A team of land developers ignore a local curse and make plans to build on sacred land. When they survey the land, however, they are pulled into a nightmare of demonic frights.
Titles are a funny thing. In particular, I am often very fond of the way film titles are translated into Japanese. For example, the film Honey I Shrunk the Kids was retitled Microkids! when it landed in Japan as the original title just could not translate. Napoleon Dynamite was renamed Bus Man. Bruce Campbell fared no better when his classic Army of Darkness was renamed Captain Supermarket. It is with the same curious style that Japanese American filmmaker Hiroshi Katagiri names his latest film, Gehenna: Where Death Lives. While this is a horror pic, and there is death, I’m not so sure that death lives in the central location as much as a curse. Let me explain.
“…something far more powerful than the wraith of greedy investors…”
When American resort developer Paulina (Eva Swan) journeys to Saipan to scope out possible resort locations, she and her team including Tyler (Justin Gordon), Dave (Matthew Edward Hegstrom), Alan (Simon Phillips) and scene-stealing local on the ground Pepe (Sean Sprawling) uncover an underground labyrinth of inescapable, cursed horrors. At first, we are given the hint that things are not all that right with the location when the locals on the island are protesting any development due to legends of a curse. Like that ever stopped Americans with money.
I loved it ****I personally think that there’s no other way to describe the truth, but in a virtual way, yet visible. How else will the audience see if it’s not shown or heard? Now try picturing what they were going through alone? (Self)? The end of the movie hit the punchline!!!