Some Kind of Hate (film) explained

Some Kind of Hate
Director:Adam Egypt Mortimer
Music:Robert Allaire
Cinematography:Benji Bakshi
Editing:Josh Ethier
Distributor:RLJ Entertainment
Runtime:82 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:$200,000[1]

Some Kind of Hate is a 2015 supernatural slasher film directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer in his directorial debut. Mortimer co-wrote the script with Brian Deleeuw. It stars Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Sierra McCormick and Spencer Breslin. Some Kind of Hate premiered at the Stanley Film Festival in May 2015 before releasing theatrically on September 18, 2015, by RLJ Entertainment.

Plot

Troubled teenager Lincoln Taggert is sent to Mind’s Eye Academy reform camp after stabbing a bully in the face with a fork. Former students Krauss and Christine assist head guru Jack Iverson with teaching at the New Age disciplinary camp. Isaac is assigned as Lincoln’s roommate and the two boys become friends. Kaitlin takes a romantic interest in Lincoln.

Following a fight with camp bully Willie, Lincoln wishes his tormenters were dead. He hears a girl’s voice as blood begins dripping from the ceiling. Willie is attacked by a ghostly girl. Kaitlin finds Willie dead from apparent self-inflicted wounds, along with the word “bully” carved into his arm. Lincoln begins seeing visions of the ghost and learns that her name is Moira.

Moira attacks Willie’s sidekick Derek. Isaac’s research reveals that the girl is Moira Karp, a bullied teenager who supposedly killed herself while attending Mind’s Eye Academy. Lincoln pleads with Moira to stop, but Moira counters that she is only doing what Lincoln wanted. Moira is able to harm others by harming herself; when she slits her own throat, Derek dies from the wound.

Lincoln is upset when Kaitlin confesses that she used to be a bully who regrettably drove a classmate to suicide. Moira tells Lincoln that his anger brought her back and together their vengeance can be unstoppable. When Lincoln tells Moira that he doesn’t need her anymore, Moira’s skin bubbles with blood and she doubles over in pain. She flees screaming.

Moira cuts herself so that Kaitlin can experience the pain. The sheriff is supernaturally killed. Moira confronts Iverson, who says that Moira gave them no choice before hitting her over the head. However, the wound appears on Iverson’s head instead and he collapses. Moira breaks her teeth on a rock to further torture Iverson.

Krauss tries leaving, but discovers that Kaitlin slashed his tires. Moira kills Krauss, then bashes her head to kill Isaac. Christine confronts Lincoln at gunpoint over presumably murdering Willie and restrains him to a faucet. Kaitlin finds Moira cutting fellow student Samantha. She protests Samantha’s innocence in the bullying, but Moira continues torturing the girl. Kaitlin angrily insists that she no longer needs Moira.

Moira confronts Christine about lying to her parents regarding how she actually died. It is revealed that Christine actually killed her. Krauss and Iverson were witnesses who aided with the suicide cover-up. Christine shoots Moira but ends up blowing off her own head. Kaitlin professes her love to Lincoln and frees him. Together they confront Moira. When Moira begins gaining the upper hand against Kaitlin, Lincoln sets himself on fire to kill Moira. Kaitlin puts out the flames on Lincoln’s dead body and angrily uses the fire extinguisher to bash in Moira’s head.

In a mid-credits scene, a young girl in a high school bathroom wishes for her tormenters be dead, inadvertently summoning Moira.

Cast

Production

Development

While writing an adaptation of Brian DeLeeuw's In This Way I Was Saved in 2011, Adam Egypt Mortimer and DeLeeuw sidelined the project temporarily in order for Mortimer to gain experience as a filmmaker. They began work on Some Kind of Hate the following year.[2] [3] [4] Mortimer and DeLeeuw set out to combine the slasher genre with indie drama.[5] A Nightmare on Elm Street, Carrie and Let the Right One In were used as inspiration during the writing process.[6]

Pre-production

In April 2014, Some Kind of Hate was officially announced along with the castings of Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Sierra McCormick, Lexi Atkins, Maestro Harrell, Noah Segan, Michael Polish, Jasper Polish, Spencer Breslin, Brando Eaton and Jeremy Hawkins.[7] Dallas Sonnier and Jack Heller of Caliber Media signed on to produce the film alongside Amanda Mortimer and Revek Entertainment's Gabriela Revilla.[8] The casting of A.N.T Farm star McCormick, who was hired at the "last minute", was used to draw in her younger fanbase, as Mortimer wanted to create "the first intense horror movie experience that some of these kids will ever have".[9] Mortimer had met with Hannah Marks for an undisclosed role, but would later cast her in his follow-up film Daniel Isn't Real.[10]

Filming

Production began in Los Angeles and Castaic, California in April 2014.[11] [12]

Filming was at one point slated to begin in Vancouver in summer 2013 with a budget of $2 million. An entire crew and cast of different actors were assembled, however, the money never came through. Mortimer moved to Washington in the meantime while production was stalled. Eventually Mortimer and his team went back to California to make the film.[13]

Release

Some Kind of Hate debuted at the Stanley Film Festival on May 2, 2015. The film was released on September 18, 2015, by RLJ Entertainment.[14]

