Hellbent Review Country : USA Year: 2004 Genre: Horror/Slasher Format: Video Running Time: 85 minutes Distributor: Regent Releasing A brutal killer terrorizes a West Hollywood party on the occasion of Halloween. But there's an unusual "bent" to the festivities at hand.... Credits Written and Directed Paul Etheridge-Ouzts. Starring Dylan Fergus, Bryan Kirkwood, Hank Harris, Andrew Levitas, and Matt Phillips. It’s "Queer Eye for the Dead Guy" in the first gay-themed slasher film Hellbent, written and directed by Paul Etheredge-Ouzts and executive produced by Joseph Wolf of Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street fame. It’s clear from the get go that Etheredge-Ouzts set out to direct a fun and scary slasher film in the vein of Halloween and Friday The 13th that boldy dares to set itself apart from all the other teeny bopper horror films by making all the leads homosexual. Name the last horror film that dared to go there. In Hellbent, a serial killer in West Hollywood develops a taste for gay men and sets his focus on a group of gay men attending a Halloween festival. The film starts off with an excellent, tense opening scene that will please any gorehound. It then follows the sexually repressed, wannabe cop Eddie (Dylan Fergus), his wild bi-sexual roommate Chaz (Andrew Levitas), friend Jake (Bryan Kirkwood), timid Joey (Hank Harris), and Tobey (Matt Phillips) as they attend a gay themed Halloween carnival the night after the murders. As they pick up on men, dance, and take Ecstasy, they are stalked and slashed by a large, shirtless male, wearing a leather horned devil mask and carrying a small scythe. Sound familiar? Yep… it has been done over and over again. However, Hellbent really pulls it off by adding the element of the all male cast and doesn’t really follow any particular stereotypical formula. It kind of creates its own atmosphere and mythology which brings something fresh to the table. The film is well written, has good cast, plenty of laughs, some decent acting, a powerful soundtrack, and some excellent kills. However, one has got to ask how the killer continues to lop off heads in public, take the heads in a trick or treat bag as trophies and get away with it. What the hell is he doing with the heads? But, isn’t that what makes a good horror film? Should you see the film? Absolutely. Will the mainstream audience accept this film? They should. I recommend you view the film and make up your own mind. Just as "Queer as Folk" brought the lives of gay couples home to mainstream audiences and lasted a nice healthy five season run, Hellbent will most certainly set the standard for many gay themed horror films to come. OFFICIAL SITE Review by John Gray, for Pitofhorror.com