Shudder: Hell Baby the kitchen sink collection of comedy actors
By Devin Shea
Shudder is a horror fans fantasy, a place where new and old fright gems can be devoured daily. But is Hell Baby a terror treat to just terrible?
I am forever and always on the hunt for great horror comedies. I’m also always on the hunt for great possession/demon movies. So, how tickled do you think I was when coming across a demonic possession horror comedy? It feels wonderful when you find the exact thing you are looking for. Thanks to my new addiction, Shudder, I found a movie called Hell Baby. After looking at the cast list, I KNEW this was going to be good.
Image courtesy of Darko Entertainment and Gravitas Ventures
Hell Baby (2013) was written and directed by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. It stars EVERYBODY: Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Keegan-Michael Key, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Michael Ian Black, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, David Wain, Riki Lindhome, Kumail Nanjiani and Chris Rock. All of them are big names in comedy and they came together for a hilarious take on a possession movie. Imaging my surprise when I realized it was released five years ago and only now came across my radar because of Shudder.
The story follows married couple Jack (Corddry) and Vanessa (Bibb) as they move into a new huge house that they got for a steal in a neighborhood that “white people don’t know about.” They are expecting twins and need the space for the babies. When they’re nearly scared half to death by neighbor and possible squatter F’resnell, he tells them the nickname for the house, La “Maison de Sang” or the “House of Blood” and the interaction is hilarious.
Image courtesy of Darko Entertainment and Gravitas Ventures
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What follows is copious old lady nudity, doctoral disembowelment, non-sexual full frontal shower co-habitation, small talk, po’ boys, and a duo of priests (Garant and Lennon) with intense back stories who are fit and ready to exorcise. They are here to stop the demon baby who threatens the world after direct orders from The Vatican.
I always watch horror comedies with low expectations. Scary Movie has taught me to always be cautious because it’s a fine line between funny and just trying too hard. Hell Baby does an amazing job by keeping the humor from digging too deep into slapstick but never really takes itself seriously. This was one of the most enjoyable horror comedies I have seen in a long time and you can watch it on Shudder, which makes it even better! After Shudder brought us The Last Drive In and Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, it almost seems like we are not worthy of their collection.
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Fan of Shudder? Checked out Hell Baby yet? Let the other horror heads know what you think in the comment section below.