By George & Josh Bate
Every year, Fantastic Fest is home to hundreds of films (and shows) debuting in front of audiences for the very first time. Some of these titles are high profile, such as Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, which had its North American premiere at the festival. At the same time, there are plenty of films that, in the buildup to the event, haven’t received the same level of attention, but equally deserve their time in the spotlight.
Enter, then, Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole, a new horror anthology film from director Heath Benfield. Hidey Hole follows a man named Henry as he travels to an erotic underground museum after receiving a threatening message. From there, Henry is tasked with sitting through the stories behind the many horrors held in museum, and it’s here that the anthology nature of the film comes into play. Henry’s story remains the link between them all, however, and as he spends more time with the unsettling Mr. Creamjeans, he begins to slip further and further into the abyss.
As one could likely guess from the name of the film, Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole is a project that purposely pushes boundaries. Mr. Creamjeans alone is an off-putting character that some may find to be repulsive enough to turn away from the film entirely. Beyond him, there’s plenty of divisiveness to be found, especially when it comes to the overt sexual themes of the film. Horror and sex have always gone hand and hand, and it’s rare to find a film in this genre that doesn’t incorporate some sort of the latter into its story. Yet, Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole goes above and beyond in that regard, with stories featuring intimate sexual details, sexual objects, and more.
Some will bask in the inclusion of those elements and the extent to which they are included in the film and its story. Others, however, will, again, be sufficiently turned away by these things, which means that Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole comes down to a matter of personal preference. That’s the case for every movie, but it’s especially true here – Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole feels like the kind of film that one will either love or hate. Director Heath Benfield and the rest of the team deserve immense credit in this regard, for crafting a story that is bound to invoke strong reactions either way. Most films fall into the ambivalence category, where audiences are ultimately not invested enough in the characters or the story to feel strongly about it, but Mr. Creamjeans exists on the opposite end of the spectrum.
As is the case with virtually every anthology film, some chapters of Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole are more compelling than others. Henry’s story, for example, which is labeled as Hidey Hole/Huge Load, is one of the more compelling of the film, in part because of the stakes attached. The letter threatening to expose Henry adds to the urgency of this overarching plot line, which, in turn, adds greatly to the film overall. The presence of Mr. Creamjeans himself is a big part of this too, as he’s the kind of character that the viewer can’t help but be sucked in by (even if they don’t want to be).
VERDICT: 8/10
Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole is a horror anthology that deliberately pushes boundaries, blending disturbing imagery, sexual themes, and an increasingly unsettling central story. While some viewers may be turned away by just how far the film goes, there’s no denying that director Heath Benfield has created a movie that is bound to provoke a strong reaction. Like most anthology films, some of the individual stories are more compelling than others, but Henry’s overarching story and the mysterious Mr. Creamjeans help tie everything together. Ultimately, Mr. Creamjeans’ Hidey Hole won’t be for everyone, but those willing to embrace its more extreme elements may find plenty to enjoy.