Movies
‘H4Z4RD’ Review – Slick Genre-Bender Takes Viewers on Violent, High-Octane Ride
![Trent Haaga Hits the Gas With Chaotic 'H4Z4RD' [Trailer]](https://bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-06-at-9.03.04-AM-e1651845836265.png)
Screenwriter Trent Haaga (Cheap Thrills, Deadgirl) teams up with director Jonas Govaerts (Cub) to put the pedal to the metal in their gonzo action thriller H4Z4RD. A simple day in the life of a driver and his beloved car quickly spirals out of control, taking viewers on an entertaining and violent thrill ride through the streets of Antwerp. H4Z4RD massively delivers on high-octane thrills, laughs, and more than a few shocking moments.
Driver Noah Hazard (European DJ Dimitri ‘Vegas’ Thivaios) takes immaculate care of his prized Lexus, dipped in gold and adorned with a H4Z4RD vanity plate. Noah keeps it pristine; he enforces strict passenger rules to keep it clean. As he drops off girlfriend Lea Lea (Jennifer Heylen) and young daughter Zita (Mila Rooms), with promises to pick up Zita from school by 3:30, Noah sets off to fulfill a favor for his recently released-from-jail cousin Carlos (Jeroen Perceval). What should be a simple job turns into a calamity of errors that leaves Noah racing against the clock and contending with everything from hoodlums, ruthless drug dealers, man-eating wolves, and more.
Govaert infuses this anything-goes thriller with slick style. The filmmaker finds creative ways to frame the action almost entirely from within Noah’s beloved Lexus. Sometimes, it provides a limited scope of vision that heightens the tension. In moments, Govaert finds visually stunning ways to widen the scale. There’s a kinetic energy to it all that keeps the pulse-pounding hijinks going at a breezy clip, perfectly encapsulating that ticking time clock feel.
Anchoring the stylish thriller is a pair of oddball characters. Thivaios makes for an effective lead as the put-upon getaway driver trying to maintain his sense of controlled calm despite everything falling apart around him. It’s balanced by Perceval’s comedic performance as the family screw up. Carlos isn’t the brightest bulb and brings a bulk of the film’s laughs, whether through his obliviousness about Hitler’s mustache or his beaming pride over his terrible rap lyrics. That oafish quality prevents Carlos from wading into outright unlikable territory, even when he’s to blame for the inciting event that puts them all in harm’s way. Noah and Carlos make for an unlikely pair bonded by the relentless insanity.
Haaga’s script throws everything at the duo. Intense chases through pedestrian corridors, horny security guards with bizarre sexual fetishes, grotesque dead bodies, and beyond keep the propulsive energy going. This endless barrage of wacky shenanigans entertains and distracts from the film’s not-so-effective main antagonist. Mainly relegated to the background until the climactic confrontation, H4Z4RD doesn’t quite succeed in making this character as threatening. At least not when compared to the violent, surprising, and occasionally bloody obstacles thrown in Noah’s path along the way. Because H4Z4RD is so infectiously dynamic, it’s easy to forgive that minor quibble. Govaert’s innovation helps it the climax, both in saturated hues and inventive set pieces.
H4Z4RD makes for a wildly fun romp full of personality. It’s darkly funny, violent, and full of unexpected detours. Some of those sharp left turns leave you cringing, while others leave you in stitches. There’s something dementedly twisted about how Noah’s intentions for a quick driving job spiral in such extreme ways that put everything he holds most dear in peril. Govaerts packs an insane amount of style into the tiny confines of a slick Lexus, creating the perfect vehicle for a killer genre-bender.
H4Z4RD made its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest; release date TBD.
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Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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