Hellblock 13 (1999)

   

Produced, Edited & Directed by: Paul Talbot

Written by: Jeff Miller, Michael R. Smith & Paul Talbot

Starring:

.... The Executioner
.... Tara

.... Joe Mark
.... Witch / Mr. Knuckles
Bill Kealey .... Chaney
Don Tilley .... Anchor
.... Big Rhonda

Release Date: Direct-to-DVD: November 24, 1999 (Germany)

 

 

 

Rating:

  

 

An Executioner (Gunnar Hansen) is about to execute a serial killer Tara (Debbie Rochon) but she tells him three of her stories first before doing so that are based on the 'voices' that compelled her to write during her years on death row.

Watery Grave: A tale with a disturbed woman Sherry Simpson (Amy R. Swaim) who had two missing children that were reported to have been drowned as she spots some dolls sunk in a bathtub as well as her jacuzzi as well as their voices calling to her and is in for a shock after being tormented in her nightmares.

White Trash Love Story: An abused woman Heidi Mae (Jennifer Peluso) is being beaten and dominated by her husband Joe Mark (David G. Holland) where they reside in a trailer park.
She goes to an aid of a WItch (Michael R. Smith) for some witchcraft to seek revenge against him but things don't go as well as planned.

Big Rhonda: An outlaw motorcycle gang shows it's newest member Chaney (Bill Kealey) a blood-oath ritual for one of their long-dead members. But the bikers don't see their newest addition for what he is, but the undead Rhonda (J.J. North) does.

 

The wraparound story was quite impressive as we see the Executioner wandering the prison hallways of women locked up and him speaking trash to them as it leaves a sinking feeling that anyone behind bars won't be treated nicely and are not there for a good time at all with this arrogant prick making sure they're not welcomed properly. Has a psychological feeling to everything that goes on there.
Then some great negative confrontation between him and Tara when she is about to have her execution as there's some great dysfunctional energy going on between the two of them as the moments looked fairly powerful by what they were talking about as well as her opening up her book on stuff she write and telling him a story as this looked amusing.

Then we go into the first chapter Watery Grave as this was an exciting one and the best out of the whole anthology in which a troubled woman Sherry Simpson is being questioned by Sheriff Broughton and Detective Hyatt as it looked well focused by certain seriousness and so fourth on why she was there. All of this seemed to work in well making the story quite mysterious.
Then when the story unfolds there's a nice make out scene between Sherry and her boyfriend Bob Simms in a jacuzzi outside which looked very effective on what they were doing.
Perfect dark shots on situations with Sherry when she goes into the bathroom and looks inside a tub full of water and spots a doll in the water which made things look mysterious and eerie like when she reacts spotting this as well as leaving a clue that she is guilty of a past life.
A terrific setting with her outside in the mist and spotting a boat in the water with somethign calling to her which adds great cehmistry to the creepiness as well as great moments on her walking into the water to approach the boat which makes you cringe that something will leap out at her. Yet some neat cheesy monster make up effects when we spot the ghoulish creature from the boat rising up towards her as this was done in a decent horror fashion.
Plus great moments when she wakes up from a nightmare on these situations making you wonder if she's really dreaming of these moments or not adding more terrific horror timing to the story.
The near ending looked really suspenseful when she enters her home and spots muddy footsteps as well as then spotting outside her dead boyfriend in the boat and she runs to it as well as the ghoulish happenings along with another ghoul entering the water and are trying to strangle her in which needed improvements as this situation didn't look intense like it was supposed to have been. Still campy fun and enjoyable.

The second chapter White Trash Love Story was also quite impressive but had the odd leaky holes in which there was alot of tension involved here with an abusive husband Joe Mark confronting his girlfriend Heidi Mae to give him another chance in which this caught my attention to watch for more and then sees something he didn't like on what she did which brought the tension that he will snap and get wild on her as this moment looked very impressive.
There's other moments with this going on as well as a moment where it looked like a vengeful moment when she hits him with a shovel but it didn't look brutal enough but again I wonder if it was supposed to have been or not. But the story looked good that she slaves over him as it reminds me of Alice Cooper's classic hit "Only Women Bleed" with these situations going on.
Nice setting with Heidi Mae going to see a Witch for witchcraft for revenge in which this witch's outfit looked cheesy but in a good way looking deformed as it fit the chapter big time as well as what they were discussing on what she has to do.
Nice setting when she cooks the witchcraft ingredients as well as a close up shot on her in tears and it falls into what she's making as it made me wonder if something will unravel later on while she is doing this.
Impressive special effects after Joe is choking after swallowing the witchcraft she gave to him with some stuff forming on his head as this is a definete pleaser to cheesy horror fans such as myself.
Then when we keep watchng the story unravel we spot a perfect eerie moment when she comes home with a pizza trying to look for him and sees food splattered all over the floor as it gave me a creepy feeling that something isn't good and boy does things look creepy and suspenseful on what happened to him in which it looked perfectly low budget type of terrorising.

