He's been beaten, bullied, and burned... And that's just the beginning of his story

To Hell And Back: The Kane Hodder Story
2018 | NR | 1hr 48 min | Documentary | Epic Pictures

Director: Derek Dennis Herbert

Stars: 

Kane Hodder

Mike Aloisi

John Carl Buechler

The emotional story of Kane Hodder who survived a harrowing childhood and near-death accident to become one of the films biggest and most beloved horror icons.

Holy shit where do I begin? To Hell and Back is an incredibly harrowing story of a stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying growing up. After surviving a near-death burn accident, he worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his ultimate rise as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series and making countless moviegoers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. If one of the worlds strongest man does not bring you to tears watching his life story then you better check your heart.

I do not remember a time I have ever been this moved by a tragic story with a rather sweet outcome. I knew the story about how he was burned and how he overcame that but wow what he went through makes you wonder how he is alive today. But I never knew about the bullying when he was younger and that alone makes you choke up. Even my wife stopped what she was doing and was sucked into this man's life. 

Photo credit Blu-Ray.com

 

It certainly starts off as a horror fan's dream, giving viewers a montage of Hodder’s cinematic kills from Jason to 2008’s BTK and beyond. As a documentary its a very workable, talking-heads format. Hodder and guests are interviewed on some nice sets, but it stays true to its familiar documentary structure. However, it keeps you intrigued with some extra bits, like Hodder visiting locations from his past, his early roles, and so on. One of the best parts would be the fans talking about meeting him and how he would put you in a choke hold for your pictures. In fact, I will never forget when Steve met him and how he put Steve in a choke hold lifting him out of his power wheelchair! Steve as both scared and amazed. 

Featuring interviews with cinema legends, including Bruce Campbell, Robert Englund, and Cassandra Peterson, To Hell and Back peels off the mask of Kane Hodder and punches you in the gut and yet is one hell of an inspiring documentary. To Hell and Back is a uniquely human story about one of cinema's most vicious monsters. This is a must-see for fans of Kane, Horror, or Humanity!

5 Bloody Brains out of 5 a must watch!