The October Zombie-Thon - Day 03: Hell's Ground
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 10.03.2008
A zombie/slasher from Pakistan...guess there's always a first time.
HELL'S GROUND (2007)
(Zibahkhana)
Written & Directed by: Omar Khan
Country: Pakistan
I'll say this for Hell's Ground - it's the best Pakistani zombie/slasher flick I've ever seen. Of course…you guessed it…it's also the only Pakistani zombie/slasher flick I've ever seen. Ahahahahaha.
Ahem.
OK, so that might have been a fairly lame and obvious joke to make, but it's actually quite the appropriate way to begin this review. That's because Hell's Ground's position as the first and so-far only Pakistani zombie film is really the only reason it's worth looking at in the Zombie-Thon. That's not an early critique of the film's quality, mind you. It's simply an admittance that calling this thing a "zombie movie" is kind of a stretch.
After all, zombies only make two appearances in the movie, and of those two only one sequence could legitimately be considered a true "zombie attack" scene. Then again, that scene does feature a zombie midget (or is midget zombie?), so I guess what it lacks in quantity it's sure trying to make up for in outlandish quality.
Anyway, the plot of Hell's Ground follows a group of teenage friends who head out on a road trip to a local rock concert…and no, I swear I haven't accidentally started reviewing Automaton Transfusion again. It's just the plot here, too. However, unlike that film – which almost immediately threw us into the gore-soaked mayhem - Hell's Ground actually lets us spend quite a bit of time with our main characters, on the road in the crappy van they have bought for this occasion. It's a good move, because this is actually quite the likable bunch, even if you can't help but notice how much they fit into the typical "horror movie teens" group of stereotypes (the stoner, the bitch, the nerd, etc.).
Almost as if they were aware of this stereotypical existence of theirs, they soon go a step further, by predictably taking a wrong turn and ending up lost on some eerie back roads. They even decide not to listen to the ominous warnings of a creepy old man they meet at a roadside café, who tells them they are doomed if they continue in their current direction. By this point we already know that at least one of these kids is a big fan of horror movies, but apparently he hasn't learned any lessons from watching them, as the group ignores the warning and is once again happily on its way.
While I could continue to point out the number of horror clichés the movie plays into, it would start to get a little tedious. It's impossible to talk about this film without mentioning how flat-out derivative it is. In fairness towards divulging the entire synopsis, I'll at least tell you that – following the brief excursion into zombie territory mentioned above – the movie eventually morphs into the same sort of Texas Chainsaw Massace "homage" that we've seen hundreds of times before, complete with a crazed hitchhiker, a cannibalistic family carving up victims to sell the meat, and a Leatherface-esque main baddie…here in the form of "Baby," an imposing, mace-wielding man dressed in a burqa. The film's only truly original element is a clever editing technique using comic-book framing to transition from scene to scene (and even this, you could argue, is possibly cribbed from Ang Lee's Hulk).
So, no, you're definitely not gonna see anything new here. And, sure, it's a little hard not to be disappointed by the overall lack of zombies in what is being at least partly marketed as a "zombie movie." But still, it's tough to be that upset with the film. After all, even though almost everything here has been seen before, at least writer/director Omar Ali Khan delivers it with a certain style. He's clearly paying homage to the films he grew up loving, and he often does a pretty decent capturing the spirit and fun of those Hollywood movies.
What really places Hell's Ground in the "tough to hate" category, though, is simply the fact that it exists at all. That probably requires some explanation. The fact is, the story behind this movie is far more interesting and compelling than anything you will see on the screen. Khan had a hell of a time getting this film made and shown in his home country of Pakistan, where the local film board was none-too-happy to support a movie that celebrated the same kind of outrageousness and violence seen in Hollywood horror fare. This, then, was a true labor of love for Khan – an attempt to share his love of the works of Hooper, Romero, Raimi and others with his fellow countrymen…many of whom are not as often exposed to the genre that we here take for granted. In this regard, a die-hard horror supporter like me can't help but get behind Khan, and support his dream of bringing true horror to a film community that has long been denied it.
And, it should be said, the very fact that this film was something new to Pakistani audiences makes it a little easier to forgive its over-reliance on familiar clichés. Sure, we've seen this all before…but most of Khan's target audience probably hadn't. It's not Khan's fault that once Hell's Ground went international it started playing to audiences who would recognize its plot and themes from dozens of other films. He was primarily making a love letter to the films he idolized, in order to bring their best elements into the world of Lollywood. If Khan continues to make movie after movie that are nothing more than retreads of pre-existing flicks, it will be a little harder to sing his praise. But for a first effort, I can forgive a little "creative plagiarism" here and there in the service of introducing a new audience to the splatter genre.
Besides, it's also true that – while Hell's Ground plays like a sort of "greatest hits" of other, better films – these scenes and ideas that we've seen so many times before are still pretty interesting when seen filtered through a Lollywood lens. Now, no, this is not the typical Lollywood exploitation fare. You won't see any extravagant costumes or spontaneous musical numbers. Khan ignores these typical Lollywood elements and instead keeps things pretty grounded in reality, in order to further emulate his favorite films.
But, still, you can't completely take the Pakistani influence out of a film created completely in Pakistan, and as such the entire film manages to have a unique feel to it that you just don't get in the numerous Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead imitators we get over here. Besides the obvious elements (such as Baby's burqa, a Pakistani pop music soundtrack, and the locations themselves), the cultural aesthetic is felt throughout the movie, primarily in the dialogue of the characters. Khan clearly understands that the best horror movies have just the right amount of subtle social commentary and satire, and thus makes sure to use his characters to illustrate the current rift between the older and younger generations of Pakistan (the friends, having all lied to their parents about their plans for the night, seem to have a general distrust of adults and the authority system of their culture). Even the origin of the zombies – a tainted water supply – is, according to Khan, a comment on very real health concerns currently plaguing his home country.
How, then, does one adequately review Hell's Ground? When looked at entirely on a "is it a good movie" level, it certainly comes up a little short. I mean, it's not boring or anything, but it's also not going to blow your socks off with its originality. The story is a familiar one, the gore is simply adequate (and often poorly shot), and if you're coming in looking for zombies you're definitely going to be disappointed (I wonder if Khan only included the living dead out of fear that he would never get a chance to make a full zombie movie). But even with all that working against it, I'd still say it's worth checking out for anyone who wants to see another culture's spin on the same themes we've become so accustomed to. It's nothing you're going to remember long after seeing, but it is a nice brief respite from the same old American and European zombie films that have become so commonplace. And, besides, who knows when you'll get another chance to check out a Lollywood splatter flick, right?
FINAL SCORE: 2.5 out of 4 Bubs (Mildly Recommended)