The third chapter Big Rhonda was a bit confusing to follow and at times needed to be beefed up a bit in which there's discussions by an arrogant biker Chaney with the lead laid back one Anchor but things seem to roll in pretty good later on as they go to a graveyard to dig up Rhonda's corpse to do a ceremony in which is a pleaser to horror fans of these types like myself.
In the story there's some bullying bikers forcing them to swallow what looks like pills making me wonder as to what will happen to some of these people after getting a dosage of them.
Then the cult ceremony happens when people cut their hands to put blood in a cup to put into this corpses mouth as it made me wonder as if this corpse will come to life or not. During these moments there were two lesbian bikers mnaking out with one another as well as other situations with others as I felt it suited the scene pretty good.
While Chaney stares at this corpse it seems to change into a beautiful lustful bikker walking up towards him and stabbing him with a machette as this seemed a wee bit rushed but nothing too over the top which made me wonder if he was hallucinating or not. Not creepy at all.
However things improve when Chaney is distracted by talking to someone on his cell phone along with looking away in which there's a great close up on this corpse coming to life and creepily approaching him offering terrific horror timing throughout all of this as I got a feeling something good is not going to happen at all. A must for living dead types of fans as this scene is worth watching big time.

Then we get into more exciting moments with the wraparound story in the end when her execution is going to happen but she takes her life by slashing her wrists as well as haunting moments with the Executioner trapped in the jail cell and becomes a victim in which this looked clever by what happens and boy it's a strange type of moment which is worth an ending to a horror anthology.

Bottom line is that this low budget flick is celverly well done and not those typical horror shorts making it a horror feature due to not being able to afford a whole story feature in which the quality for a direct to dvd flick looked pretty good. It's alot of fun to watch and seemed to pay a tribute to those old school TV shows like Tales from the Crypt and Monsters. If you liked shows like those you will enjoy this one for sure.

For a low budget flick the acting is well performed in which Gunnar Hansen (The Executioner) seemed fairly okay playing someone obnoxious and arrogant but he is stiff at times. He never was a great character actor but brought his point across that he is unlikeable at the same time. Shows off a convincing cold blooded attitude and shows his husky featurelike looks which was a nice plus to his role.
(Tara) did a great job in her role as the person telling these stories in which she knew on how to act disturbed or frusterated and acting fast with stuff. She definetely knew on how to have an obnoxious type of attitude and acting perfectly messed up. Studied her role well as a prisoner along with acting slick too. She definetely knew on how to pull off her character quite nicely.

Watery Grave:

White Trash Love Story:
) certainly drew in playing a basket case who's constalty abused showing a convincingly messed up and depressed behavior. Knew on how to act fearful as well as emotional when she is about to be attacked and beaten. Was realistic by behaving within everything that she did here. Another nice character in the cast as she gave it all pretty well.
(Joe Mark) had the right redneck looks and attitude to play the abusive boyfriend and really brings up the energy when he strikes his violent behavior. I have seen better but he still knew on how to do the trick. He for sure knew on how to act disturbed and temperamental. He was for sure convincingly creepy. Also reacts very well with his chiking after drinking something which he related to in a fair fashion.

Big Rhonda:
Bill Kealey (Chaney) drew in well as an arrogant and serious biker showing off a good negative type of personality in which he knew on how to act aggressive whenever he needed to behave this way. Also has the right masculine tough guy looks and appeal. Reacts well to situations as this looked nicely performed too.
Don Tilley (Anchor) came across perfectly as the laid back one and leader of the biker gang in which he seemed to have a nice lightheaded personality as well as coming across as a problem solver. He really made his characteristics completely realistic as well as having a great likeable attitude for what he did here. Had the right looks for this type of role too.

Two biker chicks take off their top for a makeout scene. Breasts revealed.

Head is punched off and landing in a refirgerator
Someone is stabbed by a machette
Hand is chopped off
Another decapitation is revealed at the end of the film

The music sounds different in each chapter with three different composers as it doesn't sound too shabby as we hear low keyboard and synthesizer music. At times it sounds campy but in a fun way while watching the story. Some tapping sounds for the scene's that are needed stood out nicely. Also there's some echoey guitar playing which is okay sounding too. Plus the odd cheesy classical music done on a synthesizer as it needed to sound a bit more convincing.