6 Degrees of Hell
Six individuals are caught up in a supernatural perfect storm, as an evil lays claim to one of them while threatening to tear apart the soul of a small Pennsylvania town.
[BD Review] ‘Hell’ Does A Great Job Of Creating Atmosphere And Suspense
Reviewed by Mike Ferraro
Tim Fehlbaum’s Hell takes a familiar apocalyptic situation and creates a pretty unique enough experience for you to not get bogged down by such familiar tropes. The year is 2016 and the sun has reached a boiling point. Most of Earth’s vegetation is gone, as are the animals we feed upon. Most of the survivors take shelter in places that are boarded up and with as few windows as possible. Though it would seem that most people want to stay out of the sun’s way, this just wouldn’t be a film if there weren’t people doing the complete opposite.
The film follows three such survivors – Marie (Hannah Herzsprung), Phillip (Lars Eidinger) and Leonie (Lisa Vicari) – driving towards the mountains. Their car is something of a Mad Max reject – the windows are covered with various items to block that big yellow bastard in the sky but there aren’t any large metallic items welded to the vehicle to provide protection from vagrants. What do they expect to find in the mountains? Enough water and vegetation to last them long enough to survive and figure out the next move.
A casual stop at an abandoned gas station provides the inciting incident. There they meet a fellow traveler without a vehicle who promises to aide them. Things change for the group when Leonie, the youngest female of the group, is taken by a nearby group of cannibals attempting to re-create society. You can guess what their plans are for the girl (see 28 Days Later for a clue).
Hell does a great job of creating atmosphere and suspense. Sure, most of these things we have seen before, but the performances here really help guide it through the clichés in a captivating fashion. The look of the film is exactly what you would expect given the subject matter, and cinematographer Markus Förderer utilizes a very brown and washed out color palette.
Thematically, Hell just adds to what we already think about the end of the world. There will be a few lone survivors that will fall into one of two groups: the cannibal rapists or the moral soloists. The latter group wants nothing but to survival. They hope to never bump into the other group but most always will at some point in their journey. The film reminds me a lot of the superior (and vastly underrated) The Road by John Hillcoat. That film, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, also deals with the same character and societal archetypes. Is that really how the human race will treat each other when the end comes? We should probably be surprised if it were any different.
Audio/Video: The Blu-ray allows Förderer’s photography to really pop (especially with the sun-blinding scenery) and continues to show just what you can do with a RED camera. The audio, however, provides an interesting quandary. It automatically defaults to a Dolby Digital 5.1 dubbed English track, when the film’s native language is German. So just go to the menu at the start-up and change it to its original German track (DTS-HD and subtitled) for a much better experience. Sadly, the disc contains no special features.
A Heated Trip To ‘Hell’ In Post-Apocalyptic Trailer Premiere!
Produced by end-of-the-world aficionado Roland Emmerich, Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively premiere the trailer for Tim Fehlbaum’s Hell, which takes the viewer on a bleak trip to an incredibly heated post-apocalyptic world. Available on VOD July 10 and on DVD on August 21, you’ll find the trailer and cover art inside.
“It was once the source of life, light and warmth. But now the sun has turned the entire world into baked and barren wasteland. Forests are scorched. Animal carcasses line the roads. Even the nights are dazzling bright. Marie, her little sister Leonie and Phillip are heading for the mountains in a car with covered windows. Rumor has it there is still water there. Along the way they run into Tom, a first-rate mechanic that becomes indispensible. But can they trust him? Tension grows in the small group. As if things weren´t bad enough, they are lured into an ambush. Their real battle for survival begins…”
Hannah Herzsprung (The Reader), Stipe Erceg (Unknown), Michael Kranz (War Horse, Inglorious Bastards) all star.
Roland Emmerich’s ‘Hell’ Burns To VOD and DVD This August
From Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, 2012, The Day After Tomorrow) comes the Tim Fehlbaum-directed Hell, a slow-burn post-apocalyptic adventure starring Hannah Herzsprung, Lars Eidinger, Stipe Erceg, Lisa Vicari, and Angela Winkler. It will burn to VOD August 9 and DVD on August 21.
“It was once the source of life, light and warmth. But now the sun has turned the entire world into baked and barren wasteland. Forests are scorched. Animal carcasses line the roads. Even the nights are dazzling bright. Marie (HANNAH HERZSPRUNG), her little sister Leonie (LISA VICARI) and Phillip (LARS EIDINGER) are heading for the mountains in a car with covered windows. Rumor has it there is still water there. Along the way they run into Tom (STIPE ERCEG), a first-rate mechanic that becomes indispensable. But can they trust him? Tension grows in the small group. As if things weren ́t bad enough, they are lured into an ambush. Their real battle for survival begins.” READ MORE
[EFM '12] Arc Acquires Roland Emmerich’s ‘Hell’
![hellnew070711 [EFM 12] Arc Acquires Roland Emmerichs Hell](http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/photosizer/upload/hellnew070711.jpg "[EFM 12] Arc Acquires Roland Emmerichs Hell")
Bloody Disgusting learned that Roland Emmerich’s ( Independence Day, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow) low-budget apocalyptic tale Hell has been acuired for U.S. release through Arc Entertainment later this year.
