Film Review – Gehenna: Where Death Lives

With a title like “Gehenna: Where Death Lives,” the production knows it has some explaining to do. The title refers to a place of extreme suffering, welcoming those who may deserve a cruel fate. Opening text provides a definition for the title and the rest of the feature struggles to create a nightmare worthy of such an introduction. Co-writer/director Hiroshi Katagiri is a longtime special effects artist (“Jurassic Park III,” “War of the Worlds,” and “Escape from L.A.”), and he makes his directorial debut with “Gehenna,” a film that’s not big on varied locations but does an adequate job creating scary business, at least the no-budget kind. Katagiri has some inspired ideas for his big break, and select scenes manage to achieve their intended genre pop. It’s the rest of the movie that could use a little bolt tightening and fresh air, with the smallness of the picture far too repetitive for comfort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com