Those seeking a gross-out horror full of bodily functions may see the first few minutes of Bowels of Hell, where Malu (Martha Nowill) expels a healthy number two into a toilet bowl (with extreme focus and detail on the product itself) and assume that this is on the cards for the entirety of the almost two-hour duration.
While there are certainly moments that live up to this expectation, Bowels of Hell feels conflicted as to the overall perception it wants to deliver. At times the film forms itself into a slice of life drama exploring maternal trauma and familial conflict, with Nowill holding the full weight of the acting talent on her shoulders. As the introduction to this movie and the title itself indicates, however, there is a strong odour of excrement that lingers even in the most dramatic scenes, dragging audiences back to the lavatory to gawp at what lies in the murky waters time and again as a gaunt reminder of where the tale began.
The events leading up to the third act of Bowels of Hell are a little fuzzy-edged when it comes to the overall reasoning. Without going too far into the details of the narrative, audiences aren’t really given an explanation for the toilet fatalities that occur, rather it is implied that a curse or possession of some variety is the aftermath of the horrific circumstances that Malu finds herself in. Bowels of Hell is therefore the type of film that should be enjoyed without looking too deep into the ‘why’ and focusing instead on the ‘what’ with a multitude of gory and cringe inducing demises smeared across the story.
With this in mind, the special effects in the death scenes are very entertaining and often thorough in appearance to the point of disgust. Stomachs will gurgle in protest as character after character experiences every bodily fluid and solid imaginable, some with such excess that audiences may feel the need to avert their eyes. If this is the type of content that the viewer is looking for, they will not be disappointed. However, there is an extended wait times between each of the nauseating moments, stretching out the runtime of Bowels of Hell with repeated narrative arcs about the struggles of motherhood and grief.
In addition to struggling mother Malu, there is a cast of wildly animated caricatures that inhabit the central location of this story. From the ‘scat mystic’ who reads the future in piles of poo and handkerchiefs of snot, to the poor janitor just trying to survive his last day on the job, every individual in Bowels of Hell feels as though they were ripped straight from the playbook of strange people you come across in an apartment complex. Even the leather clad police officers who arrive to tackle phone thieves instead of missing people are another impression of a stereotype in incompetence.
Bowels of Hell makes its UK premiere this year at FrightFest, for those who may be interested in cursed lavatories and excessive uses of chocolate syrup in between scenes of a struggling woman just trying to run her own business.
Bowels of Hell had its UK premiere at FrightFest 2026 on Thursday, 27 August
