The Belle and the Boone Helm starts with a prologue. It’s not long, but it’s quiet and solemn. A young woman in frontier-style clothing, staring into the camera, says, “You may have heard of Levi Boone Helm. He ate men.” And that act propelled him into legacy status. That’s how it goes, she continues. History is filled with stories of “notorious men and not a word about the women in their wake.”
Levi Boone Helm was a real person known as the Kentucky Cannibal. In this script based on a true story, Cincy Fringe artist Hannah Gregory imagines a world in which his long-lost daughter seeks vengeance for her father’s crimes.
Most of the production, directed by Caitlin McWethy, is shot between two distinct spaces. One is a frontier-era set, an authentic 1840s log house in Green Hill, Kentucky, lit by dim gas lamps, radiating an eerie but warm campfire glow. It features massive wood planks that don’t quite fit together just right.
The other set is a dark theater stage at the Lincoln Grant Scholar House in Covington, which serves as the setting for all scenes that do not sit within the main narrative framework of the story. This set serves its purpose well: a place for viewers to imagine scenes that require mountain scenery or jail cells.
Though the sets work well for the short film, there were several missed opportunities to elevate the cinematic experience, either via sounds or props or even small practical effects like lighting to add in fireflies, sunrises and sunsets. The use of spaces and sets was highly inventive. With a little more time this project could grow into an exemplar of mixed formats.
Kayla Marie Klammer shines as the titular Belle and brings a soft intensity and decisiveness to the role. She is stunningly consistent across settings as well, something that did not necessarily translate for other types of characters or actors. There were also times where cinematically, directorial choices felt disconnected between scenes shot on the stage versus scenes shot on set.
This could have been a choice, of course, to compensate for lack of resources such as filming on location in the mountains. If so, it needs to be exaggerated further so there is no question.
The screenplay is exceptional. It’s tight, interesting, and beautifully written. Gregory’s 2019 Cincy Fringe production, Descent: A Murder Ballad, was the Producer’s Pick of the Fringe, and it’s clear why. She’s a great storyteller!
The Belle and Boone Helm is an entertaining show with some local true crime roots. It’s perfect for true crime addicts with an insatiable appetite for chilling content.
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival takes place June 4-19. For more information, show descriptions, a schedule and tickets, visit cincyfringe.com.
