PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’m not a cat person. I don’t hate them, mind you. I just happen to be more of a dog guy. So, with that said, if I run the gamut of evil and/or possessed animals, I’d say Nicholas Tana’s horror/comedy flick, Hell’s Kitty, nails it on how it would go down. A possessed dog would be pretty easy to recognize. Instead of going for the paper, they would go straight for the jugular. You would know where you stood with them. Cats, maybe not so much. You could look at it however you want. Cats are either self-absorbed or self-assured. A needy or clingy human’s side of the relationship may consist of mostly unrequited love, and at best, very sparse and ambiguous displays of affection from their feline puppet masters. It’s a complex relationship to navigate under typical circumstances.
If a cat was actually possessed, it would manipulate the emotions, the relationships, and the principles of its owner with all of the dark powers of the netherworld in a very clandestine and sinister manner. So really, things wouldn’t be that much different than treatment from the non-possessed variety. But I digress.
Nicholas Tana has taken his eponymous web series – which he insists is based on his real life experiences – and has turned it into a feature length film. He not only directed and wrote the script, but he also stars in Hell’s Kitty as himself. Nick is a writer in that weird period of a man’s life when he’s in that weird rudderless purgatory of being left to his own devices, and looking for love in all the wrong places. He has a cat named Angel that has a Christine-like possessive bond with him, and will let absolutely no one come between them. Nick begins to suspect that something is amiss with Angel, and with a little help from his crazy best friend next door, and more horror legend cameos than you can shake a stick at, he begins to piece together exactly what is really going on.
Check out this list of familiar names: Doug Jones (The Shape of Water), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes 1977), Children of the Corn’s John Franklin and Courtney Gains, ex-porn star Nina Hartley (Boogie Nights), Kelli Maroney (Fast Times At Ridgemont High), Dale Midkiff (Pet Sematary), Victoria de Mare (the Killjoy series), Shivers’ Lynn Lowry, Chanel Ryan (Circus of the Dead), Lisa Younger (Chlamydia: A Romantic Comedy) and Gun Woman’s Nina Kate as Dr. Laurie Strodes.
What sets Hell’s Kitty apart thus far is just how many stars of horror classics show up as eclectic characters along the way. Nicholas Tana has to be the Dave Grohl of indie horror for how many legends he gets to show up to contribute their unique vibe or classic character arcs to his little film. The talent ranges from legendary to the cream of the crop of working character actors today. Hell’s Kitty is clearly an unapologetic and sincere love letter to all of the masses of horror fans that will get and appreciate every reference and every cameo. That alone is worth a recommend. I still like dogs better.
Hell’s Kitty will be available on VOD starting on March 13th.
