For better or worse, the production of horror spoofs is showing no signs of stopping. This year saw the release of fifth installment of the Scary Movie franchise, which earned an astounding $71 million. Then, Marlon Wayans' slim budgeted Haunted House earned sixteen times its production costs, and now has a sequel on the way. Finally, the celeb-parodying apocalypse comedy This is The End has already banked $60 million in just two weeks, spurring sequel talk there too. Coming soon into this fray is Hell Baby, an irreverent horror-comedy that boasts an insanely impressive ensemble of comedy stars and had its world debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Check out this freaky flick's first trailer above, or in HD over on Apple.
Hell Baby marks the co-directing debut of Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, who memorably created Reno 911! . Rob Corddry (Warm Bodies) and Leslie Bibb (A Good Old Fashioned Orgy) star as a happily married couple with a baby on the way. The pair are positively ecstatic to move into their newly acquired home in New Orleans, and even finding out the place's colorful nickname is "the house of blood" can't kill their enthusiasm. That is, until weird things start happening.
Is Bibb's happy homemaker possessed by the devil? What's the deal with the ghost dog prowling the premises? Or that weird creeper in the window? (And no, I don't mean Keegan Michael Key's nosey neighbor). These questions are what the Vatican's elite exorcism team (played by Garant and Lennon, of course) arrives to answer. But you know, while they are at it, they might swing by the French Quarter for a good time with New Orleans party people.
Watching the trailer you can see that the film is stuffed with enticing comedians, including The League's Paul Scheer, Garfunkel and Oates' Riki Lindhome, Human Giant's Rob Huebel, Wet Hot American Summer's Michael Ian Black, and The Kings of Summer's Kumail Nanjiani (just to name a few.) We've been groaning at the influx of cheaply made horror comedies, but with so many stupendously funny people in this cast, and an unhinged sense of humor that even plays in a green band trailer, we have our hopes up for Hell Baby.
Thankfully, Millennium Entertainment picked the picture up out of Sundance, and will be releasing it on Ultra VOD on July 25th. A theatrical release as well as a Premium VOD release will follow on September 6th. But expect to see more of this comedy soon, as a red band trailer seems guaranteed for this R-rated laffer.
