and the fear quotient is pretty high. The problem is the ending, which doesn't answer any plot motivational questions and unfortunately leaves the door open for future follow-up adventures (or is this merely part of the parody of the multitudinous versions of Freddy, I Know What You Did Last Summer, etc teenie flicks?).The cast is attractive and seems to be enjoying themselves as actors. The lighting and costuming and musical scoring are on a par with the best production values of films of this genre. In the end it is fun to see a thriller played solely in the gay community without preachy comparisons or strife with the straight folk. It is entertaining for everyone.