‘Hell’ creates a more personal hell, rather than a global one
Hell, the new post-apocalyptic thriller from director Tim Fehlbaum and executive producer Roland Emmerich, is a strong entry in the survivalist horror movie genre. Depicting events in the near future after the temperatures have risen and water is in short supply, the movie follows a group of ragtag survivors as they head toward what they hope is large stores of H2O. Along the way, they face several enemies hellbent on disrupting their plans.
The central conflict involves Marie (Hannah Herzsprung) and her sister Leonie (Lisa Vicari). They don’t always make the best decisions when faced with life-or-death situations, but they have an undying commitment of staying with each other. The men in their life throw them a few curveballs. Philip (Lars Eidinger) leads the two women into the mountains, but not before meeting up with Tom (Stipe Erceg), a mysterious stranger who seems to know the local terrain. If horror movies have taught us one thing, it’s never change the group dynamics (no hitchhikers, new friends, etc.). More people will eventually mean less people.
It doesn’t take long for the group to divide and head into different directions, and now it’s up to Leonie and Marie to escape unharmed. What they find in the woods is quite frightening, indeed.
Fehlbaum is obviously a skilled director, able to build a scary atmosphere with interesting lighting effects and camera shots. There’s a real grittiness to the proceedings, as if we are watching the events play out in reality.
The script, by Fehlbaum, Oliver Kahl and Thomas Wöbke, has minimal details about the greater problems in the world. Other than the rising temperatures and loss of water, we don’t know what this apocalypse looks like. This will be frustrating to fans of action-packed Hollywood films who expect the president to hold a press conference during disaster movies and hordes of people running through the streets of Manhattan as unholy terror reigns down (kind of like other Emmerich films). This is not that type of film. Hell is much more interested in keeping the action and thrills based around a few key characters. This fine focusing of the plot is reminiscent of Phase 7, a superb horror movie from Bloody Disgusting Selects. Not knowing everything is almost freeing; the screenplay doesn’t have the chance to trip over itself.
Although the movie is energized and tense, its short running time hurts the character development. Other than Marie and Leonie, we don’t get to know too many of these shadowy figures. At only 90 minutes, it seems like the director is holding back. Why not keep us on the personal level, but take us even further into their psyche? Let’s explore this idea of group dynamics.
For English-speaking audiences, Arc Entertainment’s new DVD of the movie contains options for dubbing. Some audience members may know the film as Apocalypse.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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Hell
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2011
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Directed by Tim Fehlbaum
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Written by Fehlbaum, Oliver Kahl and Thomas Wöbke
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Starring Hannah Herzsprung, Lars Eidinger, Stipe Erceg and Lisa Vicari
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Running time: 90 minutes
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Rated R for some violence
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Rating:
