A few days ago, I screened a horror film so repugnant and shocking that I needed time to digest it for the purposes of this review. Hate Crime, produced, directed and co-written by James Cullen Bressack, is the story of a Jewish family celebrating the birthday of its youngest member when three masked men (simply named 1, 2 and 3) invade their home and torment them.
Actually, torment doesn’t even begin to describe what happens but I will not elaborate any more than that – you have to watch the film for yourself. I will say that my first reaction to what I saw was a repulsion and anger so intense that it left me with a knot in my stomach that lasted for a few hours afterward. The violence is unrelentingly visceral and bludgeons you to the point where you’ll swear you taste blood. During one particular scene I became so disturbed by the brutality that I blurted out, “This is pointless!” After days of consideration I realized that that is the point. There is no rhyme or reason for what happens because 1, 2 and 3 are fueled by a hate and ignorance so deeply ingrained that they cease to be human, and not in a “Michael Myers” kind of way, either. Since Hate Crime is a “found footage” film there is a sense of realism that makes it more frightening than some mysterious figure in blue coveralls and a William Shatner mask could ever be.
One thing that I found particularly interesting about this film is that much of violence is only implied. There are definitely scenes that go way over the top but for the most part Bressack doesn’t use gallons of blood to punctuate the terror. Instead, the uncertainty of the situation is used to build tension and crank the “discomfort factor” up to 11, which was a nice surprise.
Hate Crime looks and feels like one continuous shot and that is another thing that makes the film work. There are no cutaways that allow you to catch your breath, which gives the illusion that you’re not just watching these events – you are part of them.
Hate Crime is another strong effort from Mr. Bressack but I must warn you, it ain’t for everybody! Hell, I don’t even know if it’s for me but I do know that it got under my skin in a big way. I am almost impossible to offend but there were scenes in this that turned my stomach! All I am saying is…proceed with caution…
One last thing. After you see Hate Crime, you may want to come back to this article and stare at the picture below. Call it a palate cleanser. Or a public service. Or both. Whatever you call it, you’ll thank me later. Trust me…
