PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I finally had the chance to check out the jaw-dropping, award-winning horror-comedy, Fresh Hell. This has been on my radar for a while and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint. This film was created by a group of Chicago theatre artists locked out of their livelihoods by the pandemic. Fresh Hell was written by Ryan Imhoff and co-directed by Matt Neal. It stars Lanise Antoine Shelley, Will Mobley, Rob Fagin, Crystal Kim, Tyler Owen Parsons, Christina Reis, Randolph Thompson, Christine Vrem-Ydstie, and Ryan Imhoff.
Synopsis for Fresh Hell
In the dog days of 2020, a year in which every hour brought a new horror, a group of old friends stumble across a very different flavor of terror.
I’m not going to lie, the last few years have been rough and honestly this year hasn’t been all that much better. However, films like Fresh Hell have reminded me why I love indie horror so freaking much and put so much love, time, and dedication into supporting indie horror films. Fresh Hell is the perfect horror-comedy. Although it has some pretty horrifying and extreme moments, the comedy throughout the film helps ease it all and not take anything too seriously.
As to be expected, the chemistry among the cast was phenomenal. They worked really well together and you could feel that relationship as well as the complication of being old friends. We all have friends that we were close to at one point, but as the years pass, you’re left wondering “how was I ever friends with them?” even if you still love them. My favorite part about Fresh Hell, was each person is a representation of the stereotype of people during the pandemic. You have the extreme mask wearers who made it their personality, the ones who think it’s all a joke and made it their personality, the “woke” white woman, and the essential workers . It was hilarious. I personally worked throughout the whole pandemic in a customer service type of setting, so this light hearted jab at these people made me smile.
Beyond the comedy, this film is a true reunion from hell and is extremely bloody and gory. One by one, the friends are targeted by a mysterious and troubled man that pops up on their zoom meeting. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but Fresh Hell doesn’t hold back and the acts this man performs are disturbing and unnatural. It will make you squirm. It’s definitely for those who appreciate dark humor and bizarre scenarios.
If you’re looking for a laugh and some decent bloodshed, I highly recommend checking out Fresh Hell. It’s definitely one of my favorite films of the year thus far.
