Hellphone: Soundtrack by local musicians far superior to the film.

   This is likely to be one of those rare occasions when I'll actually review a movie on this music blog. But it isn't so much the movie as it is the soundtrack that I'll be talking about.
   After about a 30 minute delay due to technical problems in our theatre (the film was actually being screened in 16 different auditoriums), the film eventually got underway. Filmed entirely in Madison, NC, the director claims the total cost of the film was $19,000 and it shows in the production. That isn't necessarily a bad thing in this case because it actually added to the campy feel of the low budget horror movie about a town besieged via their cell phones by an evil being buried alive in the 1950's.
   The soundtrack though is where this film shines. Utilizing local bands and musicians to provide the music, the Hellphone soundtrack is both polished and varied. Among the artists included in this project are Benjy Johnson, The Tremors, Dreamkiller, Stratocruiser, Clay Howard, and more. The Tremors actually have a few scenes playing their original number Demon Boogie Fever for a party in the film, Clay Howard even has a small speaking part as a bar patron and members of Dreamkiller found themselves in a scene or two as well.
   If you get a chance you should purchase the DVD of the movie just for the fact that it has local musicians in it. Check it out at www.hellphone.com.

-Charlton Wiggins-