Funny as Hell

By Molly Wilson

Hellarious is a horror comedy anthology that features seven different stories each by a different director. I am a big fan of a well done anthology, with Trick ‘r Treat being my all time favorite. I love horror comedies as well, so I was excited.

This movie is definitely not for everyone. It is weird, raunchy, gory, and sometimes just plain gross, though I do not think that anything really ever enters intense shock value territory. These stories are more just chains of either weird or unfortunate events. With that being said, I would not recommend it if you like to watch movies with a little more substance and grounded subject matter. However, I would recommend Hellarious if you enjoy quirky, dark comedy or anything similar to John Waters films.

I had an absolute blast watching Hellarious and did find it hilarious. I went in blind, not knowing what to expect at all and was pleasantly surprised. I laughed out loud multiple times and there were some fun and good ideas presented. This is a movie you can put on in the middle of the day, maybe with some friends, pay half attention, and have a great time shutting off your brain.

There is nothing here that hasn’t been done before yet everything still manages to feel fresh. Some segments stand out more than others. In my opinion the most memorable ones were “Killer Kart” and “Lunch Ladies”. However, every segment has some fun moments.

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Hellarious knows exactly what it is and that is a unique, extreme camp. The action and gore are over the top, characters are goofy, the acting is over the top, and some of the situations even seem plausible when taken at face value.

The effects and visuals within the film are very well done. There are some great visual effects along with practical gags. Since this is still partially a horror movie, the suspense is felt when tension is built or a lot of action is happening. The darker tonal shifts also serve this well.

Also, even though the lengths of the segments are not all the same, the movie’s pacing moves everything along nicely. Nothing drags on at any time and the segments all feel as if their stories are presented evenly and are told the way they were intended to be told. I never felt bored and there is no filler, which is an issue I have sometimes with movies that either run too long or are slow getting to their point.

I do wish that the stories and world were more clearly connected, had a major wraparound story, a specific location, or character to tie everything together and transition between segments. For example, a character like Sam from Trick ‘r Treat of characters blatantly appearing in or connecting to other stories. This feels like a fun world to revisit in the future potentially and I would have loved to have seen interactions between characters from different segments.

Hellarious is available for streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi.