Hellcat review: Abduction horror gets sensationally hairy
The much-hyped thriller "Hellcat" is new to Shudder, and sure to excite. Review.
Hellcat is a uniquely frustrating film for fans who can't wait to see it. Critics have been raving about it at festivals like Fantasia International Film Festival, FrightFest, and Beyond Fest, but they've been careful not to reveal the film's secret. After finally watching Hellcat, I understand why my friends and colleagues kept quiet about the secret.
There's a certain thrill in not knowing what's going on, and that's what makes Hellcat so enjoyable. The film begins as an abduction thriller, starring Dakota Gorman as Lena, who wakes up in the back of a camper trailer with no idea of how she got there. Clive, played by Todd Terry, is the mysterious voice coming over the intercom from behind a coyote taxidermied head.
He claims to have captured Lena to protect her, but the truth is far more complex. The film takes a ghost-story twist, but it's not a ghost story. Bodell builds his story around a fear-based perspective that is totally understandable. The film's low budget forced the filmmakers to imagine what could be done cheaply and cinematically, resulting in a claustrophobic, thought-provoking, surprising, and wicked fun movie.
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