Opening in 19th century Serbia during the Napoleonic wars, a platoon of lost and starving soldiers wander around looking for food when they stumble upon a lone woman with a horse. With a cunning smile, she lets them take the horse: A Trojan horse! In present day Serbia, an American fracking crew led by John (John Adams) and Emily (Toby Poser) begin digging on a remote site where they unearth the perfectly preserved body of a French soldier (Anders Hove), who still happens to be alive! John and Emily, joined by Emily’s nephew Teddy (Maximum Portman) and scientist Nikola (Aleksandr Trmčić), who is there alongside his nerdy intern Sofija (Olivera Peruničić) to ensure the dig doesn’t disrupt the local environment, discover the soldier is host to a gestating parasite and have to decide what to do with the slimy, octopus-like creature while it has fun jumping hosts.
Directed by Adams and Poser, who co-wrote with their daughter Lulu Adams (their other daughter Zelda being absent this time round), Hell Hole is The Thing meets Alien. Known for The Deeper You Dig, Hellbender, and Where the Devil Roams, the Adams Family spent their small budget on VFX by Trey Lindsay and Todd Masters. The blended digital and practical creature effects are highly effective, fun and bloody. The creature looks cool as hell poking its tentacles out of someone’s facial orifices, and the clumps of bloodsoaked meat add to the foul-smelling atmosphere. The film could’ve taken a darker tone, but it’s actually very humorous. People explode like tomatoes as the violent parasite isn’t bothered around which hell hole it enters: mouth, arse, it’s coming.
Hell Hole is dialogue-heavy. There is perhaps too much talking, but plenty of the conversations are funny even if not always well-written. They help to show off the character dynamics and set the film’s tone as the crew decide what to do. There’s debate over the ethics of killing the creature, and even romance between Teddy and Sofija. Each character has a distinct personality. The Serbian workers dotted around set, who talk in both English and Serbian, add an air of levity to the situation. The main actors are skilled in portraying subtle changes to their personalities when possessed by the creature, though some hide it better than others as the parasite fights for control.
Truthfully, there isn’t much more to say about Hell Hole. It’s clearly not a perfect movie by any means, but it’s silly and well-made despite its low budget, allowing it to be an entertaining and gory creature feature. The energetic camerawork, occasionally punctuated by rock music, set the film’s tone early on. The Adams Family remain filmmakers to pay close attention to as they continue to evolve their creativity and have a good time. While borrowing from the films that came before it, Hell Hole doesn’t exactly reinvent the genre, but that was never their intention. The Adams Family know how to inject their recognisable personality into a film, which is what keeps people coming back for more. What will they do next?
Hell Hole is available to stream on Shudder on 23rd August.
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