HELLINGER
Director—Massimiliano Cerchi
Writer—Gino Udina
Producer—Massimiliano Cerchi
Director of Photography—John Gilgard
Editor—Michael Phiel
Staring:
Melissa—Shannah Betz
Kendall—Artie Richard
Laura—Veronica Bero
Ross—Robert Cummins
Hellinger—Wayne Petrocelli
I really didn’t know what to expect when I received my copy of Hellinger in the mail. As much as I love ultra low-budget film making, I’ll be the first to admit that most Shot on Video films suffer from many of the same flaws. Most of these flaws can be attributed to two things, a lack of filmmaking know-how and the inability to rise above the flaws in the medium itself. What I mean by the last part is that usually the video medium will reveals the “cheapness” of the production. It brings flaws into the open that might not have been so obvious before such as sub-par acting or poor production values.
Hellinger never falls pray to either of the above two problems. It’s easily one of the more professional SOV films I’ve seen. With a little more money it could have easily been shot on film and readily marketed to the chain video stores. Some of the camera shots are absolutely gorgeous. Before, on the list, I’ve mentioned how hard it is to compose shots for a television screen; you just can’t really do much to make the compositions interesting. One of the few things that you can do is to use the geography of your location to manipulate and fill your frame. There is a scene of the bridge where the heroin is waiting by a bridge. The way the frame is structured easily makes this the single best shot in a SOV video that I’ve seen. Not only do the colors pop out, but also so do the shapes that fill the frame.
One thing that brings down a video production is the inability of the filmmaker to tell a story. 9 times out of 10 what I’ve seen video makers do is pad a film with useless, boring scenes (or nudity) in an effort to hit that 75-90 minute mark. I’m pretty sure that Hellinger clocks in right at the 70-minute mark and I don’t remember a wasted frame. Without the padding, you left with a tight, tough little film filled with story and character relationships.
The story revolves around Melissa, a young woman whose father was (deservedly) killed by a mysterious figure calling himself “Hellinger.” Year’s later Melissa still finds herself haunted by the image of Hellinger and is currently seeking therapy. To this day she still has to sleep with a night-lite. 20 years later Hellinger makes his reappearance and people start dropping faster than lead weights. Hellinger, once a televangelist, is doing his best to protect Melissa from those around who wish her harm.
Don’t get me wrong with all this praise, Hellinger is not the Citizen Kane of the B-movie industry, it does have its shares of B-Film exploitation. Torrid sex scenes and some rather gruesome gore. There were even a few scenes that were almost too hard to watch do to their brutality. There is a rape and murder scene that comes to mind. It took me three sittings to get all the way through the one scene. This is some harsh stuff, but then again, isn’t rape a harsh and brutal subject to begin with?
Over all I have to say that Hellinger is well wroth it’s price. It’s easily the best SOV I’ve seen in months. If you get the chance, check it out. Rounds Entertainment is still holding their guest-book contest. Visit the website and sign the guestbook. Weekly, winners will be selected at random to receive a free copy of the film. If you don’t want to try your luck you can order your film directly from the site for $29.95
You can order HELLINGER directly from the Rounds Entertainment website.