Home media

The film was released on blu-ray and DVD on November 3, 2015.[15]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Some Kind of Hate holds an approval rating of 38% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 4.57/10.[16] On Metacritic, the film holds an average score of 28 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[17]

Scott Weinberg of Nerdist called the film "brutal, disturbing, and sometimes tragic, but it’s also a pointed, angry film that has a lot to say about the nature of “psychological predators” and their victims."[18] For Bloody Disgusting, Mike Wilson said "Some Kind Of Hate deserves more praise than complaint, however. The acting is largely well done, and the script by Mortimer and DeLeeuw definitely attempt to give the characters more dimension than what you’d normally expect from a film like this."[19]

Helen T. Verongos, writing for The New York Times said "Some Kind of Hate succeeds at being discomfiting" but that the film "fails to deliver a thrill".[20] Nick Schager of The Village Voice wrote "Like so much teen-targeting modern horror, it opts for dull angsty brooding over the very sort of grim-and-gruesome sleaziness that might have made its premise interesting."[21] For The Los Angeles Times, Gary Goldstein called the film a "convoluted slashfest".[22]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Adam Green. Joe Lynch. The Movie Crypt Episode 326: Adam Egypt Mortimer. August 26, 2019. MovieCrypt. August 31, 2020.
  2. Web site: Siegemund-Broka. Austin. Some Kind of Hate Teaser Introduces "Feminist Slasher" Character (Exclusive). April 28, 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. April 24, 2020.
  3. Web site: Hughes. Kat. Interview: Adam Egypt Mortimer Talks Daniel Isn't Real, Archenemy And More. February 6, 2020. TheHollywoodNews. April 23, 2020.
  4. Web site: Smith. Jerry. Exclusive Interview with Daniel Isn't Real Director Adam Egypt Mortimer. November 26, 2019. Dread Central. April 23, 2020.
  5. Web site: Dickson. Evan. Stanley Film Festival 2015: Adam Egypt Mortimer Talks Some Kind of Hate. April 30, 2015. Collider. April 23, 2020.
  6. Web site: Kit. Borys. Vampire Diaries, A.N.T. Farm Actors to Star in Horror Movie Some Kind of Hate. April 28, 2014. The Hollywood Reporter. April 23, 2020.
  7. Web site: McNary. Dave. Disney Star Sierra McCormick Set for Horror Movie Some Kind of Hate. April 28, 2014. Variety. April 23, 2020.
  8. Web site: Dickson. Evan. New Slasher Some Kind Of Hate Completes Casting, Starts Shooting This Week. April 28, 2014. Bloody Disgusting. April 23, 2020.
  9. Web site: Whittington. James. Interview With Adam Egypt Mortimer Director Of Some Kind Of Hate. August 29, 2015. Horror Channel. April 23, 2020. May 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210509042935/https://www.horrorchannel.co.uk/articles.php?feature=interview+with+adam+egypt+mortimer+director+of+some+kind+of+hate&category=frightfest. dead.
  10. Mortimer. Adam. Daniel Isn't Real Director's Commentary. Samuel Goldwyn Films. 2019. Audio Commentary.
  11. Web site: Sneider. Jeff. Disney Star Sierra McCormick Cast in Slasher Film Some Kind of Hate. April 28, 2014. TheWrap. April 23, 2020.
  12. Web site: Dickson. Evan. Some Kind Of Hate New Image and Set Visit Tease (Exclusive)!. May 19, 2014. Bloody Disgusting. April 23, 2020.
  13. Web site: Adam Green. Joe Lynch. The Movie Crypt Episode 326: Adam Egypt Mortimer. August 26, 2019. MovieCrypt. May 4, 2021.
  14. Web site: Clark. Travis. Image Entertainment Acquires Indie Horror Some Kind of Hate. May 4, 2015. IndieWire. April 24, 2020.
  15. Web site: Juvinall. Michael. Supernatural Slasher Some Kind of Hate Haunts Blu-Ray & DVD On November 3!. October 14, 2015. Horror Society. April 24, 2020.
  16. Web site: Some Kind of Hate (2015). Rotten Tomatoes. April 24, 2020.
  17. Web site: Some Kind of Hate Reviews. Metacritic. April 24, 2020.
  18. Web site: Weinberg. Scott. Review: Some Kind of Hate is a Horror Movie Every Bully Should See. August 23, 2015. Nerdist. April 24, 2020.
  19. Web site: Wilson. Mike. [Review] 'Some Kind Of Hate' is Conflicting With its Subject, Characters]. October 12, 2015. bloody Disgusting. April 24, 2020.
  20. Web site: Vorongos. Helen. Review: Some Kind of Hate, a Bullying-Revenge Slasher Tale. September 17, 2015. The New York Times. April 24, 2020.
  21. Web site: Schager. Nick. Teen Horror Flick Some Kind of Hate Is Brooding and Unbearable. September 15, 2015. The Village Voice. April 24, 2020.
  22. News: Goldstein. Gary. Review: There's just no sense to Some Kind of Hate. September 17, 2015. LA Times. April 24, 2020.