FILM REVIEW: ​GEHENNA: WHERE DEATH LIVES (DIR HIROSHI KATAGIRI)

by joe x young 

 
Special effects expert Hiroshi Katagiri, who worked on both Jurassic Park III and Pacific Rim not only handles the flawless special effects but also chose this as his impressive directorial debut.

The basics: The setup is familiar; the chance of a property deal in a nice setting (Saipan, a U.S. Commonwealth Island in the Pacific), this time for building a hotel resort, but the land up for sale contains an ancient burial ground with a rich history of the supernatural and brutal curse. There’re mini voodoo-doll type figures with a particular significance and an assortment of brutality up for grabs here but none of it is over-the-top and it all makes a somewhat bizarre sense.

Aside from the opening scene it is all familiar, I’ve seen variations on this before a dozen times over, but with Gehenna there’s plenty to keep interest even if it’s just the totally amiable local guide Pepe (Sean Sprawling) who gets my vote for the best character in this film.

Something of note here is that Lance Henriksen is in this, but that’s probably no big shock as he appears to be the go-to man for cameo appearances in low-budget horrors. He’s not in it for long, and does make a re-appearance after the end credits, so stay tuned for that one. I assume that employing the likes of Mr Henriksen is all about adding some star quality to the film, but this is one of those rare instances in which the film is good enough to not need it.

Aside from what I’ve already stated there’s a Japanese World War 2 bunker on the land, and it contains something rather bizarre. I’ll say no more about that except that it’s all rather cleverly constructed and absorbing. All of the acting is high quality with every character having a well-rounded personality and they all fit the circumstances perfectly.

Monster-man of the moment Doug Jones is his usual unrecognisable self as the ‘old man’ and his performance is as one would expect from a master of the art. Aside from the aforementioned Henriksen, Sprawling and Jones the rest of the main cast have somewhat clichéd characters but nonetheless deliver them in a plausible way, with the particular frailties of each one displayed honestly and with depth. Simon Phillips as Alan is believably mean and impatient without slipping into being an ogre, Eva Swan as Paulina shows that women in horror movies don’t have to be airheaded eye-candy, and Matthew Edward Hegstrom as Dave gives an impressive performance in his debut film role.

Gehenna: Where Death Lives is one of those rare films which has a sustainable sense of dread without having to resort to jump-scares, choosing to go with subtle creepiness, technical excellence, credible plot and great acting all topped off with a WTF ending. It’s all clever stuff and certainly stands up to a second viewing.
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Available from 4th May in Theatres across the U.S. and VOD for everyone else.

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