“HELL’S COMING FOR YOU” Centers Disabled Characters in Their Own Narratives

November 18, 2024

Edited By Erin Tatum

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If you, like me, have grown tired of Hollywood’s persistent tendency to cast non-disabled actors in disabled roles, then I have a cinematic solution for you! HELL’S COMING FOR YOU features a disabled action hero actually played by a disabled person (Dillion Diligaf). Our community is not often perceived as strong enough or as having enough agency to carry a lead role, let alone a high intensity thriller. HELL’S COMING FOR YOU, written by director Mark Savage as well as Dillion Diligaf and Tim Chizmar, answers that call. Liam Hell is a man consumed by demons of the past. He’s trying to make his way forward in a world where he feels like he does not fit in. An international bounty hunter, he’s often ridiculed by his enemies, but that doesn’t stop him from kicking ass. The film raises broader questions around who is perceived as the protagonist and the villain and how arbitrary those distinctions can be. I have to admit, as someone with a disability, it was jarring to see a character with a disability in a position of power, even if he wasn’t always respected by those around him. Although I would hope that most of us aren’t aspiring to be hardened assassins, it does open up an interesting dialogue on how trauma shapes the future, both for Liam and for his lengthy list of victims.

Tim Chizmar pulls double duty as Liam’s devoted sidekick Edward D. Pine Jr., whose loyalty and compassion for Liam sticks out amidst a sea of apathy and nihilism perpetuated by Liam himself. Hell may be coming for you, but it’s clear that Liam has already assassinated himself in the context of his own self-belief. He is a man on a mission, but also a man unmoored in life. Overall, the film is a gory and campy indie treat that debates whether destiny or fate has the power to determine our full self-actualization. Check it out on Amazon, Tubi, Google Play, and Blu-ray from Indie Rights.