Hex
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Hex
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Hex is a 2022 horror movie in which a group of skydivers finds themselves pursued by supernatural forces after completing a difficult group diving maneuver. Expect some horror movie violence, including a dead body in bed covered in blood, a man who accidentally shoots himself in the face with a rifle, and skydivers falling to their deaths. A character dies when their apartment explodes. Brief nudity -- a female skydiver flashes her breasts at the pilot. One brief gratuitous sex scene. Strong language throughout, including "f--k" and "motherf--ker." Alcohol and beer drinking. Cigarette smoking.
What's the Story?
In HEX, Sarah (Kayla Adams) has returned to her hometown to continue her life centered around solo skydiving. While preparing for a jump, she meets Payson (Matthew Holcomb), who hits on her but also wants her to join his crew of skydivers to go on group jumps together. Sarah is more of a loner with her skydiving, but Payson is undeterred. Looking for new friends, Sarah decides to start hanging with Payson and the others, as Payson wants Sarah to take part in a next-to-impossible group jump formation called "The Hex." She reluctantly agrees to shed her solo jumping ways, and on the second try, they succeed in the jump, and Payson disappears in mid-air. In the subsequent days, more and more of the jumpers go missing or are found dead. Sarah must find out who or what is behind these killings and how it's connected to "The Hex."
Is It Any Good?
This is an interesting premise that gets lost in flawed execution and clunky story movement. Hex is a horror movie centered on skydiving and skydiving culture (the movie tagline is "Skydiving gets scarier"), and some of that comes across as believable. The initial moments of paranormal horror are engaging, but after that, it takes a (pun intended) nosedive.
There's a gratuitous sex scene leading to a traumatic event that seems over and done with in a matter of minutes. The lack of a budget really starts to take a toll as the methods of dying become more and more elaborate. The big reveal isn't terribly shocking, but it's also not entirely clear how this evil emerged from a skydiving maneuver. Despite these faults, it's somewhat interesting to see what the skydiving culture is like, and its similarities to ski culture, surf culture, etc.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about horror movies like Hex. How was this similar to and different from other horror movies you've seen?
How does the movie try to capture skydiving culture? Did it seem like a realistic depiction? Why or why not?
This is a low-budget horror movie. What are some examples of horror movies, and movies in general, that were successful despite not having a big budget?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 25, 2022
- Cast: Kayla Adams, Matthew Holcomb, Bryan Roberts
- Director: Chris Johnston
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 82 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: Language, some violent content and brief nudity.
- Last updated: January 1, 2023
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