Bingo Hell – Review [Prime Video] (2/5)

BINGO HELL on Amazon Prime Video is the new Blumhouse Horror movie just in time for Halloween season. The core story in this one is strong but ultimately runs too long for its own good. Read our full Bingo Hell movie review here!

BINGO HELL is a new Blumhouse Horror movie on Amazon Prime Video. Just like last year, we’re getting four horror movies during the month of October (which has become synonymous with Halloween).

WANT TO READ UP ON THE 2020 MOVIES?

Check out our review of Evil Eye from “Welcome to the Blumhouse” last year >

I admit that I had rather high hopes for this new Prime Video horror movie from Blumhouse. Mostly due to one of the writers involved. However, most of the movies in this “Welcome to the Blumhouse” 4-movie Halloween addition suffer from the same thing: They are always longer than they should be. Hour-long runtimes would have been better for most of them!

Continue reading our full Bingo Hell movie review below and find it on Prime Video from October 1, 2021.

Seniors fighting back

The core story in Bingo Hell focuses on the small community of Oak Springs. A group of friends, who have lived decades in this neighborhood, are seeing Oak Spring disappearing before their very eyes. Gentrification is running rampant and hipsters arriving are driving prices up.

Lupita (Adriana Barraza) is struggling to keep the good ol’ Oak Springs spirit alive, but it’s an uphill battle. Adriana Barraza, who you might recognize from The Strain series or Sam Raimi‘s Drag Me to Hell, does a really good job. As Lupita, she has both strengths and vulnerabilities. Also, she’s stubborn as hell, which is often a good thing when fighting battles.

However, once the new Bingo hall opens, it’s apparent that something much more sinister is at work. Symbolizing all forms of addiction and how you can convince yourself that you’re in control, Mr. Bingo himself (Richard Brake) is draining the community.

MORE RICHARD BRAKE

Check out our review of Tremors: Shrieker Island which also had Richard Brake in the cast >

Even Lupita’s best friend and steady ally, Dolores (L. Scott Caldwell), is beginning to give up on the idea of community. And while everyone in the cast is giving their best performances – or best crazy in Richard Brake’s case – it doesn’t help that the story drags on for too long.

Watch Bingo Hell on Prime Video

Gigi Saul Guerrero is the director and co-writer of Bingo Hell. In the past, she has directed various horror anthologies and TV series. Anthologies include ABCs of Death 2.5 (2016) while she’s worked on series like The Purge and Into the Dark. For her episode of Into the Dark (the July 4th, 2019 episode “Culture Shock”), she also co-wrote.

For this new Blumhouse horror production, she shares writing credit with her steady writing partner Shane McKenzie and also Perry Blackshear. For us here at Heaven of Horror, Perry Blackshear is always a name that makes us sit up and take notice. Especially when he also directs as was the case with They Look Like People and When I Consume You.

While I enjoyed much of the message and overall symbolism of Bingo Hell, it would have done well by being just one hour long. Its runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes does not work in its favor. Still, there is plenty for horror fans to enjoy and a profound and important message in the story as well.

Bingo Hell is out in Amazon Prime Video from October 1, 2021.

Details

Release Date: October 1, 2021 (Prime Video)
Director: Gigi Saul Guerrero
Screenplay: Shane McKenzie, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Perry Blackshear
Stars: Adriana Barraza, L. Scott Caldwell, Richard Brake, Joshua Caleb Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Jonathan Medina, Clayton Landey