Hell Van (2022)

Hell Van: Hell Has No Cruise Control  | 4/5

Written by Noah Dietz: 11/7/2025

I got to meet the team behind Hell Van while at Eerie Horror Fest this year. They had a table set up that I had passed on my way to screening rooms multiple times and I finally stopped, asking “Okay, what’s the deal with Hell Van?” What followed was a 30-minute conversation in the middle of the festival floor talking about indie horror, grindhouse cinema, a love of practical effects, and how it’s a lot more expensive than you might assume to blow up a car. I ended the conversation having bought The Gauntlet, which was a nine movie combo set that had all of director Jorge Delarosa’s films, in addition to those of Jim Roberts, credited as “Eyeball Cop” in Hell Van. I was sold on buying this before they showed me the trailer, and I immediately put it on my list for the Halloween marathon we were going to indulge in.

Courtesy of The Slow Mutants

From the word go you are aware this is a distinctly indie production. Pairing incredibly well with Peter Jackson’s film Bad Taste (which I watched the same day), we have an indie horror film with a clear love of Evil Dead 2, and the practical effects that make us all look back on the ’80s with such fondness. There’s no reason to overcomplicate things either, we‘re sticking to a straightforward story as old as time. A firefighter drives a van, and that van is connected to the only radio being transmitted straight from hell. The titular Hell Van convinces him to burn down a church, and even after his death it continues to travel the town doing everything it can to make people do terrible things. We’ve got plucked out eyes, we’ve got shotguns, we even have a whole ass car go right off a cliff and explode like something out of The Simpsons.

I find films like this one to be incredibly important in keeping myself grounded. For each line that’s said with a little less confidence there’s a kill that has all the classic Savini nastiness that’s usually trapped on the cutting room floor. You might notice some cracks in the production, but hold those against a fire stunt that, during filming, went on for a full 13 seconds. For any moments you could find a complaint, there’s another fantastic scene of practical effects that a lot of indie directors would be pleased to have as a showstopping finale. Those moments, combined with the artistic cutaways, show that the grindhouse sensibilities of the film are a choice rather than a limitation of skill or idea. Many of the hell scenes feel inspired by Lynch to varying degrees, and none of them overly derivative. Hell’s radio station seems to be transmitted directly from the Black Lodge, though thankfully minus the backward speaking. Additionally, each time somebody comes face to face with the van they’re given a glimpse into hell. These scenes are set in a plain yellow room and filled with quick, horrific scenes. I never got tired of seeing the new hell shots. Opening with a naked man eating raw meat and proceeding with imagery ranging from gross to unnerving, each glimpse into the yellow hell box was a blast. Between the sets, the commitment to the action, and the effects on display, Hell Van is a surprisingly balanced work that makes the most of its shoestring budget. You don’t feel like certain deaths are pared to highlight others, they all hit exactly as they need to.

All of Hell Van worked really well for me. If you allow yourself to look past whatever shortcomings you can pick at and simply appreciate indie horror for what it is, there’s no way you shouldn’t enjoy this. These guys even recorded a full original score of local bands just to feature in the movie, and the whole album is really great. Treat yourself if you’re ever in the vicinity of Ohio at a horror fest and pick up Hell Van. Hell, pick up more indie horror in general, especially indie creators who support other indie creators. Grindhouse is alive and well, all you need to do is be brave enough to check it out.