Bloodtype Online

    This film is so fantastic I don’t even know where to begin.  As Pakistan’s first horror/slasher film, it’s a fresh new entry in the horror genre.  The setting, sounds, color, even the language (Urdu) are all things that I have never seen before. They would remain a mere novelty if Hell’s Ground didn’t have anything, well, horrific, to show us.  Thankfully, it does.  Omar Khan has written and directed a flat out fun, brutal, and intelligent film that sticks us in a unfamiliar part of the world and successfully blends many of horror’s most enduring ideas.   

    A group of college kids lie to their parents and go off to see a band.  They pile into a van (with a custom paint job to end all custom paint jobs), throw on the music and go.  We all know they are never going to get there.  The characters are fun—the rich bitch, the good girl, the druggie horror fanboy (OJ), the kid driving (there’s always that one kid that just doesn’t stand out much), and their token poor friend.  As they get high and talk about how much they hate Pakistan, Khan shows us his skill as a visual storyteller.   

    With fun music playing (it just puts you in a “bring on the exploitation” kind of mood), Khan skillfully inserts bad omens like crows, graying skies, and visions of a society in decay.  Pakistan is suffering.  The waters are polluted, a mysterious disease is making the rounds, and the rural population has turned to angry protest.  Our city kids remain blissfully unaware of all this as they pull over to try a fried delicacy made with marijuana.  They impatiently endure the stall owner’s ramblings, while Vicky (the driver) goes off to use the outhouse.  Outhouse graffiti does not lie people!  The road to hell, your destiny is in your hands???  Nope, ignore that and take a shortcut through rural Pakistan.  No cell service.  No gas stations.   

    All these poor kids wanted to do was have fun and live their lives, but it’s simply not to be.  They are assailed by all manner of nasty, flaky leper creatures (including a midget) and they ignore the psychopath’s most important visual announcements—dead things hanging from trees and doll parts.  As the sun sets and everything else goes wrong, there are some truly bad things on display here—you can almost smell them.  Khan is not playing—shovels, hooks, even a mace that sounds like it would mess you up pretty bad.  Seriously…don’t go in there…(yes, I was yelling at the TV).  Thinking of taking bets on who lives and who dies?  Good luck with that.  You’re going to lose. 

    I can’t even think of one thing I didn’t like about this film.  The pacing is perfect—fast enough to thrill you without skipping important things like story telling and character development.  It’s not easy to find the right balance of all the different ideas and revelations that make up a story, but Khan got it exactly right.  There are no awkward lectures—just the right match of real dialogue with excellent visual storytelling.   Additionally, he made great use of sound distortions while framing his shots to give scenes (and characters) this slightly surreal, larger than life appearance.  There were even a few comic book panel frames that just added to the fun.  It was never overdone and fit well with the film’s tone and feel.   

    It sucks that Hell’s Ground got banned in Pakistan, but I’m sure the underground economy will make sure it still gets around there.  As for the rest of us, you have got to get your hands on a copy of this film.  Check out http://www.zibahkhana.com for more information.  Hell’s Ground will be released on DVD in the USA by Danger After Dark/TLA Releasing June 24, 2008. 

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