Hells Canyon

A seven-month pregnant Ariel Lim arrives at a cabin, nestled deep in the Eastern Oregon mountain range for a weekend away with a group of friends. As hidden resentments surface and tensions rise, the gang turns their attention to an unseen force outside, attempting to break through the front door. In this horror-thriller, Ariel must come to terms with a long history of conflicts, big and small, before they...
A seven-month pregnant Ariel Lim arrives at a cabin, nestled deep in the Eastern Oregon mountain range for a weekend away with a group of friends. As hidden resentments surface and tensions rise, the gang turns their attention to an unseen force outside, attempting to break through the front door. In this horror-thriller, Ariel must come to terms with a long history of conflicts, big and small, before they manifest into an unstoppable darkness.

Finalist - O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
Finalist - Blue Ink Award
Semi-finalist - Bay Area Playwrights Festival

Workshop/Reading - Kennedy Center/Kenan Fellows ('23)
University Production -- UC San Diego Wagner Festival ('22)
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Hells Canyon

Recommended by

  • Playwrights Foundation:
    9 May. 2023
    The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced HELLS CANYON as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We were deeply moved by the play's ambition and brilliantly executed horror centering the explosions of generational trauma. We were engaged by the rich characters, haunting stylized theatricality, and extraordinary vision. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production. #BAPF46
  • Nick Malakhow:
    16 Jan. 2022
    This piece has my favorite horror elements--a potent/volatile group of people who all manage to be well-defined put in a pressure cooker together, strategically released tension and dread, and some huge fireworks/overtures in its climax. Here, the horror elements (and character-driven scenes) are used beautifully to explore inherited identity-based trauma, privilege, family, and purpose in life. The final moments are delicate and haunting and hopeful--a dynamite combination that the horror genre often eschews in favor of ending on despair. There's also superb visuals within that'd work well with the genre--especially the uniquely theatrical shadowbox set described.

Development History

Production History

  • University
    ,
    UC San Diego
    ,
    2022

Awards

Finalist
,
National Playwrights Conference
,
O'Neill Theatre Center
,
2023
Finalist
,
Blue Ink Prize
,
American Blues Theatre
,
2023