Independent horror films are often held up to the “Paranormal Activity” standard – to be so bone-chilling for audiences in the festival circuit that a major studio immediately snatches it up. But Hell Baby is not that kind of movie. By the way, do you know where to watch scary movie 6?. Categorized as a “horror-comedy” film, there is far too much emphasis on the comedy half to be taken seriously, but still scary and gruesome enough to make it a movie you wouldn’t want to watch alone. In fact, its high level of absurdity, mixed with sufficient chills, makes Hell Baby an optimum fun viewing experience.
Ultimately, the film uses the horror-comedy genre to find its stride. Written by Tom Lennon and Robert Ben Garant of Reno 911!, the often ridiculous mocumentary and Cops spoof, Hell Baby knows how to make fun of itself. It will appeal to fans of the show which spanned most of the 2000s. The film mirrors Reno 911! in its normal, mundane setting, which then, through unexpected circumstances, edges toward surreal.
In Hell Baby, this is the life of a couple (Rob Corddry and Leslie Bibb), expecting their first child, who are moving into a new house. It’s a common enough set-up, even when the neighbors inform them that everyone who previously lived in the house has died. It even has the nickname “House of Blood”. While unusual for real life, that’s a pretty standard scary movie situation. The first tip-off that this is not a straightforward horror movie is the wife’s description of the neighborhood as “the lower lower garden district,” and the husband’s as that “white people don’t know this neighborhood exists.” It’s a signal that the writers intend to play with the traditional genre. The introduction of the next door neighbor, F’resnel (Key & Peele’s Keegan-Michael Key), heightens this. He’s obviously a sidekick comedic character, but it’s taken even further than usual. The reason he pops up at unusual times is that he sometimes lives in the couple’s crawlspace – a secret he doesn’t even attempt to keep. It’s an unrealistic situation that’s grounded in a pretty ordinary conceit.
Throughout the first scenes, the comedy can seem a little stiff and jilted until the audience gets a chance to become immersed in the film’s ironic tone. The jabs at the formulaic horror genre are far less than subtle. The joke about white people not knowing about the neighborhood is played so straight that it’s hard to tell if it’s actually meant to be a joke or not. This creates some confusion – is this a satire of horror, or is it just dryly imitating the well known horror format? It causes Hell Baby to initially creep toward parody with no substance of its own. But a third of the way in, it hits its stride.
The narrative is mainly about a possessed mother-to-be and her (appropriately terrified) husband. While fully aware of the house’s blood-filled past, the wife starts acting strangely, and vaguely demonic. She’s uncharacteristically aggressive, she growls, she communicates with the recently appeared black ghost-dog. Their trials are predictable, mainly focused on just trying to figure out what’s going on. It is when the Vatican City priests arrive (played by the film’s writers Tom Lennon and Robert Ben Garant) that the style of the film clicks into place. They are the characters who solidify Hell Baby’s mocking yet unconventional tone. Solely Lennon’s foreign accents have the ability to pick up any floundering film, and here is no exception. Obviously, with these characters, realism isn’t the goal. The Italian accents are ridiculous, over the top, but finally show the audience that, yes, this is a little bit foolish, but you’re supposed to be laughing.
The strength of the full cast is continuously a strong point. New characters are sporadically introduced (the sister, the cable guy), and each are played by prominent members of the stand-up comedy scene (Riki Lindhome, Kumail Nanjiani). Hell Baby is working with a strong basis but it is the array of supporting characters that give the film its fun, unique spirit. A large portion of one scene is dedicated just to the cable guy crashing into garbage cans. It’s irrelevant, but it’s entertaining. While the husband’s humor seems stiff on its own, his shared scenes with F’resnel is when his intended natural dry humor comes through.
Fortunately, once these side characters come into play, the rest of the story follows suit and immediately becomes engaging and entertaining. Two thirds of the way through I was audibly laughing every couple of minutes. Still, the movie never loses the ominous, demonic tone throughout. This is achieved mainly because by this point, the audience is safely invested in the actions of the characters. The transition into that investment is particularly slow and subtle. By the story’s climax, I realized I had built up an emotional attachment to these characters that I wasn’t expecting, largely stemming from their fun and effortlessly comical personalities. They had gone from stiff to accessible in under an hour, and I hadn’t even noticed the shift.
Overall, Hell Baby successfully achieves its goal of fitting into the horror-comedy genre – a group that includes Shaun of the Dead, The Lost Boys, and even Gremlins. It is obvious it was made by people excited to bring a sense of humor to the terror realm, but still write a story that can stand on its own. The opening may feel slightly choppy, but it is a slow beginning that pays off in the end. Expect to leave Hell Baby having enjoyed yourself and feeling satisfied with this new take on a classic horror story.
‘Hell Baby’ comes to DVD 12/31/13.