Writer-director-producer-editor Bobby Blood’s Hell Nurse is his sophomore feature-length effort. The horror film’s an intentionally cheesy effort harkening back to 1970s revenge thrillers such as I Spit On Your Grave and The Last House On The Left. The filmmaker throws in some Satanic rituals just for good measure. Is this throwback horror a success, or is it dead on arrival?
Darla (Fiona Kennedy) is a caretaker for a sweet old couple. One particular night, criminals Wayne (Brad Stein), Terry (Steve Miller), and Stacy (Rachel Rigall) bust into the couple’s home, kill them and leave Darla for dead. The thing is, Darla did not die that day, and after a year of recovery, she goes back to being a nurse.
But a desire for revenge has been burning inside Darla this whole time. Since Darla sold her soul to the Devil, her chance to avenge the couple and feed her hunger for violence is now at hand. Will viewers be as satisfied with her murder dishes as Darla is?
Hell Nurse is an interesting mashup of a revenge thriller and a demonic horror flick. It’s surprising that more films don’t blend the two together as they work well together (general supernatural eerieness is not the same as a pact with the Dark Lord). Blood realizes that adding in the Satan stuff makes his horror film more over the top than the usual revenge tales. As such, he throws audiences a curveball: comedy.
“…Darla sold her soul to the Devil…to avenge the couple and feed her hunger for violence…”
The movie is full of intentionally funny moments that initially seem incongruous with the darker parts of the plot. But, as the story progresses, the humor fits more and more. This gives the production a unique vibe, though it takes some getting used to.
The director uses digital effects to add grain to just about every scene of Hell Nurse. Unfortunately, the effects are awkwardly noticeable and don’t enhance the picture as presumably intended. The CGI blood splatter is also only so-so. But the physical carnage and mayhem of Darla’s rampage are really well done. The practical effects are impressive, especially a face that appears to have been seared off near the end.
Kennedy gives an interesting performance. Before her deal with Satan, the actor comes off as stiff and wooden. But, after revenge is guaranteed to be hers, Kennedy feels more natural in the role. She is sinister and vicious in all the right ways to sell the brutality.
Stein, Miller, and Rigall are all effective as the baddies of the picture. Each of them plays their characters’ penchant for crime with a sense of fun, and they share solid chemistry. Bradford Eckhart plays Father Moretti, and he’s hysterical. But the best performance belongs to Brittney Ladd as Carrie. Every line she says is creepy yet enticing at the same time.
Hell Nurse will appeal to gorehounds and horror fans longing for the icky atmosphere of the 1970s. While it has flaws, the film more than makes up for them in the balancing of tones and graphic violence. For the most part, the cast embodies their roles believably and knows what kind of picture they are in.
For more information on Hell Nurse, visit Bobby Blood’s Instagram page.
