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‘Born For Hell’ is a Chilling Home Invasion Film Based on Serial Killer, Richard Speck

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Born For Hell

I wasn’t exactly familiar with Born For Hell, only by title. Both, Born For Hell and serial killer Richard Speck were two things I had only heard in passing. Now, I’m polished up on both and I owe it to the nightmarish journey that is Born For Hell for sending me down the Speck rabbit hole. You will find yourself in the same predicament, Speck was a sadistic piece of shit, but like all serial killers, there is that morbid fascination/curiosity that really drives the need to know more. Luckily, the bonus features on this Severin release were outstanding and began my trip down the rabbit hole immediately and thoroughly.

Severin’s recently released blu-ray, allowed me to get introduced to not only Speck but also plenty of tid bits and bobs about the fascinating Denis Héroux film. As you know, when Severin puts out a blu-ray you are going to get a nice crisp picture and plenty of bonus features. So, after watching the film and the interviews with the cast, as well as a deep dive into the Speck murders, I feel like I know enough.

Born For Hell is an adaptation of Speck’s murders in all but name and city. The film had to undergo certain conditions in order to get made. The agreements oddly enough are to protect Speck’s reputation and has nothing to do with the reputation or rights of the victims. The powers that be had to change a few things including Specks name, the city the murders occurred in and the number of victims. So, instead of Chicago, the film takes place in Belfast.

The switch to Belfast does make for a nice unease due to the events that were going on in Belfast during the 70’s. Daily life was a wash of chaos and uncertainty due to bombings, shootings and all the other terrible bits that surrounded the IRA.

Actor, Mathieu Carriére takes on the unsettling role of Speck… I mean Cain Adamson as his name is in this picture. Adamson is a Vietnam vet with a lot of sexual repression and inadequacies. These sexual issues have directly lead to his hatred of women. Of course, he is even more affected that he can’t perform for women. It creates a vicious cycle in Adamson, where his very presence gives you an anxiety attack. The entire first act gives us the blueprint of a time bomb and fills us in on the not so secret, secret that this guy is going to explode.

Simultaneously, a house full of lovely girls are having a get together, and all having a right great time. Their characters are briefly touched on but, they are explored well enough to give the audience a soft spot for the carefree young ladies. Late in the first act, Adamson walks right into the kitchen of the girls house. It’s a chilling scene, that isn’t played up with big orchestra swells or shrill pokes and pricks, it’s played quiet and that makes the whole thing even more unsettling. He just walks right in, the girls he confronts, all play it cool, listening to him talk about his wife and daughter, and even give him a sandwich and piece of cake in order to get him out of the house.

Born for Hell

Of course, you already know that Adamson is just scouting for what he plans to do later. You know he is coming back and there is nothing you can do.

In the films second act, Adamson lets himself in their backdoor and there begins 8 girls night of hell. The entire rest of the film is sadistic. What’s most chilling is the way Carriére composes himself, he is so quite, cordial and well-mannered. Even when, subduing the girls he is at his kindest. The juxtaposition in his actions versus his intentions are terrifying. The level of manipulation that he uses is as deadly as his switchblade. Carriére is almost too good in the role.

Director, Denis Héroux (The Uncanny) strips the film down to the bare essentials. There isn’t any flair or well-motioned cinematography and its all to serve the picture. The film feels very real, mundane and grounded, it is a perfect pairing for the world of Adamson, its cold, verging on being unhinged thanks to the backdrop of IRA’s war in Belfast at the time. The film looks as cold and rough as the streets and Adamson.

There is a stripped down, dower element to Born For Hell that permeates throughout its run-time. It’s entirely made up of moment to moment tension that is only relieved by an onslaught of nonstop terrors that befalls this household and the quiet lulls you get between murders. Added to every moment is Mathieu Carriére’s chill nature and easy demeanor throughout. Born For Hell is a home invasion horror that is a must see and also feels like a cautionary tale.

You can head over to MVD Entertainment to place your order for Born For Hell.

Born For Hell’s bonus features include:

  • The Other Side of the Mirror: Interview with Actor Mathieu Carrière
  • Nightmare In Chicago: Remembering the Richard Speck Crime Spree with Local Filmmakers John McNaughton and Gary Sherman
  • A New Kind Of Crime: The Richard Speck Story with Once Upon A Crime Podcaster Esther Ludlow
  • Bombing Here, Shooting There: Video Essay by Filmmaker Chris O’Neill
  • Artist Joe Coleman On Speck
  • Italian Trailer
  • NAKED MASSACRE: U.S. Video Release Cut

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

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Horror Movies

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks. 

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story. 

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did. 

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD. 

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind. 

The Crow
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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

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The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Haunted Ulster Live’

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Everything old is new again.

On Halloween 1998, the local news of Northern Ireland decide to do a special live report from an allegedly haunted house in Belfast. Hosted by local personality Gerry Burns (Mark Claney) and popular children’s presenter Michelle Kelly (Aimee Richardson) they intend to look at the supernatural forces disturbing the current family living there. With legends and folklore abound, is there an actual spirit curse in the building or something far more insidious at work?

Presented as a series of found footage from a long forgotten broadcast, Haunted Ulster Live follows similar formats and premises as Ghostwatch and The WNUF Halloween Special with a news crew investigating the supernatural for big ratings only to get in over their heads. And while the plot has certainly been done before, director Dominic O’Neill’s 90’s set tale of local access horror manages to stand out on its own ghastly feet. The dynamic between Gerry and Michelle is most prominent, with him being an experienced broadcaster who thinks this production is beneath him and Michelle being fresh blood who is considerably annoyed at being presented as costumed eye candy. This builds as the events within and around the domicile becomes too much to ignore as anything less than the real deal.

The cast of characters is rounded out by the McKillen family who have been dealing with the haunting for some time and how it’s had an effect on them. Experts are brought in to help explain the situation including the paranormal investigator Robert (Dave Fleming) and the psychic Sarah (Antoinette Morelli) who bring their own perspectives and angles to the haunting. A long and colorful history is established about the house, with Robert discussing how it used to be the site of an ancient ceremonial stone, the center of leylines, and how it was possibly possessed by the ghost of a former owner named Mr. Newell. And local legends abound about a nefarious spirit named Blackfoot Jack that would leave trails of dark footprints in his wake. It’s a fun twist having multiple potential explanations for the site’s strange occurrences instead of one end-all be-all source. Especially as the events unfold and the investigators try to discover the truth.

At its 79 minute timelength, and the encompassing broadcast, it’s a bit of a slow burn as the characters and lore is established. Between some news interruptions and behind the scenes footage, the action is mostly focused on Gerry and Michelle and the build up to their actual encounters with forces beyond their comprehension. I will give kudos that it went places I didn’t expect, leading to a surprisingly poignant and spiritually horrifying third act.

So, while Haunted Ulster Live isn’t exactly trendsetting, it definitely follows in the footsteps of similar found footage and broadcast horror films to walk its own path. Making for an entertaining and compact piece of mockumentary. If you’re a fan of the sub-genres, Haunted Ulster Live is well worth a watch.

3 eyes out of 5
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