[Pride 2019] Blood, Boys and Blowjobs: Revisiting 2004's Gay Slasher, Hellbent

2004: what an interesting time; not necessarily a good time, but interesting indeed. Especially, for a 12-year-old boy living in South Florida whilst openly gay. With the exception of reality television, there wasn’t much my father wouldn’t let me watch…much to my mother’s horror & disagreement. My love of horror films runs deep, and I’m almost certain my mother was afraid I was harboring some sociopathic tendencies. It should come as no surprise that it didn’t take much coaxing to have my dad drive me down the street to our nearest Blockbuster (RIP) to rent a handful of DVDs. One of which ended up being Paul Etheredge’s indie slasher, Hellbent.

At that time, I spent most of my free time online, creating my latest Myspace Layout, IM’ing friends on AIM, and browsing Yahoo! Movies & IMDB for the latest on any & all things horror related (my age is showing). It didn’t take long for me to find a movie being helmed as “the first gay slasher.” Advertised with the tagline “From the Co-Creator of ‘Halloween’ and the Executive Producer of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’” I was sold almost immediately. It is worth noting, the poster includes the silhouette of a shirtless man, wearing nothing but a devil mask, and showing off washboard abs that would make Chris Evans feel scrawny. In hindsight, I’m surprised my dad didn’t question this selection as the DVD sleeve looked like that of a late 90’s porno…

But I digress.

Hellbent is true to its time and suffers from some obvious budgetary restraints. However, that doesn’t mean the film isn’t entertaining and a whole lot of fun! The film opens with two men walking through a park in West Hollywood late at night. One of the men is carrying an array of balloons that inevitably end up in a fogged-out car where our lovers will ultimately meet their demise. This opening scene is worth mentioning as one the men is decapitated mid-fellatio by our chiseled, devil-mask wearing villain played by the relatively unknown, Luke Weaver.

From there, we are introduced to our protagonist Eddie (played by Dylan Fergus), and his group of friends Joey, Chaz, and Tobey. The gang is getting ready for their West Hollywood Halloween debauchery unaware of the night’s coming events. Soon enough, our likeable cast encounters Devil Boy who has his abs, eyes, and scythe set on them. As the night progresses and the bodies fall, we’re led to an outrageous finale that definitely alluded to a potential sequel. Hellbent is not without fault; however, it was truly ahead of its time and did touch on some prominent issues within the LGBTQ+ Community. Moreover, its clear the filmmakers were passionate about this film and set out to make a horror film targeted at the ever-growing community of queer horror fans. All in all, Hellbent is a hell of a good time and I would’ve killed for a full-blown franchise…pun intended.

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Zack is a corporate slave that likes to write reviews in his free-time living in South Florida with his fiancé, cat, and dog. He one day hopes to be a stand-up comic with a house in Malibu and a loft in Tribeca…hey, a boy can dream.

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