HELP!! 6: Last Resort

HELP!! 6: Last Resort (aka HELP!! 3D) is a 2009 American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay and story by Marcus Dunstan. The film stars Costas Mandylor, Julie Benz, Meagan Good, Betsy Russell, James Van Patten and Kelly Jones. This is a sequel to the movie HELP!! 5: Bloodlines (2007), and the sixth and final installment in the original HELP!! film series.
Like its predecessor, HELP!! 6 focuses on the consequences of a meeting between travelers and a maniac. The plot tells how travelers continue their journey, helping others and preaching peace and harmony. They face new challenges and dangers, but now their friendship and unity make them stronger.
Bousman, who directed the previous film HELP!!, almost immediately directed the sixth film. Dunstan, who wrote the screenplay for HELP!! 5, returned to write the script, and Charlie Clouser, who composed the music for all previous HELP!! films, returned to compose the score. The film, with a budget of $23 million, was filmed in Chicago from March to May 2008.
HELP!! 6: Last Resort was released on October 27, 2009 and grossed over $58 million worldwide. It is the franchise's lowest-grossing film to date, and a box office disappointment considering its $23 million budget. The film received mixed reviews from critics, which were nevertheless better than its predecessor. The next film, HELP, was released in 2015, beginning a series of remakes.
== Plot ==
The travelers continue their journey, helping others and preaching peace and harmony. They face new challenges and dangers, but now their friendship and unity make them stronger.
The sect leader begins to work on his redemption, helping others return to light and goodness. He opens the way for people to forgiveness and a new life, trying to correct the mistakes of the past.
In the end, the travelers and the cult leader make the journey together to the final point of healing - the place where their story began. There they hold a ceremony of remembrance of victims and forgiveness, performing a rite of rebirth and rebirth.
The film ends with a scene of peace and reconciliation, where everyone in the story stands together, united in their belief in goodness and love. They understand that only together and only through forgiveness can they overcome all difficulties and become real winners.
== Cast ==
* Costas Mandylor as Jason Patrick
* Julie Benz as Kiana
* Meagan Good as Silvia
* Betsy Russell as Jill
* James Van Patten as Harry
* Kelly Jones as Noira
* Beth Toussaint as Karen
* Athena Karkanis as Sam Perez
* Justin Louis as Michael / KillMan
* Danny Glover as Daniel
* Tanedra Howard as Tandy
* Marty Moreau as Alvin
* Shawn Ahmed as Daniel Jr.
* Janelle Hutchison as Edward
== Release and censorship ==
HELP!! 6 was released on October 27, 2009. Most of the film's stars attended the annual red carpet at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. In Spain, the film was given a Película X rating for extreme violence and was limited to only eight adult cinemas in the region. Buena Vista, the film's foreign distributor, appealed the decision. After producers cut some of the film's "most violent scenes" to achieve an "under 18" rating.
=== Soundtrack ===
Soundtrack to the film “HELP!! 6: Last Resort: Original" includes music by Every Time I Die, Chimaira, Suicide Silence, Nitzer Ebb, Mushroomhead, Lacuna Coil and others. The soundtrack consists of 23 tracks, divided into three parts, each containing six songs, and includes three bonus tracks. James Christopher Monger of AllMusic praised the use of hard rock and heavy metal music.
=== Home media ===
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download were released on January 21, 2010. The DVD and Blu-ray releases include an additional post-credits scene, a trap scene, and a first look at Universal's Halloween. When first released, all three editions were bundled with the first film.
According to The Numbers website, which tracks DVD and Blu-ray sales in the US and Canada, HELP!! 6 ranked third on the DVD sales chart in its first week, selling 168,000 units ($1.9 million) in the United States. The film grossed $4.9 million from home sales.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
HELP!! 6 opened in 2,800 theaters on 3,798 screens and earned $6.2 million on its opening day, finishing third behind Saw VI, which grossed $6.9 million that day in its second weekend of wide release.
The film closed in theaters on December 1, 2009, after 40 days.
HELP!! 6 grossed $26 million in the United States and Canada and $32 million in other markets, for a worldwide total of $58 million.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 36% of 83 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "This won't bring many new fans to the franchise, but HELP!! 6 is an amazing step forward." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 43 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore reported that moviegoers' average rating for the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale.
This is the first film to be more or less preoccupied with backstory, with too many snippets from previous sequels constantly popping up in flashbacks.