"Hellbent" is a more than entertaining slasher with a new twist to the story.

**SPOILERS**

Out on Halloween night, Eddie Fitzgerald, (Dylan Fergus) warns his friends Toby Weatherton, (Matt Phillips) Joey, (Hank Harris) and Chaz, (Andrew Levitas) that a serial killer may be on the loose that is targeting homosexual men. Preparing for a night out at a party, they don't think much of the story as it will interfere with their partying at the big club later that night. Meeting up with Jake, (Bryan Kirkwood) at the club, they all indulge in their darkest fantasies and have a little fun in the process, which is welcomed by all in attendance. While they're out enjoying themselves, the killer starts to target them as well, putting them all at a dangerous position when they try to get away from his reign of terror.

The Good News: This one here is actually not that bad when it really came down to it. The movie has all the boys, booze and bacchanalia one could want, instead of the usual T&A of the standard slasher flicks. The difference in this case is that the horny couple are both male. In a pitch-perfect homage to old school horror, the film opens on a hot and bothered stereotypical horny couple making out in their car in the park at night in a secluded spot. As the young men grapple and pant, we're shown a shadowy figure skulking ever closer. The figure emerges in the moonlight, showing us a glint of scythe, a Mephisto-style devil mask before he strikes a fatal, tryst-ending blow, decapitating them both and takes the heads as trophies. These types of scenes play off the style and tone really well, making it appear to fit in with the genre while also keeping up its difference point all the better. When it decides to go for the horror aspects, though, the results are just spectacular. In one standout moment, a couple of club-goers find a headless body slumped in a toilet cubicle, covered in blood, initially thinking it's an elaborate Halloween joke until the body twitches which sends them all into hysterics is quite inventive. Another fantastic scene has the killer off a victim on a crowded dance floor, stabbing them in the gut with a sickle before decapitating him as the strobe-lights work overtime overhead. That works extremely well in the context of a slasher flick set around the theatrics and artifice of a Halloween night carnival. It also helps that the scene comes off like a real set-piece rather than just shoe-horned in, and is pulled off spectacularly. Easily the best, though, is when one character is outlandishly saved by his glass eye stopping the killer's sickle piercing his brain. The sight of the blade touching the eye with the metallic clink plainly heard, the suspense set up to ensure a great site, and tense moment leading up to it are played off perfectly and make it a superb scene in every sense. In fact, the slashing and stalking are purely stand-out in every way, and are there to ensure that it gets enough points about it to make for an entertaining film. The unnamed and ostensibly motiveless murderer is appropriately dark, shadowy, merciless and perfunctory in his killing. There's also some memorable kills, mainly through the use of decapitations resulting in many nice splatter moments. Mixed together with a stupendous pace and some wonderful humor, this one manages to be really entertaining.

The Bad News: This one here has a couple of flaws, though they aren't big and important. One is that the kills aren't all that graphic even though they are decapitations. It really should've used another style of death to help make an even bigger impression, but none of the kills are really as bloody as they could've been. The other problem with this is that there's nothing groundbreaking in the depiction of gay men behind closed doors or even out reveling in the wildness that is the West Hollywood Halloween Festival. That might have made this film a bit more interesting, instead of having it be just a different take on the tired old slasher clichés. Sure, we see some of the guys kissing but that's as far as anything sexual goes. If the film really wanted truly different, we would have seen more of what one sees in the typical slasher movie, the T&A and simulated sex, only in this film, it would have been male genitalia and ass with the simulated sex. This has plenty of opportunities to do so, and while those may not be for some out there based on it's very nature of it's themes, but these parts here are what really hold this one down.

The Final Verdict: An absolutely enjoyable homosexual slasher, with enough about it to be enjoyed by those who enjoy that style of film while also making it easy for heterosexual ones to get something out of it as well. Recommended to both styles, while those who can't get past the themes and issues should heed caution.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and strong sexual themes

Four gay men are out for a night of fun at the infamous West Hollywood Halloween Carnival but make the big mistake to moon at a muscular fella wearing a horny mask. Little do they know they just provoked a serial killer who can truly hold a grudge...

Make no mistake, this is classic slasher territory. The film opens with the murder of a couple making out in a car parked in the woods and from there, well I'm sure you can fill the gap.

The originality here of course lies in the characters and for once, thank God, they are not the clichés one could have expected and feared. They are fun loving young men celebrating who they are (as opposed to so many miserable gay characters of the past struggling with their sexuality) and witty as hell, which makes for some funny lines here and there.

Don't get me wrong though. "Hellbent" doesn't play the self referential game that most modern slashers do. At times, the movie is tense and, I must admit, the last part got me on the edge of my seat. The characters are sympathetic and humane, albeit not quite fleshed out. The movie is well shot, the acting is convincing and some death scenes are quite impressive.

Sure, the plot is a bit thin but then again: it's only a slasher (hardly rocket science). Far from redefining the genre or breaking new grounds, the movie is at least honest in its intentions.

"Hellbent" is actually less of a gay movie for a strictly gay audience than it is a pure pop-corn movie for any open-minded movie goer looking for a genuine good time.

As a longtime slasher fan, I'm always looking forward to a new entry in one of my favorite sub-genres. When I first heard about this one, I was wary. Not because it was a gay slasher film, but because I was worried that the characters weren't going to be portrayed as real people, but rather caricatures of gay stereotypes. In order for a slasher film to succeed, you need to believe the victims... and thankfully, with Hellbent, I did.

What I got in this film was a really solid slasher flick that was really fun from beginning to end, with beautiful cinematography, plentiful gore, and a very fun locale. While the killer has no direct motive, it works within the context of the story and the movie never gets bogged down with pacing problems.

The characters, while an eclectic bunch, are all believable and keep the story moving along. While the occasional stereotype shows up, one gets the feeling that these are real people in a real situation, which is refreshing. The fact that the central characters are gay quits being a gimmick after the opening scene.

Judging from other reviews here, it appears as though a lot of people didn't care for this film, but I really did have a good time with it. Its funny, gory, and entertaining - which is all I ever ask of my slasher movies. People wanting high cinema should look somewhere else... but if you want high cinema, you probably aren't a slasher fan anyways.