Director Alister Grierson's Bloody Hell manages to combine elements of high-octane action movies like The Bourne Identity and the John Wick movies with a murderous Finnish family in a way that, surprisingly, works. Written by Robert Benjamin, Bloody Hell stars Ben O'Toole, Meg Fraser, Caroline Craig, Matthew Sunderland, Travis Jeffery, Jack Finsterer, and Ashlee Lollback. Fully embracing horror comedy sensibilities that embrace gore, the value of unexpected shock, and several unique twists on traditional tropes, Bloody Hell is a sometimes jarring thrill ride that invites the audience to check every one of their expectations at the door. Bloody Hell inexplicably combines two elements that shouldn't work and yet do: high-octane action with a creepy, sadistic family of murderers.
After Rex (O'Toole) gets out of prison for his part in a bank heist that he thwarted, which gave him a mixed reputation as both hero and villain, he decides to take a trip to Finland. This decision was made simply, chosen via throwing a random spitball onto a map, which he then opted to follow upon regaining his freedom. Born of a desire to escape the constant gawking and unwanted attention from the press, Rex longs to earn what seems to be a well-deserved fresh start, and is unexpectedly thrust into another fight for his life after he's captured by members of a sadistic family who have chosen him for very specific purposes that are revealed slowly over the course of the movie, which suspends itself in mystery and luxuriates in piquing the audience's interest via the numerous different directions it could go.
Perhaps one of the most interesting and unique elements of Bloody Hell is O'Toole's performance in the same role with two distinct characteristics. O'Toole treats the audience to Rex's struggle through his immediate, present actions and the ongoing monologues of his inner self - which often gets into conversations with Rex - due to a habit he developed in prison of talking to himself. This propels the scenes of his captivity forward with humor and a slow-burn look at his past, where the details of the bank heist are repeatedly teased before being explored more fully, leaving the audience to get the full story of what led Rex to his current entrapment. Though occasionally frustrating that his heroic - or perhaps even villainous - antics are teased as clues that signify his greater potential as a John Wick-like figure who is capable of seemingly-impossible feats, Bloody Hell delivers a payoff that is well worth the wait.
Beyond all this background is the more present danger of the family, who have adopted what appears to be an idyllic lifestyle built around family bike rides through the Finnish countryside and togetherness. However, Bloody Hell plays into the "the family that slays together, stays together" premise of other horror movies like Wrong Turn, The Hills Have Eyes, and even home invasion thrillers like The Strangers, where people have adapted their own lifestyle that's born of committing senseless acts of violence to deepen their interpersonal bonds. At times, it's unclear as to how (or if) things will come together in a seamless or disjointed manner, and other times, it seems wholly impossible that Grierson and Benjamin's story will all come together in a feasible way. Cleverly, Bloody Hell takes an unexpected third path that showcases how the seemingly incompatible elements can and will play out in tandem, yet "feasible" isn't at all required. By the movie's final act, it's clear that if realism has been checked at the door and audiences have allowed themselves to completely suspend all disbelief, the ending is too fun to be sensible.
The utter lunacy of Bloody Hell is a triumph, and Benjamin's unique concept of mashing together an action hero type with a family of trained, efficient killers is a wild ride from start to finish. Although the movie does lose steam in parts, it picks up so quickly that it's easy to forgive the occasional idling. The one-sided conversations between Rex and himself can, at times, seem like unnecessary filler, but allow incredibly valuable hints and clues as to what, exactly, Rex is capable of doing when (or if) he gets out. Alongside O'Toole's powerful performance, Meg Fraser's turn as Alia, the family outcast, plays against Rex's would-be hero perfectly, offering an unexpected intensity and raising of the stakes by adding further questions to an already unclear narrative. Outside of the story and characterization, Bloody Hell's unique cinematography is utterly captivating. Stylistically, Bloody Hell blends flashy color and blood-splattered imagery with dark, foreboding woodland scenes and a cozy, familial atmosphere that's just a hair off to strike a balance that feels like cognitive dissonance at times, but it ultimately fits.
Where horror movies so often fail is through perpetuating the same, familiar tropes and stereotypes and only making small course corrections rather than thinking about the big picture. Bloody Hell manages to overcome the few points of long-winded narrative structure with poise and originality. Though there are some missed opportunities as well, particularly with the rushed, single-scene explanation of the family's history, Bloody Hell recovers and delivers a breakneck sprint to its conclusion that devolves into abject - and tremendously violent - hilarity, which strikes the perfect chord as both a nod to gore fans in the audience and people who appreciate a proper horror comedy movie that's executed well and provides something that ultimately feels new by its conclusion.
Bloody Hell releases in select theaters, drive-ins, and on demand January 14, 2021. It also is available on Blu-Ray/DVD on January 19, 2021. The movie runs 94 minutes and is rated R for bloody violence, gore, and language throughout.
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