PopHorror Let's Get Scared
A couple weeks ago I saw the trailer for the indie horror comedy anthology film Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole. It looked like a film that would be gleefully overflowing with bodily fluids and begging audiences to be offended. I knew I had to see this movie so I reached out to the director, Heath Benfield, and he graciously sent me a screener to check out.
So was Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole as fucked up as I expected it to be? Read on to find out!
Synopsis
Henry, a man plagued by chronic pain and unresolved guilt, receives a chilling message: “I know what you did.” The note leads him to The Hidey Hole, an underground museum of erotic nightmares, curated by the charismatic and unsettling Mr. Creamjeans. There, Henry is offered a chance to erase all traces of his secret crime… but only if he submits to a guided tour of the museum’s most depraved exhibits. With every tale, Henry’s pain worsens and his grip on reality slips, until he’s forced to confront the twisted role he’s played in the lives (and deaths) of others. By the end, Henry must decide: confess the truth and face the consequence, or lose himself to the Hidey Hole forever.
Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole was directed by Heath Benfield from a script by Josh Griffey and Jonathan Holiday. The film stars Josh Griffey, Britt Baker, Trick Blanchfield, Fred Bort, Marlee Carpenter, Anson Days, Stephen Haynes, Brandon Elvis Howard, Jessa Jupiter Flux, Erika Lewandowski, Nolan Mihail, Sammy Morningstar, William Rayne, and Alexandria Shinkan. The film recently premiered at Fantastic Fest to a sold out crowd.
Let me just start out by saying if you’re the type that is easily offended or doesn’t like films that deal with sexual content, this is definitely not the film for you. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I’m going to discuss the various segments as well as the film as a whole.
The cold open, Lot Lizards, features truckers running afoul of a group of truck stop hookers who aren’t quite what they seem. This segment is pretty short but really sets the tone for the what’s to come. It also features Jessa Jupiter Flux and that’s never a bad thing. Her role is brief but a lot of fun.
The wraparound segment, Hidey Hole/Huge Load, sees Henry gets a message from someone claiming to know what he did and is told to show up at an address that he doesn’t know. There he meets Mr Creamjeans’, the Willy Wonka of Smut, who tells him that he will give him all proof of his misdeeds if he submits to a tour of his museum of erotic artifacts and listens to their stories. Let’s just say this one has an explosive finale. My favorite thing about the framing story is definitely Josh Griffey’s performance as Mr Creamjeans.’ His delivery is pitch perfect and he’s got all the best lines in the moviez which is more than fair since he co-wrote the film. He frequently made me laugh out loud.
Husbonkulus follows Jennifer, who wants to make her cheating husband Terry want her and only her. She seeks help from the mystical Ms Rochelle and things take a very weird turn. I’ll definitely never think of the term dickhead the same ever again. I enjoyed Erika Lewandowski’s performance as Jennifer and as someone who has experienced similar circumstances in the past, I found her very relatable.
Pappy’s Old Stiffy centers on Laurance, a young man who takes care of his elderly pappy and his strange dietary needs and how they come into conflict with his hopeless infatuation with his beautiful neighbor Miriam and her asshole boyfriend Harland. I thought Brandon Elvis Howard gave a great performance as Laurence. The character reminds me a bit of Seymour Krelborn from Little Shop of Horrors, he’s a likable square who finds himself engaging in deplorable action due to things totally out of his could. I thought Trick Blanchfield did a good job playing off Brandon and really selling the awkwardness of their interactions.
The last segment, The Snail Trail Killer, has the titular serial killer murdering young women and stealing their lady parts. Three friends wind up crossing his path and things don’t go at all the way you would expect. I have to say the killer’s appearance was really gross and off-putting as were the things he says and does, which I think was the point. Nolan Mihail really makes you feel how disgusting, amoral, twisted, and fucked up the character is. I was really surprised with where this segment goes and the wrap up for it kinda made me chuckle at one thing while having my heart warmed and saying awww at another, which feels weird to say about a film that involves a man killing a woman and cutting their genitals off.
As for the film as a whole, I thought it was well written and directed. It’s very funny and isn’t quite like anything I’ve seen before. The opening theme by Mike Trebilcock is a lot like the film, twisted yet playful. The effects are well executed, gooey, and gory. The production design from Sophia Spiegel was very well done. Every location feels unique and lived in and I particularly liked the design of The Hidey Hole location.
Final Thoughts
Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole is an gooey, gory, gleefully offensive good time form start to finish. If you’re easily offended this isn’t the film for you. If you’re a fan of dark, twisted, offensive humor or someone who digs Troma films I think this is something you would likely enjoy, though I feel like it’s very much got its own feel to it. Highly Recommended.
