Hell's Ground
Directed by Omar Khan
Danger After Dark

Hell's Ground has the distinction of being the first slasher film ever produced in Pakistan. Unfortunately it is also banned in Pakistan as well. What the film makes me realize is that the future of horror might not be with American film makers. With American studios more than content turning out sequels and pg-13 rated drivel, a film like Hell's Ground really stands out.

Although it does draw from American movies, the Pakistan backdrop helps to give the movie an original feel. If you combined Evil Dead, Friday the 13th and Dawn of the Dead you would have Hell's Ground. The film is essentially a combination of a zombie film and a slasher film. The zombie element is a small part of the film, with the slasher part being the main style on display. Let me tell you this as well, this is the goriest slasher film I've seen since High Tension.

The basic premise of the film is a fairly common one. Five teens rent a van to travel to a rock concert. Along the way they become lost in the woods and things start to get ugly. One of the characters is attacked and quickly becomes ill. Soon after they run across a zombie horde and we are treated to some graphic gut munching. The zombies are the result of polluted water and while the zombie element seems a bit out of place at first it does fit into the story nicely later on. When the teens attempt to make it out of the woods they become even more lost and soon the gore really starts to fly.

When darkness falls and the forest is dark, I love the atmosphere the film takes on. It really has a similar look to the first Evil Dead, complete with excessive fog and back lighting. The entire movie has a classic 80's feel to it. Many films attempt this but few have as much success as this film does.

Like I mentioned earlier this is a very gory film. Surprisingly the gore is extremely well done and quite graphic. The majority of the bloodshed occurs in the last part of the film but it is certainly worth the wait. I won't give away any of the deaths but let's just say the camera never shies away. Did I mention that the killer uses a large ball and chain during the last part of the movie? If you are a slasher fan and that doesn't get you excited, what the hell is wrong with you?

The majority of the film the actors are speaking Urdu although English is used as well. If you have watched movies with subtitles, this is easy to follow. Any gorehound will tell you that not all of the best gore films are always in English. If you pass on this film just because it isn't in English, you'll be missing out on one of the best gore films released in years.

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