Written and Directed by Pat Higgins
Starring James Fisher, Rebecca Herod, Natalie Milner and James Kavaz.
Review by Rebekah Smith, Abertoir Horror Film Festival Coordinator
Our protagonists, Lee and Nicole, have just gotten engaged. However, the engagement ring Lee has brought is, in fact, cursed. Consequently, Nicole is stalked by a rather annoyed ghostly bride (Josephine). Josephine had been jilted before her wedding day and decides to ruin the big day for the next bride who ends up wearing her ring...
Hellbride is one of those very rare, yet pleasant, little oddities. It’s odd because it could be the first film I’ve seen that hard to categorise in terms of genre. I was expecting a comedy horror hybrid, yet it’s much more than that.
It's part comedy, part chick-flick, part drama, part slapstick, part romance, part thriller and there’s even some stunning graphic novel-esque animation at the beginning and end of the film, complete with a campy 1950’s voice over.
However, none of the above is a bad thing as it’s (clearly) a riot from start to finish. I’d argue that what keeps the film fresh, alive and highly watchable is all of the terrific performances. Rebecca Herod (who also appeared in The Devil's Music) is superb. Nicole's complex character is a role she was born to play. Nicole was written as a sweet, yet vulnerable, girl with a sinister dark and ruthless side. Herod smoothly changes from innocent to dark to innocent and back to dark again effortlessly.
Oh, how we loathe this poster
Herod explained to me that teamwork played a significant role towards her achieving such an impressive performance, saying that "all of the cast and crew were so supportive to each other". In addition, Higgins’ loose direction (she mentioned that he was always "open to idea"’) gave her the freedom to be spontaneous and to do what she wanted with the character. This was by no means as easy as it sounds, as she stressed it was in fact a very intensive collaboration, since they only had two weeks to shoot the entire feature. It wouldn’t be fair to claim that Herod carries the film all by herself (as every performance is unique to some degree). She gels well with her fiance, Lee (James Fisher, soon to be seen in the upcoming Umbrage) because Fisher is very versatile and expressive. Together, the pair make a very likable and engaging couple.
Not all of it works. The climatic wedding scene feels a bit drawn out and the gangster sub-plot involving Nicole’s dad needed more development (as well as the tender father-daughter relationship which begins to develop). Others may criticize the quality of the effects (they are nothing extraordinary) but they work well for this kind of micro-budget.
Hellbride is well worth a watch for fans of the horror (and many other) genres as there’s something for everyone in here.
Hellbride is the third feature film from writer, director and producer Pat Higgins. Higgins has recently made The Devils Music (which won the independent feature award at the Festival of Fantastic Films in 2008). Hellbride was released on DVD in the USA in May 2009, and finally got a UK release on March 29th 2010.
