Hell Is Empty (2021) User Reviews

Smart indie

[narfiljung · 7/10 · 2 March 2022]

I took a chance on this film and glad I did. The acting was surprisingly well directed and the storyline was intense. A different and smart look into the cults that permeate and hide all countries.

Totally Bosch

[lilysveins · 8/10 · 2 March 2022]

As Shakespeare said; "Hell is empty and all devils are here". This beautifully crafted compact indie proves such a point. Ed (aka, Artist) and his coven of sister wives live together on an island in a shanty that is the perfect back drop for a Hierronymus Bosch like cult. They find a young woman the woods and take her back to the shanty for Artist as if she was a flower and for some unspoken reason the young woman goes with them. This bothered me because it was never explained why she went with them all willy nilly. Perhaps a part two of Hell Is Empty needs to be made. Even thou the characters aren't defined in depth, there is an acceptance one gets from being plopped into this grotesque situation and man was I glad to get back to my mundane life. Maybe that is why i watch such films.

Well made psycho horror

[FrancRoberts-57036 · 7/10 · 4 March 2022]

This movie throws the whole kitchen sink into the psychological aspects of the story. I will watch any movie that challenges the church system and this was a strong message to get out about the lunacy of break away religions/cults.

Ace

[stephenvilarino · 7/10 · 15 March 2022]

I liked this low budget film cause it had a sick twisted story about this artist guy who had a bunch of women thinking he was this tapped in prophet and all he was was a psycho killer. Where they made this movie felt sick n what not just watching it made me think that this place was spooked. The pregnant girl needed to leave I felt so sorry for her and the chick who got lost and ended up there like man what was she doing she could have left on the first day. So I dont understand if the artist guy cursed them brainwashed them or poisoned these girls to stay.

Why is the score so low? This film was brilliant

[absurdlystrangedimension · 10/10 · 3 March 2022]

Ignore the 4.3 score, this film is brilliant, the acting is as good as acting can get really, the scenary is amazing, the sense of dread and the actual story, i enjoyed it very much, there isnt anything wrong with this film at all, ed aka artist really gave a convincing performance, he is demented and a pure narcissistic sociopath, he played that character to a T, they all did, the weird girl running around like an animal, the jealous lover, the pregnant woman and the main protagonist, she is one amazing actress, i hope she gets big, very clever, they all were actually but she deserves an award, this film should at least get a 7, its very artistic and even the ending keeps you thinking, because its lets you make uo your own mind, are they already in hell? Because that fisherman at the end looks like artist, this film is mega underrated, im the 3rd person to review it so where does 4.3 come from?

Rogue religion

[johnnymccarthy-65569 · 6/10 · 14 March 2022]

HELL IS EMPTY is a well researched look into micro sects of twisted religions that have been enacted hell on earth. I think what we have in this small film is a pretty accurate look at the darkest aspects of what happens when the Bible is misquoted and used for nefarious psychosis of its leader. At times HELL IS EMPTY isn't clear on its take away message but I like that so I can find my own take away message.

"Always say a prayer when an ambulance passes by with his lights on."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 16 November 2021]

Hypnotized by the period detail of The Yellow Wallpaper, (2021-also reviewed) I decided to continue peeling away at the line-up of the Cine-Excess Film Festival, by discovering how empty hell is.

View on the film:

Arriving to the island where the one Male figure is also the lone figure with power to rule over all the inhabitants, co-editor/co-writer (with Adam Desantes) / director Jo Shaffer & cinematographer Alex Halstead casts a wide-net eerie atmosphere of unsettling stilted wide-shots gazing at the horror inflicted on women who question Ed's cult on the land

Striking the fear of God into anyone who dares to question his iron-fist rule over the family, Travis Mitchell gives an excellent fire and brimstone performance as Ed.

Drawing sharp thumbnail sketches for each teenage runaway, the screenplay by Shaffer and Desantes neatly combines isolated community/ cult chills with Ed's patriarch grip on power, which the teenage runaway girls fight to reveal is empty like Hell.

A dazzlingly cinematic thriller

[deanphiliprobbins · 10/10 · 14 March 2022]

This stylish thriller pulls you in from the opening seconds, as a mysterious man rescues (or kidnaps?) battered teenage runaway Lydia. She opens her eyes on a secluded island surrounded by female cult members in antique dresses, who have likewise been drawn in by the messianic leader. From there, the pace doesn't let up for an instant as the cult's new recruit warms to the welcoming household but soon discovers trouble in paradise. "Hell Is Empty" is dazzlingly cinematic, casting a spell with lush imagery, ingenious camera setups, a haunting score, artful montages, and costumes and set design inspired by the cult leader's folk-art obsession. Viewers are as bewitched as Lydia, thinking--at least until storm clouds start to gather--that they've landed in heaven rather than hell.

Empty.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 18 November 2021]

Hypnotized by the period detail of The Yellow Wallpaper, (2021-also reviewed) I decided to continue peeling away at the line-up of the Cine-Excess Film Festival, by discovering how empty hell is.

View on the film:

Arriving to the island where the one Male figure is also the lone figure with power to rule over all the inhabitants, co-editor/co-writer (with Adam Desantes) / director Jo Shaffer & cinematographer Alex Halstead casts a wide-net eerie atmosphere of unsettling stilted wide-shots gazing at the horror inflicted on women who question Ed's cult on the land.

seriously interesting

[PPB34 · 7/10 · 17 May 2022]

Ya ya ya its poorly made, most independent movies are but what we got here is a very interesting concept with lots of gore. The acting isnt oscar worthy, what Bfilms are? If you like movies about cults, gore and woodlife gone wrong you might get Hell Is Empty.

As a Christian...

[naynay-82802 · 8/10 · 6 March 2022]

I really liked how this movie completely exposed one of the many ways that sociopaths can easily pervert the word of God and thus turn people off to learning. I know that happened to me, I saw nothing but twisted bible thumper committing evil acts in the name of the God so my parents and I never went to church or any of that stuff. The "Artist" guy was well cast and created a genuine freak that is sure to keep you thinking past the credits. The lead female was a very skilled actress who I think should be cast in more horror genre films. I still am wondering if her character was bewitched from the Artist or what was the reason she went along with these peoples remote cult. I like these low budget films that no one take the time to watch especially when they are good and this film was good for this genre.