Macabre…ish Horror Reviews: No Tears in Hell
(scroll for synopsis)
This film was written and directed by Michael Caissie and it is very well done. It’s much gorier and more disturbing than I expected. And the point of view of this movie is, in large part, from the predator’s point of view. And because of that, there isn’t a lot of mystery.
The flashbacks are great, disturbing and really drives the point home that this is a very disturbed individual. We get glimpses of the how and why, that honestly do not need to be more obvious. It’s painful enough. The casting couldn’t be more spot on and Luke Baines was perfect for the character, Alex.
And the fact that this is based on a true story of Russian son Alexander (known as the Novokuznetsk Monster and the Siberian Ripper) and his mother, Lyudmila Spesivtsev, is extra disturbing. I prefer my grotesque horror to be figments of someone’s imagination but this is a fine retelling. If you like movies like Psycho and Mum & Dad, you might like this.
(enjoy the synopsis, there are definitely spoilers)
No Tears In Hell, 2025/ 105 min
Alaska’s poor have a new problem they definitely don’t need, it’s a predator problem called Alex. Alex has decided he’s gonna clean up the homeless problem himself, starting with the one’s who trust them the most.
Alex spends time selling small wares like tooth brushes and socks to the mostly homeless youth and one day he lures in a few guys to go with him to do a job. It’s just crime, no big deal. Except for one thing, it turns out the spot is Alex’s apartment and his co-conspirators are actually being lured into a trap. It is brutal and bloody and big mess to clean up when it’s done but lucky for Alex, he has a doting,enabling boy mom to do the cleaning, all the body disposal and sometimes she’s happy to give him guidance concerning his victims. In a lot of ways, she’s more disturbing than he is.
But listen, it’s not all his fault, he’s just a product of his past upbringing, abuse and bullying. He’s only doing what he’s been conditioned to do. And his mother is sickeningly sweet and permissive, even though she no longer lives with her son and he’s grown, she’s right there to baby him and clean up his messes.
There is one at the homeless encampment who knows Alex is dangerous and noted that when anyone goes off with him, they never return and he alerts the authorities who definitely aren’t helpful, until he turns up dead in another missing friend, Peter’s, tent.
Speaking of girls, Alex likes them and kills them too. But he really takes his time with them, their deaths take the longest and after they’re gone, well you know what happens next.
Alex’s mom implores him to help her out and get a job, she’s broke and they need to eat. But he has an idea, he’ll make sure there’s meat on the table. Meanwhile, the narrator, Alex, spells out the grotesque details. You see. he has studied serial killers and cannibals and he knows a lot about it.
The first person they ate was a homeless girl his mother encountered at the store, she was kind to the girl in a way the store owner wasn’t. Then lured her home for her son. See, I told you she was terrible.
It’s not long before Alex is more brazen. Luring another girl, Patricia, home and feeding her first. He tries to be social with her, compliments her and enjoys her company but once they move to the bedroom, he can’t perform. You know what does get the blood flowing though? Hurting her. And he takes his sweet time, this time he also plays music. Sometimes he even stops to write in his journal. But eventually, as it always does, it’s over. And this time. those earrings of Patricia’s that he liked so much, his mom’s wearing them now.
Alex soon realizes that he has to do something about the only person, other than his mother, that sees him and is a danger to his existence. That kid at the encampment. But that won’t get him caught, what he does next, will.
Alex’s next two victims are guests to the area, college students. And their disappearance will not go unnoticed. But Alex doesn’t listen. He toys with them the most and the longest. Forcing, one to participate in the suffering of the other.
But one manages to survive and the more Alex ‘bonds’ with her, the more his mother becomes unsettled and tries to get him to ‘finish it’. You see, mom, doesn’t care that her son is a monster, because so is she, but she does care if he gets caught.
And what they fear most does come. They get the knock on the door from maintenance and then the police…
This is based on a true story.
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