Lena wakes in a moving camper trailer with a horrifying wound. She’s warned by the driver that they have one hour to get to a doctor, or she’ll succumb to an unimaginable fate. As the pain sets in and reality begins to fray, who should really be afraid?
HELLCAT follows Lena (Dakota Gorman of Natural Disasters fame) and the mysterious Clive (Todd Terry). The pair have to navigate a precarious and incredibly tense situation; has Clive kidnapped Lena or is he saving her from herself? The underlying premise is the basis for the majority of the film’s plot as we pendulum back and forth from each possibility.
The film very much follows the same tone and pacing as the trailer, and this is one of those unfortunate situations where if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen the majority of the film or what it brings to the table. If you enjoyed the trailer and think you could sit through an hour and a half of uncertainty, insanity, and doubt, then this film won’t disappoint. No, on second thought, there is a good chance of disappointment. Allow me to explain.
The film opens with an interesting concept: a woman trapped in a camper van with no recollection of how she got there. She slowly pieces together memories of the past while cautiously interacting with the enigmatic Clive, who speaks to her through various bits of tech installed in the camper. But that’s really it until Act 3. We’re slowly fed breadcrumbs as the broader picture slowly develops, but it’s always ambiguous and somewhat convoluted. The chemistry between Gorman and Terry is good and – for a large part – is what makes the film watchable. The characters are very grounded and very human; people doing what they think is the right thing.
I did catch myself thinking, “This could have been a short film, though.” I do still kind of hold to that thought. While the pacing didn’t feel slow, it was more of the same thing for a solid hour. Once we finally hit Act 3 and get to the explosive ending, we get some action, some tragedy, and then a “WTF?” moment that really spoiled the overall experience for me. The end left me with more questions than answers, and I’m more of a ‘closure’ guy. Truly baffling choice.
I have to give the film credit for a few things, though. There was great acting; a brilliant use of a radio show; good editing; and the film’s energy and tone really kept you on edge – for a while, at least. I may have simply missed the metaphor at the end of the journey. If so, that’s on me.
HELLCAT is coming to Shudder this Friday, August 14th. If you want to sink your teeth into a movie that may or may not be about werewolves in the American outback, then check this one out. Maybe you can drop the metaphor I missed in the comments below. Included are the trailer and the poster artwork. Thanks for reading, and as always, stay sordid!
