Bloody Hell

You know you're watching something warped when a leg stump being cleaned and dressed after an amputation is shot like a love scene. At this stage you're either all in or all out. 

Rex (Ben O'Toole) has been having a shitty time lately. 8 years ago he was caught up in a bank robbery and used his military experience to foil the bad guys but ended up going to jail for his actions. Reactions to his release are mixed, some are disgusted by his vigilantism and others see him as a hero. Whatever the case Rex is sick of the attention and decides to hide out in Finland (chosen by a very scientific process as you'll find out). The Finland he arrives in isn't the one he expected. There's no snowy bliss here. Not one bit.

My favourite thing about Bloody Hell was never knowing what would happen next. Seriously, you won't have a clue what will happen as the story unfurls, especially if you go in cold. So why are you still reading this then? If you don't mind a mild spoiler or two then by all means read ahead. Bloody Hell is great fun and it's all down to a winning performance from O'Toole in the dual roles of Rex and his conscience. It's a fun plot device as we see Rex hashing out every decision he makes throughout the film with, let's call him Rex 2. It deepens him, fleshes him out, lets him control the story instead of the usual way around. He's an interesting character, not a clean cut lead but there's enough of an edge there to let you know he'll be able to take care of himself come the requisite bloody climax.

Yeah, that's not really a spoiler is it. These types of comedy horror always end the same way, with lovingly crafted carnage designed to make you gag in between the laughs and Bloody Hell delivers in spades. Actually, it delivers throughout. It's a tight 90 minutes and it's lean as hell, just the way these Finnish baddies like it. I'll say no more about those. It nails that blend of comedy and horror just right, landing us in a nightmare scenario but never wallowing in it. There's gore but it's never dwelt on. There's one liners but they aren't forced and there's a great aside about one liners that feeds into a very satisfying Misery homage near the end. Unlike too way many recent horror films (Hunter Hunter, I'm looking at you) this is one you'll enjoy yourself with.

Bloody Hell is streaming online now. It's a fine way to spend an hour and a half. Don't let that dark opening scene put you off. You'll leave this one smiling.