Even by mobile home standards, the one Lena finds herself locked inside is unusually creepy. Clearly, it has been specially modified to keep passengers from leaving. Clive, the man driving in the cabin, even has it tricked out with cameras and an intercom, so he can watch and talk to his captive.
She cannot remember how she got there, but she intuitively distrusts Clive. He claims she is the victim of some sort of outbreak, so he is taking her to an infectious disease specialist. Obviously, that sounds fishy, but her black throbbing veins sure look unhealthy and her periodic bouts of pain feel considerably more so. The situation is undeniably dire, even before she realizes someone else is back there too.
Bodell has a real surprise in store for audiences that truly upends the film. (Ironically, it is somewhat similar to the twist ending of Robert Bloch’s “The Bogeyman Will Get You” short story, which was adapted as an episode of Darkroom, but the set-up and circumstances are radically different.) The upshot is Hellcat actually should be categorized in an entirely different horror genre than viewers first assume, but it would be spoilery to explain how.
During the first two acts, Bodell capitalizes on the claustrophobic setting for all its worth, but then he breaks the action out of the mobile home, in a way that greatly raises thee stakes. His use of a George Noory-like radio call-in show as a macabre Greek chorus is also clever. Even the micro-budget grunginess suits Bodell’s vision. The resulting film is a wild ride that punches well above its weight-class. Highly recommended for horror fans, Hellcat starts streaming Friday (8/14) on Shudder.
