'Hellcat' Review: A Claustrophobic, Genre-Bending Thriller Anchored by a Gripping Lead Performance - Fantasia 2025
- Becca Johnson
- Jul 26
- 3 min read
By Becca Johnson - July 26, 2025
A directorial feature debut from Brock Bodell starring Dakota Gorman (All About Sex) and SNL’s James Austin Johnson, Hellcat is a twisty, genre-bending thriller with plenty of surprises up its sleeve.
What is 'Hellcat' about?
Gorman plays a woman who wakes up in the back on a moving camper trailer with a badly infected wound. A voice (Todd Terry) from the truck towing it tells her they must reach a mysterious doctor within the hour, or she’ll suffer a horrific fate.
Superbly acted and featuring many unique ideas that elevate the familiar ones alongside them, Hellcat is a single location thrill ride that will likely impress audiences.
Hellcat has the ability to catch your attention within the first few minutes, as you’re desperate to get to the bottom of our lead characters situation. How did she end up here, is the driver lying to her, and should she trust him are just a few of the questions floating through our minds as we watch the story unravel. The further the run-time progresses, the more questions that are asked, which elevates the one location narrative well. There’s a lot more than just mystery within this script to keep you invested, as it also boasts some excellent theme exploration.
Through flashbacks of our main characters life, we soon learn that she lost her Mum, paving the way for thorough exploration of grief and trauma. The flashbacks aid the story nicely, as they occasionally free us from the claustrophobic trailer and bulk out the character development, whilst helping keep you engaged. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, some more surprising and shocking than others, and it even introduces some horror beats during the final act which should impress genre fans even further. Refusing to stick to one genre, Hellcat is engaging from start to finish, with a haunting and emotional climax that makes this journey worthwhile.
Dakota Gorman Delivers a Standout Lead Performance
Due to the single location and small cast, Dakota Gorman has to single-handedly carry this movie on her shoulders, with only occasional respite given from minor supporting performances. With plenty of urgency to her turn and a natural ability to hit the emotional beats as we learn more about her character, Gorman is absolutely fantastic. Despite her character being in tremendous peril, she has a lot of drive and motivation, boasting that ‘final girl’ oomph that genre viewers know and love. Once Todd Terry (El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story) gets a little more to do than just a looming voice performance, he is equally impressive, and it’s also fun to have another voice performance delivered by James Austin Johnson. Liz Atwater (The Legend of Lake Hollow) excels with her limited runtime and manages to make her turn quite memorable. The cast are great.
There are times in which the script prevents Hellcat form being the home run it could’ve been. Occasional weakness in the dialogue means some conversations fail to keep you engaged, and even though the flashbacks and theme exploration deliver plenty of intrigue, it isn’t always the most entertaining watch due to the slower pace of the narrative. Despite Hellcat offering up some twists and turns along the way, how seasoned of a thriller viewer you are will decide how shocked you become by these reveals. Whilst some choices are genuinely bold and hard to see coming (especially that ending!), others seem like the obvious choice all along. The dark, dingy location of the trailer is certainly claustrophobic and dank, though not always the most visually impressive or engaging. By the time we start to receive flashbacks and occasionally visit other destinations, it feels needed.
Is 'Hellcat' worth watching?
As far as single location thrillers go, director Bodell has created a successful one with Hellcat. Guided by an excellent central performance from Dakota Gorman and an element of mystery that keeps you guessing, whether the twists and turns work for you or not, it will undoubtedly boast other impressive elements. A bold ending and thorough exploration of its themes ensure Hellcat leaves a lasting impression, even though the lacklustre dialogue causes occasional lag.
'Hellcat' premiered at Fantasia Film Festival 2025
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