Wrathbone begins with hair metal singer Nigel Wrathbone, played by director Steve Flavin, snorting lines of coke. From there, the short film plays out like a music documentary. It covers Wrathbone’s rapid rise to stardom and their eventual fall off the charts. There’s one main catch. Nigel is trapped in hell, though it seems well-deserved. He’s a self-obsessed, hedonistic jerk. As a short, Wrathbone is a lot of fun as a mockumentary, while deconstructing a fictional rock star who earned his place in hell.
Within the first ten minutes or so, the short spends time analyzing and tracing Wrathbone’s rise and fall. This includes a tragic plane crash that killed all of the band members, other than Nigel, who wasn’t on the plane and frequently blew off his bandmates. There are even points when the hair metal band’s lyrics are analyzed, cheesy as they are. Throughout Nigel’s on-camera interviews, he comes across like an egomaniac, dressed in a black leather coat, sunglasses, and puffy black hair. He looks like he stepped straight out of 1985, and he’s rarely without a cigarette in his hand. There’s even one point where he slightly disses Slash. Talk about ego!
By the halfway point, we learn Nigel is actually in hell, though it doesn’t really come as a surprise. As already stated, he’s not exactly a stand-up guy. However, there are moments where he shows flashes of humanity and mourns his bandmates, reflecting upon playing in a band with them and the fact he never had the chance to say goodbye. Additionally, the devil offers Nigel a deal to reunite with them, connect with the right people and talent, and have a second shot of racing up the charts. Like any deal with the devil, however, Nigel would have to trade his soul. It’s a clever spin on the overly used and familiar narrative element. His ultimate decision won’t be spoiled here. However, this film works hard to ensure Nigel isn’t a one-note character. There’s definitely a character arc and evolution here.
As a horror-comedy, Wrathbone works. Initially, it plays like a music mockumentary about a washed-up rock star. By the second half, it becomes something much more interesting and offers a less cliched character. Fans of 80s hair metal will likely dig this deal with the devil. Play it loud so they can hear the guitar riffs in hell.
