Review: Hell's Ground!

Anyone who likes gore, zombies, or burqas should certainly pick up Hell's Ground --- where it's poor protagonists are attacked by plauge ridden, flesh starved zombies by day and a mace-wielding, bloody burqa wearing, body carving psychopath named Baby by night. Who knew Pakistan could make horror films?

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Pakistan's first splatter flick is one of the newest offerings in TLA Releasings Danger After Dark line and it is a doozy.

Hell's Ground is about a group of friends who head out on their own for a night of fun at a concert. They make up a story for their parents and head out in a wildly decoracted van. One creepy shop keeper and a short cut later, they find themselves in the midst of a horrifying turn of events. And then they run out of gas.

By day, they are attacked zombies (including a little person zombie, ain't he cute?). By night, a psychopath named Baby who's fashion sense is a tad skewed.

Pretty much the best parts of slasher flicks all rolled into one 80 minute package.

Director Omar Khan has delivered a freakfest worthy of the best grindhouse theater. Quentin Tarantino would be proud. It's loaded with cliches but you really don't care, it's too much fun to worry about cliches. Hell's Ground mashes together so many different movies that it's hard not to find yourself enjoying it. It's creepy, jump filled, and gory as hell. You get everything really. Zombies, a maniac with a MACE, or a flail, or a morning star whatever you want to call it it's friggin cool.

Like I said, this movie would be at home in a grindhouse cinema. The acting is pretty decent, despite the cookie cutter characters (cool guy, bad girl, innocent girl, movie geek dope head, and poor guy). They do jump back and forwards between english and their native language which is a bit disorienting at first. Whether it is Punjabi or not, I can't be certain. I saw somewhere it wasn't but what do I know.

Omar Khan directs this movie like he is the son of Rodriguez and Tarantino. Grainy film, shaky camera. It all adds up to a priceless slasher experience. He takes a genre that is, lets face it, as american as apple pie and claims it as his own. Let's see if he does a sequel. I'm sure it will be just as fun.

Anyone who likes gore, zombies, or burqas should certainly pick up Hell's Ground. It's one of those great midnight movie creepfests you'll enjoy watching with your friends.

Hell's Ground is available now.