Gehenna: Where Death Lives

Gehenna: Where Death Lives
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Hiroshi Katagiri
Screenplay by	Hiroshi Katagiri Nathan Long Brad Palmer
Produced by	Koodae Kim
Starring	Justin Gordon Eva Swan Simon Phillips Doug Jones Lance Henriksen Patrick Gorman
Cinematography	Yohei Tateishi
Edited by	Yoshio Kohashi
Music by	Yuan Liu
Distributed by	Uncork'd Entertainment
Release dates	October 6, 2016 (2016-10-06) (Shriekfest Film Festival) June 30, 2018 (2018-06-30)
Running time	105 minutes
Countries	United States Japan
Language	English

Gehenna: Where Death Lives is a 2016 American-Japanese horror film directed by Hiroshi Katagiri. An international co-production between the United States and Japan, the film stars Justin Gordon, Eva Swan, Simon Phillips, Doug Jones, Lance Henriksen, and Patrick Gorman. The plot follows a group of real estate developers who travel to a remote Pacific island to scout a location for a new resort, only to stumble upon a hidden World War II bunker that unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

Gehenna: Where Death Lives was acquired by Uncork'd Entertainment in 2018 and officially released on May 4, 2018. An early screening took place at Saipan Regal Cinemas on June 30, 2018. The film garnered mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its practical effects and performances, but criticism for its pacing and reliance on familiar horror tropes drew some criticism. It has since a cult following and found success on video-on-demand platforms.

Plot

A group of real estate developers—Paulina, Ty, Dave, Jorge, and their local guide Pepe—who visit the remote Pacific island of Saipan to scout a location for a new luxury resort. The group is excited about the potential of the island, but things take a dark turn when they discover an abandoned World War II bunker hidden deep in the jungle. Intrigued by the historical value and potential significance of the site, the group decides to explore the bunker despite warnings from the locals.

Upon entering the bunker, they find evidence of disturbing rituals and human remains, which heightens the tension. Strange occurrences begin soon after, with the group experiencing eerie visions and hearing unsettling sounds. Paulina begins to see a mysterious elderly man, who at first seems to be a harmless hallucination but quickly becomes more menacing. Meanwhile, Ty and Dave begin to suffer from terrifying visions of people from the past, adding to the group's mounting anxiety.

As they venture deeper into the bunker, they uncover hidden chambers and disturbing relics, including symbols and writings that suggest the site was used for dark rituals during World War II. The group soon realizes that the bunker is not just a relic of the war but a place of immense supernatural power, cursed by the atrocities that took place there. They are confronted by the spirits of those who died in the bunker, trapped by malevolent forces.

As the paranormal activity escalates, the group members are individually haunted by their darkest fears. Paulina and the others are faced with hallucinations that blur the line between reality and the supernatural. The elderly man, who once appeared to Paulina, is revealed to be a key figure in the bunker’s dark history, tied to the unspeakable horrors that took place there. The group begins to turn on each other as paranoia and fear set in, and they realize that they are not just dealing with ghosts but with an ancient evil intent on claiming their lives.

In a desperate attempt to escape, the group tries to retrace their steps out of the bunker. However, the supernatural forces have trapped them, and the bunker’s corridors seem to shift and change, making escape impossible. Pepe, who has a deeper understanding of the island’s history, reveals that the only way to survive is to confront the source of the curse and the spirits that guard the bunker.

In the film's climax, the group is forced to face the full power of the ancient evil that resides in the bunker. Paulina and the remaining survivors must use their wits to break the curse, freeing the spirits trapped within the bunker. The battle against the malevolent force culminates in a life-or-death struggle as the group fights to escape the bunker before they are consumed by the dark forces within.

Ultimately, they fail to escape and die one by one until the last survivor is revealed to be the wretch killed by the group upon waking up in the bunker at the start of the movie.

Cast

• Doug Jones as Creepy Old Man
• Lance Henriksen as Morgan
• Patrick Gorman as Don Rodrigogiobb
• Simon Phillips as Alan
• Sean Sprawling as Pepe
• Eva Swan as Paulina
• Katherine Wallace as Claire
• Justin Gordon as Tyler
• Matthew Edward Hegstrom as Dave

Production

Gehenna: Where Death Lives is Hiroshi Katagiri's debut feature as a director. Filming was completed in Los Angeles, California, as well as on the islands of Saipan and Tinian in 2015. The film employed traditional special-effects makeup, created by Spectral Motion in Glendale, California, to achieve its gory scenes.

This was the first feature film to be significantly shot in Saipan and Tinian, marking an important milestone in the cinema of Northern Mariana Islands. While the production and director were not local, much of the crew, extras, and some actors were from Saipan. The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands supported the film’s production, and local citizens also contributed through crowdfunding efforts. The film's significance was recognized locally as it was not only shot in Saipan but also set there, with hopes that it would inspire more Marianas-bred filmmakers to pursue ambitious projects.

Release

Gehenna: Where Death Lives premiered at the Shriekfest Film Festival in Los Angeles in October 2016. The film made its United Kingdom debut at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival on October 27, 2016, and premiered in Australia at A Night of Horror Film Festival on November 24, 2016. It also screened at various other festivals, including the New York City International Film Festival and the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival in 2016. In 2017, it was shown at the Indie Horror Film Festival in Chicago.

In 2018, the film was acquired by Uncork'd Entertainment, and a limited theatrical and VOD release in the United States was announced for May 4, 2018. Additionally, an early screening was held at Saipan's Regal Cinemas starting on June 30, 2018.

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Gehenna: Where Death Lives holds an approval rating of 50%, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10.

Noel Murray from the Los Angeles Times noted, "Gehenna: Where Death Lives features impressive gore effects, but the plot's an uninspired hodgepodge of dozens of other 'haunted structure' pictures, set at a plodding pace, in a gray, dim location. It peaks in its first five minutes. The remaining 100 go nowhere, slowly." Dennis Harvey from Variety commented that while the film's premise showed promise and the performances were competent, it was ultimately undermined by its underdeveloped script and lack of genuine scares.

Norman Gidney from Film Threat acknowledged the film's flaws, stating, "Not perfect, not by a longshot," but added that it is "too much fun not to see through to the end."

Awards

In 2017, Gehenna: Where Death Lives won Best Cinematography for a Feature Film at the Indie Horror Film Festival in Chicago.

See also

• Gehenna – a historic valley surrounding Ancient Jerusalem, sometimes associated with a concept of divine punishment
• Japanese horror

External links

• Official website
• Gehenna: Where Death Lives at AllMovie
• Gehenna: Where Death Lives at IMDb
• Gehenna: Where Death Lives at Metacritic
• Gehenna: Where Death Lives at Rotten Tomatoes