The Adams Family are back, with a very different horror feature than the super dark and bleak Where The Devil Roams.
We open in Serbian territory in the 1800s, where a group of French soldiers are acosted by an unknown monster. Fast-forward to present day, and it turns out the monster has incubated inside one of the soldiers, who has been buried for over 200 years in a gooey cocoon.
The tone is immediately set, and occasional borders on satire as some characters feel like they’ve been plucked from a different film.
We follow a group of oil miners who are flagged by a duo of environmentalists, and while you may think chaos instantly ensues, Hell Hole is actually more reserved, with flashes of gore and violence sprinkled throughout.
When the parasitic monster hops into one of the crew, it becomes a ticking time bomb, but here the explosive potential feels muted and opportunity is missed. It just feels like there is a bonkers monster movie dying to get out of this more subdued affair.
Hell Hole is a confusing piece, which never fully decides on what it wants to be, and doesn’t fully grasp at its offbeat comedy or its monster movie potential.
When you feel its gearing up for a balls-to-the-wall finale it strikes a more sombre tone.
Hell Hole is a mixed bag, which won’t work for everyone.
Hell Hole is streaming now on Shudder.
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