[Fantasia 2025] FILM REVIEW: Hellcat

Hellcat - Fantasia World Premiere Review

Director: Brock Bodell

Starring: Dakota Gorman, Todd Terry, Liz Atwater, Jordan Mullins

Written by: Brock Bodell

Produced by: Brock Bodell, Andrew Duensing, Nate Eggert

Cinematography by: Andrew Duensing

Original Score by: Zak Engel

Synopsis:

A woman wakes in the back of a moving camper trailer with a badly infected wound. The driver tells her they must reach a doctor within the hour or she'll suffer a horrific fate.

Thoughts:

A highly original take on a classic horror tale, Brock Bodell's feature debut uses its single location to perfection creating a fascinatingly, fast paced indie horror gem.

Lena wakes up in the back of a trailer (one of those chrome RV travel trailers with a kitchen and amenities) confused and having no memory of how or why she is here. Then she hears a voice coming from a speaker inside a mounted wolfs-head trophy. It's Clive, the driver, and he tells Lena that he's bringing her to a hospital to see a specialist about her wound. Clive also tells her that she is "infected" and that it is imperative that she remains calm until they get to their destination. But panic sets in and Lena is having none of Clive's bullshit. Lena can feel some sort of poison coursing through her veins. Things go from bad to worse when Lena discovers another woman hidden in a closed off room right at the back of the trailer. The girl is unconscious, chained up and in complete darkness. Who is Clive and what the fuck is going on here?

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Two things stand out from watching 'Hellcat'; how well Writer/Director Brock Bodell is able to keep the story moving forward despite it being contained and how amazing the two leads are. Dakota Gorman and Todd Terry, who play Lena and Clive, really do deliver phenomenal performances from start to finish and they're able to carry the movie together from it's mysterious beginning to it's rewarding end.

I'm going to be very careful to not give away any spoilers because so much of the film is tied up in it's reveal, which might not fully land with all its viewers. I got there before it was officially revealed because Bodell leaves enough hints along the way but it was still handled well and even after the initial revelation there's still a few twists to keep you sitting on the edge of your seat.

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It's shot well and because its so contained you really feel like you're going along this journey with Lena. The script is basic enough but also clever to not give away anything obvious too early. Outside of the main plot details there's a real effort to provide some meaning behind the characters choices. And the tension is maintained fairly well throughout the entire runtime, which is a huge testament to Brock Bodell's writing. I knew I recognised his name and found out afterwards that he was an editor on 'Ultrasound' a truly fascinating science fiction film from a few years ago.

But the film lives and dies by the chemistry between Gorman and Terry, who are exceptional in helping the viewer believe in both sides of their stories. Todd Terry, who we don't even see for a large portion of the first half of the film, uses his voice through the speaker to create a fully fleshed out character even before we realise the reason behind the so called "kidnapping". And Dakota Gorman gives everything to this role to present the most honest depiction of a scared to death, young woman feeling trapped in a man's world.

Its ending might rub some people up the wrong way but 'Hellcat' is one of those lovely surprises that is better to watch knowing nothing about and one of the reasons film festivals exist.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

-Gavin Logan

'Hellcat' received its World Premiere at Fantasia '25 on July 25th