Brock Bodell’s Hellcat is the kind of horror film that sneaks up on you—not with cheap jump scares or splatter, but with dread that coils tighter and tighter until it finally snaps. Filmed with a raw, handheld aesthetic and marked by long, immersive tracking shots, Hellcat blurs the line between film and fever dream, making you forget you’re watching a movie at all.
The story kicks off simply enough: Lena (played with ferocious vulnerability by Dakota Gorman) wakes up in a camper with a grotesque wound and a ticking clock. She’s told by Clive (Todd Terry, delivering the kind of grounded performance this story needs) that they have just one hour to reach help—or she faces an unspeakable fate. What begins as a claustrophobic survival scenario gradually fractures, revealing layers of psychological horror and identity crisis that hint at something far deeper.
Around the one-hour mark, the film takes a sharp narrative turn that could easily derail a lesser story. Here, though, the time shift is not only earned but handled with surprising confidence. The tone changes, the pace adjusts, and yet it never loses momentum. Instead, it reshapes the emotional stakes, diving headfirst into themes of loss, identity, and rebirth—ideas that Bodell explores with the clarity of someone who’s lived them. His personal investment, especially as a new father, is felt in every frame.
Still, Hellcat isn’t afraid to get weird. A reveal late in the film might polarize audiences—some will find it jarring, others inspired—but it undeniably leans into the surreal. The final stretch swings for the fences, echoing the offbeat, ironic tone of Tales from the Crypt. It almost feels like you’ve watched three different movies by the time the credits roll… and somehow, it works.
That said, a few of the later creative decisions might leave you scratching your head. There’s a tonal looseness that risks undermining the film’s emotional center, but thanks to committed performances and a steady directorial hand, the weirdness never fully derails the experience.
Hellcat may not be for everyone, but for those willing to follow its twisting, shifting path, it’s a rewarding ride—a genre film with guts, heart, and just enough madness to make it memorable.
Jessie Hobson