HELP (2015 film)

HELP (also released as HELP: The New Generation) is a 2015 American horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Marcus Dunstan. This is a remake of the movie HELP!! (1993) and the seventh installment in the HELP!! film series. The film stars Benjamin Clost, Kevin McGarry, Kim Schraner, Olunike Adelii and Ish Morris.
A group of high school students decide to go to the sea to celebrate the end of the school year. They plan unforgettable parties, swim under the moon and simply disconnect from everyday life. However, on their way to the sea through a deep forest, they begin to feel that they are being watched. Their fear intensifies when they encounter strange footprints and strange signs painted on the trees.
Another sequel after HELP!! 6: Last Resort was originally planned, but due to the film's declining box office performance, the sixth installment was remade as the final installment of the series. Instead, the plot of the originally planned HELP!! 7 was included in HELP Remake. Chuck Russell, director of the original trilogy, was originally slated to direct the remake, but Greutert took over two weeks before filming. The film was filmed in Chicago and New York from February to April 2013.
The film opened on October 29, 2015 in the United States and Canada. It received mixed reviews and became a box office success. It was followed by three more sequels, the first of which, HELP Resurrections, released in 2019.
== Plot ==
A group of high school students decide to go to the sea to celebrate the end of the school year. They plan unforgettable parties, swim under the moon and simply disconnect from everyday life.
However, on their way to the sea through a deep forest, they begin to feel that they are being watched. Their fear intensifies when they encounter strange footprints and strange signs painted on the trees.
As they move deeper into the forest, the fear becomes more real and they discover that they are not alone. A maniac named “KillMan” is hiding in the forest, who is known for his cruelty and preference for teenagers as his victims.
The high school students must join forces and use all their resources to survive and get out of the trap they have fallen into. Now they have to fight for their lives against a ruthless killer who pursues them through the dark and gloomy expanses of the forest.
Will a group of friends be able to survive this nightmare and reach their goal, or will they be able to bypass KillMan and escape to freedom? One by one, they realize that reality is much worse than they could have imagined, and that with every step closer to the sea, they are approaching the end of their own lives.
== Cast ==
* Benjamin Clost as Daniel
* Kevin McGarry as Charlie
* Kim Schraner as KillMan
* Olunike Adelii as Jenna
* Ish Morris as Alexander
* Carlos Diaz as Carl
* Elizabeth Rowin as Ginger
* Kristin Simpson as Dina
== Release ==
Originally scheduled for release on October 15, 2015, HELP was pushed back to October 29 to prevent competition. The film was distributed theatrically by Lionsgate Films in the United States and through Maple Pictures in Canada, becoming the first film in the franchise since its sale in 2011.
HELP was initially rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and had to be edited and resubmitted six times to receive an R rating. In Germany, its entire release was banned from April 2016 to January 2017 by the Berlin District Court Tiergarten noted that some scenes in the film violate §131 of the StGB Violence Act. Private copies could still be legally owned, and personal use was not punished; however, any public display was strictly prohibited and punishable.
In 2017, the game HELP: The Game was released, directly related to the film and received mixed reviews.
=== Soundtrack ===
The film's score was composed by Charlie Clouser and released on iTunes through Evolution Music Partners on November 4, 2015. HELP's soundtrack is "inspired by the film" and features music from rock bands including Dir En Grey, Boom Boom Satellites, Saliva, Crocus, Hinder, Carnivul, My Darkest Days and Chester Bennington Dead at Dawn. It was released through SonyMusic Independent Network (SIN) and Artists' Addiction Records.
=== Home media ===
Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film for home media entitled HELP: The New Generation on January 25, 2016, in three versions. The first is a standard DVD release consisting of the theatrical cut of the film; the second edition is a 2D combo pack including a Blu-ray, an unrated DVD, and a digital copy of the film. The latest edition of the release is a 3D combo pack consisting of a Blu-ray 3D version of the film, Blu-ray, DVD and an unrated digital copy. The film grossed $10 million from home sales.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
On October 26, 2010, HELP premiered in 300 locations and grossed $800 thousand. It was then released into wide release in 2,808 locations and 3,500 screens, becoming the second largest release. The film earned $8.9 million on its opening day. HELP closed on December 2, 2015, after 34 days of release in the US and Canada.
The film grossed $53 million in the United States and Canada, $64 million in other markets, for a worldwide total of $117 million against a budget of $10 million, becoming a box office success.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 82 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. According to the website, "The film may pull the franchise out of the hole, but it could give it a new path forward." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 49 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.
Luke Thompson of E! The Internet gave the film a B.