Hell Baby Delivers Laughs

A horror satire from two of the twisted minds behind Reno 911!, Hell Baby has a comedic strength that lies in its random non sequiturs and talented cast of Doug Loves Movies’ regulars like Rob Heubel, Paul Scheer, Riki Lindhome and Kumail Nanjiani.

Hell Baby kicks off when young couple Vanessa and Jack (Leslie Bibb and Rob Corddry) arrive at their new house— a decaying, gang-tagged fixer-upper in a “transitioning” New Orleans neighborhood they plan to flip one day. Almost immediately, they’re surprised by an unexpected mooch played by Keegan Michael Key (of Key & Peele) who makes himself right at home and informs them that their residence is affectionately referred to in the neighborhood as “maison du sang” or “house of blood.”  It gained the nickname because of, well, all the murders.  Let the games begin.

When mysterious deaths, bizarre behavior, in-home earthquakes and gratuitous nudity ensue, the Vatican dispatches its crack team (writers/directors Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon) to assess the situation.

The comedy is exceptionally broad and definitely uneven, but the inherently funny cast and deliberate randomness (including multiple excursions to get po’ boys that in no way advance the plot) definitely work in its favor.  Hit a drafthouse cinema with friends and lose yourself in the film’s smart silliness; you’ll almost have as good a time watching Hell Baby as the cast clearly had making it.