From director Tim Fehlbaum, “It was once the source of life, light and warmth. But now the sun has turned the entire world into a baked and barren wasteland. Forests are scorched. Animal carcasses line the roads. Even the nights are dazzlingly bright.
Maria, her little sister Leonie and Phillip are heading for the mountains in a car with tinted glass. Rumor has it water can still be found there. It is a hazardous trip to nowhere. Along the way, they run into Tom. He turns out to be a first-rate mechanic and becomes indispensable. But can they trust him? The tension grows. As if things weren’t bad enough, they are lured into an ambush and their real battle for survival begins…”
Check out an English-subbed trailer for the German thriller below. READ MORE
AFM ’11: Travel the Seven Levels of Hell With ‘Lilith’
After a bunch of teases on a hidden blog, filmmaker Sridhar Reddy is gearing up for AFM by releasing the first official plot details and teaser trailer for Lilith, which stars Julia Voth as a woman traveling through the several levels of Hell.
“Contemporary take on Dante’s ‘Inferno,’ ‘Lilith’ is the story of Sarah Wilson, who finds herself haunted by visions of her tragically murdered younger sister, Lilith. After a night of surreal terror, Sarah is led by her visions of her dead sister into a hellish labyrinth populated by bloodthirsty demons and bedeviled ghosts from her past. Her journey into darkness forces Sarah to confront painful secrets and her innermost fears, and her path back to reality is one fraught with terror, sadness and deception.” READ MORE
Full English-subbed Trailer for End of the World ‘Hell’
Playing the Fantasy Filmfest in Germany this September, we’ve now got a much more comprehensive English-subbed trailer for Roland Emmerich’s ( Independence Day, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow) low-budget apocalyptic tale Hell.
From director Tim Fehlbaum, “It was once the source of life, light and warmth. But now the sun has turned the entire world into a baked and barren wasteland. Forests are scorched. Animal carcasses line the roads. Even the nights are dazzlingly bright.
Maria, her little sister Leonie and Phillip are heading for the mountains in a car with tinted glass. Rumor has it water can still be found there. It is a hazardous trip to nowhere. Along the way, they run into Tom. He turns out to be a first-rate mechanic and becomes indispensable. But can they trust him? The tension grows. As if things weren’t bad enough, they are lured into an ambush and their real battle for survival begins…”
READ MORE
Full International Trailer for Roland Emmerich’s ‘Hell’
Back in early July we reported on a low-budget apocalyptic tale from Roland Emmerich, king of the end-of-the-world subgenre (he directed Independence Day, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow). Entitled Hell, inside we’ve scored the full international trailer for Tim Fehlbaum’s dusty indie opening in Germany this September.
“It was once the source of life, light and warmth. But now the sun has turned the entire world into a baked and barren wasteland. Forests are scorched. Animal carcasses line the roads. Even the nights are dazzlingly bright.
Maria, her little sister Leonie and Phillip are heading for the mountains in a car with tinted glass. Rumor has it water can still be found there. It is a hazardous trip to nowhere. Along the way, they run into Tom. He turns out to be a first-rate mechanic and becomes indispensable. But can they trust him? The tension grows. As if things weren’t bad enough, they are lured into an ambush and their real battle for survival begins…”
READ MORE
Roland Emmerich’s Creepy Obsession with the Apocalypse Continues in ‘Hell’
I think Roland Emmerich wishes this planet would just die, is hoping to make enough money to buy a place of safety in light of an apocalypse, or is thinking that making movies about the end of the world will score him a sweet invite into the President’s top secret bunker. Whatever the case, Emmerich is obsessed with the apocalypse to an extend that I personally find it creepy.
Even when not directing a mega-budget disaster film – the man directed Independence Day, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow – he’s producing movies that are dark, bleak, and make you want to kill yourself (thanks for that.)
Arriving later this tear (September in Germany) is Hell, a German end of the world tale from director Tim Fehlbaum. Inside you’ll find the plot crunch, alongside the first official clip. What’s interesting is how “cheap” and dirty it looks, compared to Emmerich’s polished style…
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Hell
In the not too distant future, people struggle to survive their greatest enemy, the sun.
Hell Release Video For On Earth As It Is In Hell
NWOBHM legends Hell are back from the ashes! Their last release was the ’82 EP White Lightning, which Metallica listed as a big inspiration in their sounds. Now they’re back with their debut studio album Human Remains. The band features famed producer Andy Sneap on guitars. Check after the jump for some comments from Sneap.
Eli Roth, ‘Last Exorcism’ Team Hunt ‘Psycho Killer’
The Last Exorcism creators Eli Roth, Eric Newman and Paris-based StudioCanal, are re-teaming on a genre follow-up, suspense pic Psycho Killer, written by Seven scribe Andrew Kevin Walker (first announced here on BD back in March ’09). Killer marks the directorial debut of genre pic producer Gavin Polone (who replaces Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst), producer of Zombieland. The slasher will turn on a nameless, masked murderer who leaves a trail of victims across the U.S. In a chance encounter on the plains of Nebraska, he kills a highway patrolman. The only witness to the crime, the patrolman’s young wife, a fellow officer, sets out to hunt the killer down, as the psycho killer plans his masterpiece: a mass murder which guarantees him a triumphant entry into hell. According to Polone, the first 20% of the film accompanies the serial killer. The film then follows the paths of psycho and officer until they converge. It will go into production in late spring, shooting in Michigan.
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