Cannibalism action-horror film BLOODY HELL bites off more than it can chew [NIGHTSTREAM]

There were a half dozen points while watching the US/Australian black-comedy Bloody Hell where I was sure I had missed a crucial piece of information. Directed by Alister Grierson and written by Robert Benjamin, the film moves through so many genre tropes and wild tonal shifts in its 95-minute run time that it becomes overwhelming; it’s almost like a mix-tape of the best scenes from a number of classic action and horror films, but the film ends up lacking any sense of cohesion.

Bloody Hell begins with Rex (Ben O’Toole, Hacksaw Ridge) in line to see a bank teller he’s been flirting with. Suddenly, a gang of armed masked intruders burst in to rob the bank. While hiding out from the robbers, a gun literally falls into Rex’s lap from another customer, and he proceeds to single-handily kill each of the would-be robbers, accidentally killing an innocent bystander in the process.

Hailed as a folk hero by many, a video of Rex’s take-down becomes a viral hit, and his legend only grows while he is sent off to prison.  When he is finally released, Rex decides to decompress with a trip to Finland, where he is summarily captured by a deranged family and held in their basement. Rex quickly realizes that he is not being held hostage; a member of the family has a taste for human flesh, and Rex will be the main course unless he can find a way to escape.

While Rex is tied up, he has a running dialogue with his subconscious mind (also played by O’Toole), a badass counterpoint to Rex’s ordinary, demure self. Psyching himself up to try and break free from his flesh-hungry captors, Rex discovers that the family’s captive daughter Alia (Meg Fraser) also has it in for them and might be his way out of this madness.

The main issue with Bloody Hell is that it is overstuffed with too many plot details, and a large cast of characters that are never developed enough. The whole opening bank massacre has little payoff later in the film, other than to show Rex that can be a deadly force to reckon with if need be (it also seems fairly unlikely that this family would just happen to kidnap a celebrity famously responsible for a handful of murders). While humour is obviously subjective, Rex’s interactions with himself rarely land with any comedic heft; the two versions of himself simply end up bickering for most of the film, which gets tiresome pretty early on. The film definitely delivers on the violence and gore, but with a frustrating protagonist and a cast of rarely-seen captors, it’s hard to get too invested in Rex’s escape and need for revenge.

Bloody Hell has an appealing manic energy, and director Alister Grierson has a great visual style, especially in the film’s action sequences. Ben O’Toole does an admirable job in the split roles, but that alone can’t save a script that seems to be pulling in a handful of directions at the same time. This one probably kills with a large crowd, but there just isn’t that much meat on the bone.

Bloody Hell is screening during the inaugural NIGHTSTREAM festival. Tickets are available here.