Hell Van (2022) Review

Hell Van (2022) follows the small township of Midway, Texas as they face the evil of all evils in the form of a bright red Chevy van. The Slow Mutants and Blind Sight Productions pair up to bring this wild ride of gore, good music, and godless imagery. Writer/Director Jorge Delarosa fashioned a new staple in the genre with a great balance of artistry and precise execution.

The David Lynch-esque opening credit scene lets the audience know that they are in for a surreal 85 minutes. These scenes are woven through the rest of the film along with devilish narration from an unholy radio host, getting more grotesque as the Hell Van unleashes chaos. The juxtaposition between the relatively mundane characters and these artful displays of evilness is a captivating way to unsettle and keep the plot racing forward.

Ambitious special effects include one headshot, a chest shot, a decapitated head, two full-body burns, and more up close and personal disgust. It was a fun surprise to see these well-designed, well-executed effects peppered through the film. These scenes are what make lower-budget films like this shine.

Being an independent film, some actors’ delivery were better than others but overall this cast pulled together a cohesive storyline and complex relationships. August Cash’s (Justin Cash) stoicism only being broken by his shaky hand and final moments in the van give just a hint at the vehicles power. The ramp up to Cash’s demise is realy just the beginning as the leading role is handed off to the young sheriff played by Delarosa. From there, the cast more-or-less take their traditional horror movie roles as victims all lined up for the Hell Van. Some characters of note include an ex-priest, an overzealous news reporter, and an escaped mental patient. A managarie of archetypes that can only make sense in an action-horror like this.

A few fun easter eggs for horror fans or darkly-inclined viewers added to the indie-charm of this film. The van dons a personalized Texan license plate with the numbers “666,” that felt like finding the devil’s number scrawled in a school book. There’s also a glimpse of a Joe Bob Briggs article, a great nod to the Texas B-movie expert and his legacy.

It would be a sin to not mention Hell Van’s great soundtrack provided by an aray of bands and an original score from Sean Carlin and Billy Farkas. The main musical influence being metal acts like Black Sabbath and other artists likely targeted by the satanic panic. This is pressed against some twangy country numbers, creating a unique southern gothic sound scape to ring in the apocalypse.

Hell Van is a very worthy addition to an already frightening line-up of evil vehicles. The relatively simple idea of “what if a van was an agent of hell” is made engrossing and mysterious when it is embellished by elements like the narration, art-house style non-narrative cut aways, and intentional atmosphere creation.

The ending of the film may be divisive to some viewers as it veers the plot firmly into Ed Wood territory but I found that it fit the absurdity of the “killer car” idea very well. All of this together giving Hell Van a stong chance at becoming a new cult classic, just waiting for horror fans to take the keys and come along for a ride.

Movie Rating:

Hell Van trailer