‘Dying is a wild night’
The HeXecutioners is a 2015 Canadian horror film directed by Jesse Thomas Cook (Scarce; Monster Brawl; Septic Man) from a screenplay by Tony Burgess (Ejecta; Pontypool; Hellmouth).
Main cast:
Liv Collins, Sarah Power (Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Killjoys), Tim Burd (Saw II, Septic Man), Ari Millen (Orphan Black), Barry Flatman (The Dead Zone), Boyd Banks (Dawn of the Dead, Hellmouth) and Walter Borden (Gerontophilia).
Plot:
Three years ago Proposition 117 was passed allowing private medical films to conduct assisted suicide procedures. Two disparate young women working for a Rite-to-Die company are dispatched to a remote estate to perform a custom euthanasia ritual, but unwittingly summon the spirits of a death cult that once inhabited the property…
Reviews:
“Jessie Thomas Cook’s love letter to the rural horror genre drips and oozes with so much atmosphere that it could sustain a whole planet. The setting of the old house is beautiful and eerie. The interiors are awash by candlelight most of the time. He changes it up during the ritual by washing out all colors except for shades of red, which will be obvious when you watch the film.” Twitch
“Intangible dream sequences instil an uncanny air but fail to prevail over fundamental script flaws and bungled scares … more visually arresting than most generic horror fodder, but unique imagery and commendable production facets are no substitute for a terse, rapacious plot.” HeyUGuys
” … there are a number of commendable aspects to the film as it is technically sound. Jesse Thomas Cook has a great eye for detail which is perfectly complemented by Karl Janisse’s cinematography. The film looks fantastic, and the same can be said for the special effects and sound design. But ultimately, as a horror film, it lacks its punches.” Scream
” …it’s entertaining and funny and has some spectacular moments, but it really needs to tell it’s story clearer. There’s several parts of the film that we are left to ponder just what happened and that effects the whole plot.” UK Horror Scene
“The Hexecutioners takes its time to construct a truly gothic ambience that is both unsettling and scary. The soundtrack along with the cinematography is enough to create a tone that overshadows the story that at times seems fractured. For fans of the robust works of Poe and the gothic this film convincingly demonstrates that the genre is still alive and well.” 1428 Elm
