Horror and comedy rarely mix, especially at the budgetary level of this film. Yet, while not even close to those films that did mix the genres well (think “Bad Taste,” “Toxic Avenger,” any Paul Bartel movie), “Hellbride’s humor makes us care for its characters, and its horror is just enough to qualify as such.

The plot basically revolves around an engaged couple each with a set of odd problems. The woman has recently walked in on her father as he is cleaning up the brains of a man he has just shot. She agrees to help him with the cover-up and, in essence, join him in the Big Secret that will now darken their lives. The groom-to-be, who may personify the reason why women never let men pick out jewelry for them, goes shopping for the wedding ring, and buys one that just so happens to be cursed. The ring belonged to a long-dead but still feisty woman, jilted at the altar, and bent on killing as many newlyweds as come in contact with the ring. Driven both by guilt and by the curse, the bride-to-be begins having horrible visions, and sets out with a friend to visit a cousin with experience in black magic – there's one in every family – who may have a cure. Ah, but is the cure enough to silence the hellish ghost and the demons that plague an accomplice in murder?

Director Pat Higgins manages to create a realistic and endearing atmosphere, and does a good job with the dark world as well. We care about these characters somehow, and thus are more willing to overlook occasional bad acting or silly horror effects. There are people to root for here, not a potential body count upon which to make wagers. You may not watch this more than once or twice, but you will feel good each time you do watch.