Emily Mody - To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story (CUFF 2018)

Posted on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at 10:00 AM

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story (CUFF 2018)

Review by Emily Mody x CalgaryMovies.com

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story directed by Derek Dennis Herbert is an American documentary. The film follows stuntman, Kane Hodder, as he and his family and friends relay his difficult childhood. Hodder also discusses conquering the trials that came after surviving a horrific burn accident. This film gives powerful insight into bullying and the emotional as well as psychological impacts that this can have on a individual’s entire life.

I enjoyed this film overall. I did feel, however, that it seemed to run a little long. The subject is interesting though and if you are a fan of slasher films than you would probably be interested in learning more about Kane Hodder. He played the killer in four of the Friday the 13th movies and is well known for bringing Jason to life. As a masked villain, most of the time Jason was characterized by pretty robotic and monster-like qualities. Hodder made Jason more human and, in a sense, scarier because of this.

I think that my apathy for this film may have come from an overuse of the ‘talking head’ documentary technique. After a while this style became somewhat monotonous. The director did try to combine the interviews with other footage but it just was not enough for me. I think I would have been able to get more out of the film as a whole if the interviews were better integrated with other documentary styles or if the film had been shorter. Overall, however, the message conveyed was still a powerful one and I would recommend The Kane Hodder Story. If you have an interest in the horror genre or an interest in stories that discuss the effects of bullying and overcoming them, then I think you would enjoy this film.

The closest means of comparison that is coming to mind when thinking of The Kane Hodder Story is true crime shows. Something like The First 48, where the people involved in solving the crime are relaying the information that they have. These shows are typically interview-based and rely very little on additional footage. Although the subject matter is obviously pretty different there are a fair amount of similarities in terms of tone and style.

If you enjoy slasher films or if you would like to see an interesting coming of age story then you will want to check this one out.To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story runs a total of 108 minutes. This film contains language, graphic violence, and descriptive trauma regarding bullying and Hodder’s burn accident.

The Kane Hodder Story will be premiering nationally as a part of the 15th Calgary Underground Film Festival 2018 (CUFF). It will be screening on Thursday, April 19th at 11:59pm at the Globe Cinema.

Calgary Showtimes: To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story >