Alex (Luke Baines) is a seemingly normal young man but behind his preppy looks, he’s a sadistic killer. Enabled by his mother (Gwen Van Dam), Alex lures his victims in by offering them something they need before taking them to his home to murder them. Taking pleasure in torturing his victims before ending their lives, Alex then indulges in cannibalism before selecting his next target.
‘No Tears in Hell’ is based on the real-life story of Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev, who was nicknamed the Siberian Ripper in the early 90s. His horrendous deeds are translated to the frosty climate of Alaska for this film, which focuses mostly on the brutality of Alexander’s crimes rather than anything else. When we first meet Alex he’s being offered oral sex by a desperate young man in exchange for cigarettes, and while he rebuffs that offer, it sets the precedent for the kind of victims Alex goes on to choose.
Through flashbacks we see how Alex was shaped by his mother, who encouraged his darkness rather than try to put him on the right path. In the present day, Alex lives with his elderly (and still deeply twisted) mother, as the two of them join forces to continue committing heinous crimes. There’s a definite echo of ‘American Psycho’ character Patrick Bateman in the character of Alex. Both are cool, calculated and seemingly unflappable, and they like to indulge in torture rather than straightforward murder.
The film doesn’t shy away from the awful things that Alex does, often giving you far too good a look at his torture techniques. Those who are squeamish will do well to stay clear and even those hardened horror fans may find parts of this hard to stomach. For me, a big horror fan, that’s part of the film’s issue. It trades any sense of a strong narrative for shocks and gore, and honestly it’s not enough to keep you hooked. Any attempt to really delve into the motivations of Alex and his mother are limited.
Luke Baines is suitably vacant as Alex. He looks blank for most of the film and convinces as a menace, but he’s not given enough material to flesh his character out. It’s not enough for Alex to just be sadistic, the audience needs more to get to grips with. Similarly, Alex’s mother and their victims don’t get much development either. It’s hard to feel anything towards any of them.
‘No Tears In Hell’ wants to shock and challenge the audience, and it will achieve that but not necessarily in the way it sets out to. The best horrors, even the most hardcore ones, build characters and a world that puts fear into you rather than simply revulsion. Unfortunately ‘No Tears In Hell’ is stomach churning and meandering, hoping to coast by on shocks rather than deliver any kind of impactful story.
Cast: Luke Baines, Gwen Van Dam, Tatjana Marjanovic Director: Michael Caissie Writers: Michael Caissie (screenplay), Alexander Nistratov (story) Certificate: Unrated Duration: 105 mins Released by: Scatena & Rosner Films Release date: 12th August 2025
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source entertainment-focus.com ’
