Here Comes Hell review: Evil Dead crash Downton Abbey in this first time feature that tries to tackle the tricky comedy horror genre.
Clout Communications
This August, Frightfest turns twenty. The film festival that embraces the dark heart of cinema began small, but now runs across five days. They also host a Halloween all-day marathon, and carve a weekend out of Glasgow Film Festival. Another thing that the team are known for is their commitment to nurture new filmmaking talent. Recent filmmakers like Tom Patton credits the events and its organisers with giving his career a giant boost. One of the latest talents that the team have gotten behind is Jack McHenry whose feature debut Here Comes Hell screens as part of the Frightfest Glasgow line-up.
Here Comes Hell is a black and white demonically possessed murder mystery tale. It begins with an announcement directly to the audience warning of what the film contains. It’s a throwback to when cinemas and theatres did such a thing. It’s a nice touch and gets you ready for the kitsch events that are to follow.
Once the warning is out of the way, the film unfolds as if Ash unleashed Hell during a dinner party at Downton. It’s a very bizarre mix, and one that sadly doesn’t quite pay off. There’s something just a little flat about the whole thing, and it’s difficult for the audience to connect. Maybe it’s the black and white, or maybe it’s the over-stylised acting, but something just gets lost in translation. It’s trying to capture a by-gone era of cinema, but the purposeful over-the-top accents and cliched characters are just too hammy and distracting.
I commend the spirit and gusto put into the creation of Here Comes Hell, making a film is no small thing, but for me it failed to captivate me in the manner I had hoped. Comedy horror is tricky to tackle and many, such as this attempt, fail to land.
Here Comes Hell review by Kat Hughes, March 2019.
Here Comes Hell screens at Frightfest Glasgow.
