Hellblock 13 (2000)

“Hellblock 13” is a collection of three short episodes that are presented as stories being read by a Tara, female serial killer (B Movie Man favorite Debbie Rochon) to her executioner (Gunnar Hansen) from her a journal of stories she’s written while on death row. Rochon plays Tara as a delightfully deranged woman whose only regret is that she cannot continue killing from a prison cell. Hanson counters her gleeful dementia with his utter contempt for her and her stories. The scenes between these characters are used as bridges between the short stories, but they are some of the best scenes in the film.

The short stories themselves are diverse. The first one “Watery Grave” takes its cues from headlines of the day regarding a mother who drowns her children because she believes they are in the way of her relationship with her boyfriend. The police suspect foul play but can’t prove anything, but this does not mean that she won’t face justice as her children come back to seek revenge. This story has been done a number of different ways in the past, but it still manages to be entertaining as the tension builds. Gruesome, albeit low budget special effects also add to the enjoyment.

The second story “White Trash Love Story” focuses on an abusive husband who beats his wife with little or no provocation. The wife seeks the help of a woman (the term is used very loosely here) who is believed to be a witch. The woman teaches the young wife a spell that will end her troubles, but warns that she must follow the directions carefully or the results could make things worse for her instead of better. At first this episode seems a bit predictable; however the story takes a number of unexpected turns and leads to an unexpected end.

The final story is the most interesting. “Big Rhonda” follows a gang of bikers who are on their way to Mexico to make a drug deal. Before the big deal, they surprise the newest member of the gang by stopping at a remote location in the woods and hiking to a remote graveyard where they laid to rest Big Rhonda, the “greatest biker chick ever” and the patron saint (or maybe demon) of the gang. They dig up her body and hang it from the grave marker for an odd blood ritual followed by a drunken party. The purpose is to summon the spirit of “Big Rhonda” to come to them during the night and seek out anyone who is not truly of the gang. This has been the gangs secret for years and they do the ritual every year before their big drug deal to make sure all goes well as the zombie body of Rhonda comes to destroy their enemies.

“Hellblock 13” weaves three diverse short stories together nicely through the jail cell scenes with Debbie Rochon and Gunnar Hansen. The stories themselves are entertaining, well done, and often surprising, but it is the interaction between Rochon and Hansen that really make the overall film a treat. This is a Troma Entertainment film and that is apparent to anyone who watches a lot of their movies, however the film feels darker and grittier than most Troma productions. I give “Hellblock 13” seven out of ten stars and a big nod to Debbie Rochon for her excellent performance. Check out “Hellblock 13” and judge for yourself.

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