Some Kind of Hate review powerful and provocative attempt at breathing life into the stale stalk and slash story.
Some Kind of Hate review
Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Cast: Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Noah Segan, Sierra McCormick
Running Time: 84 minutes
Certificate: 18
Synopsis: A bullied teenager finds himself shipped off to a retreat for troubled teens. Once again he finds himself a victim of the other kids and unknowingly calls forth the murderous spirit of a former student.
For years the slasher flick has been overrun with men, Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Michael Myers… all men, but now in Some Kind of Hate we get a female to rival them all. Moira, played by Sierra McCormick, is a vengeful spirit who steps in to help Lincoln (Rubinstein) when he finds himself tormented by his fellow students. Her weapon of choice is the razor blade which she wears around her neck like a strange extreme Goth necklace. The female of the species really is more deadly than the male.
Some Kind of Hate is a new spin on the slasher story. Usually slasher flicks are based around a group of friends who, one by one, get stalked and killed off by a deranged stranger. Some Kind of Hate instead has Moira acting almost as a golem for Lincoln, and this group definitely aren’t friends.
Some Kind of Hate review
The cast are an eclectic band of up-and-comers, Rubenstein portrays perpetual victim Lincoln with aplomb. THN favourite Noah Segan, who also serves as producer on the project, pops up as one of the counsellors, a previous resident who has ties to Moira. The stand-outs of the film though have to be Grace Phipps and Sierra McCormick who have a very solid and loyal fan base despite their young years.
The pair are both major players in the Disney Channel universe, [Phipps is the star of the High School Musical like Teen Beach Movie (1 and 2) and McCormick plays child genius Olive in A.N.T Farm.] I’m not sure what the fans from there would think were they to stumble across the film. Neither girl is anywhere close to their Disney persona.
Visually the film feels like an old school horror movie, reminiscent of the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre et al. The desert backdrop is realised beautifully, Mortimer has almost managed to trap real sand and grit between the frames; the dry heat and dusty humidity almost breaking the fourth wall and enveloping the audience.
At only 84 minutes the film is over almost before it has begun. Whilst Lincoln’s background is explored, a lot of the history of the supporting roles isn’t, which is disappointing. It’d be interesting to see a slightly extended version of the film, should it exist, wherein we delve more into the pasts of the other residents of the ‘school’.
Some Kind of Hate review
Some very interesting and relevant themes are delved into as the film addresses self-harm and bullying, this is a slasher flick with a message.
Some Kind of Hate is a powerful and provocative attempt at breathing life into the stale stalk and slash story, succeeding with gusto.
Some Kind of Hate review by Kat Hughes, August 2015.
Some Kind of Hate screens at Frightfest on Saturday 29th August 2015.
