Here Comes Hell is a 2019 British comedy horror film directed by Jack McHenry from a screenplay co-written with Alice Sidgwick. The Trashouse Films production stars Margaret Clunie, Nicholas Le Prevost, Robert Llewellyn and Timothy Renouf.
Plot:
A sophisticated 1930s soiree at an isolated country mansion descends into carnage and demonic possession as rivalries and old friendships are put to the test when a gateway to Hell opens up…
Reviews:
With cut-glass accents and a dated notion of gender politics, Here Comes Hell! playfully subverts the dated nostalgia of the classic horror film from a 21st Century sensibility. The humour is generally stronger in this first half, and the impact lessens as Here Comes Hell! turns into a video nasty where the emphasis becomes more centred on gore and gross-out visuals…” Culture Fix
“Here Comes Hell has a lot going for it. It’s an enjoyable romp that doesn’t outstay its welcome. While there may be some fine-tuning issues with the cast, McHenry shows a lot of potential with this debut. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously and it’s all the better for it.” Entertainment Focus
” …Hell lumbers along until something finally happens – then it takes a sharp turn, and the lifeless flick just becomes a vague, unfocused horror movie. And none of it works. The alleged “comedy” is clunky and forced.” Escape Into Film
” …there’s no shortage of gruesome deaths, with a clever narrative trick allowing some characters to die multiple times. Horror fans will find plenty to entertain them whilst others will reflect that there’s really nothing more horrid than having one’s weekend away spoiled by the presence of the wrong sort of people.” Eye for Film
“It’s a rolling barrel for laughs from the start that combines with gore and horror as it races to the finish. Dodgy accents, period clothes and surprisingly good practical effects all combine, with an excellent soundtrack…” Film-News.co.uk
“With the look and feel of a mystery set-up like The Cat and the Canary or The 9th Guest combined with more modern horror techniques and storytelling from the 1980s to the present day, Here Comes Hell is a rousing, winsome independent effort with a big heart that deserves to find a wide audience.” Gruesome magazine
“Lower-middle-class Elizabeth proves herself much more fit to survive than the useless high-born prats who are easily sucked into a maelstrom […] It looks great, the cast manages a perfect balance of period-apt woodenness and hints of deeper feeling, and there’s a charming period score from Ben Pearson.” The Kim Newman Web Site
“Walking a fine line between comedy and horror can be tricky, especially when you’re aiming for the broad humour of Here Comes Hell, but Mchendry and co-writer Alice Sidgwick play the situation for more old-school splat-stick than sheer terror. Which means that the laughs are as integral to the story as the horror elements.” Nerdly
” …often funny, and increasingly strange […] brings about its own deconstruction, literally collapsing on the ancient foundations that support its knowingly flimsy premise. Jack McHenry’s feature debut is knowingly backward-looking castle horror, lovingly styled like a film from the 1930s.” Projected Figures
” …the over-the-top line delivery of the actors is often funnier than the lines themselves. The film also isn’t scary, so we’re left with an interesting exercise in resourceful filmmaking and visual style but not much else. That said, Here Comes Hell is perfect festival circuit fodder. It’s loud and quirky, with a blessedly brief running time at 80 minutes.” Switch.
“Here Comes Hell doesn’t seek to reinvent either of the genres it splices together, and it works around its constraints to do good work in the realms of pure entertainment. Some viewers might feel that black and white isn’t the obvious choice for a splatstick, but I think it’s more important in terms of setting up the first few acts, meaning the rest follows on fittingly.” Warped Perspective
Release:
Here Come Hell had its world premiere at the Arrow Video FrightFest in Glasgow on 1st March 2019.
Cast and characters:
Margaret Clunie … Christine
Nicholas Le Prevost … Ichabod Quinn
Robert Llewellyn … Jeffrey Bank
Timothy Renouf … Freddie
Jasper Britton … The Host
Maureen Bennett … Madame Bellrose
Tom Bailey … George
Jessica Webber … Elizabeth
Charlie Robb … Victor
Alfred Bradley … Victor’s Father
Filming locations:
Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
Technical credits:
73 minutes
Black and white
Aspect ratio: 4:3
