Hexercise (2019)- A Synth Filled Horror Short Film From Composer Matt Cannon- Fitz of Horror Review

Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) February 22, 2019

Synopsis-A normal day in the life of aerobics instructor Kelly Gold consists of leading classes, dealing with her sleazy boss and fighting off demonic forces all while barely breaking a sweat. With the help of heroic detective Duncan Jones will Kelly be able to exorcise the ever-present evil? This gym truly gives a new meaning to the phrase “getting ripped!”

Hexercise begins in 1969 with a satanic ritual where a hero cop narrowly saves a baby from being sacrificed. This apparently is the very location that 20 years later in 1989 an aerobics center and gym were built. As the film jumps to 1989 we are hit with an undeniable and well done 80s vibe from the outrageously neon gym wear to the ever-present and always changing synth music being played.

The buildings past evil is reawakened when a small drop of blood hits the floor and gym patrons start to get killed in hilarious ways by vintage gym equipment. Knowing something is very wrong, the “Cult Investigation Unit” is called in to investigate the scene. This turns up some interesting evidence about someone associated with the gym currently. As the bodies pile up, all victims of possessed vintage gym equipment, the conduit for the unhealthy evil seems to be an old school boombox. When mysterious hooded satanic figures manifest it becomes an all-out fight for their lives and souls as Kelly (Kelly Krieghauser) and Detective Jones (Victor Butler) try to escape the cursed building.

Hexercise is an 18-minute short film that tries to cram a lot into its limited run time but if you factor in that there is no dialogue and it pretty much plays like a long synth horror music video that features director Matt Cannon’s band Lapses new 10 track album, then it takes on a wholly different yet equally as fun feel.

Matt Cannon on his inspiration for the soundtrack-

“I’ll give you a little detail about the movie. I really wanted to combine musically something very much like an 80s synth workout music with a horror score meshed together. I think that’s how the characters interact within the environment set in an 80sfitnesss center where they are picked off by a evil Supernatural Force so that kind of goes with the idea I was working with all along”

Here is a little something about Matt that you might not know, he has composed tracks for Todd Sheets’ Bonehill Road and Clownado,  Zane Hershberger’s segment “Tresspassers” in 10/31 (my favorite segment in that anthology), and Coming soon Ross Snyder’s MAIL ORDER MURDER. Dude is seriously talented!

I would love to see Hexercise as a longer more fleshed out film with the same soundtrack but more dialogue like something along the lines of Killer Workout or Death Spa. 

Check out Cannobel Productions for ordering info and Follow Hexercise on Facebook

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