Hell Hole

This has some good elements but it ultimately disappoints. The good elements include a fairly novel monster that's well-utilized; some gory, gross and darkly funny splatter effects; and reasonably good performances. But they're ultimately outweighed by the bad elements: a rather lackluster premise that's like a throwaway X-Files episode; unlikeable characters; and a tepid ending that sputters to a lackluster conclusion. Worst of all is repetitive and redundant expositional dialogue. The characters talk and talk about everything that's happening and they over-explain the nature of the monster, its lifecycle and biology.

I'd only seen one other film from these creators before (that being Hellbender), which struck me as an attempt at a folk horror / coming of age story with nice cinematography but not much substance. Hell Hole continues the tradition with terrible generic dialogue, but at least it was quite entertaining in its campiness, making up for the equal lack of depth and characterization with over-the-top gore and patently silly interactions. It reminded me a bit of the Resident Evil game series (in more ways than one), which got good once it started leaning into its more ridiculous aspects and trying to have some tongue-in-cheek fun with them.

Hell Hole's too repetitive to watch more than once, but for a one-time-thing, the practical effects, cool setting (Here's to post-Soviet industrial decay!) and comedic elements (which I'll charitably hope were intentional) make it worth seeing at least once, even if it's just when you come home from the bar and feel like watching something disposable.

This movie could have been cult status if it would have taken itself more seriously. It puts you In the vein of The Thing, Hidden, Alien,, and so many other Scifi cult classics. The special effects was excellent, everything we want and need in these Science fiction movies. The acting was somewhat ok, the storyline was cliche but the protagonist creature was original. A fracking crew working deep in the Serbian wilderness uncovers a parasitic creature. This movie is from the filmmaking family behind Hellbender. The creature needs a human/body to host. Toby Poser and her husband John Adams true to the horror genre.

Hell Hole is one of those rare horror films that manages to feel both familiar and completely fresh at the same time. While the core story is nothing new Virus/Host, the execution is anything but ordinary. From the opening scene sequence set in Napoleonic times involving a horse.

One of the film's standout strengths is its cast of characters. I do't get the hate for their acting. They actually feel like real people, not the usual Hollywood stereotypes cutouts. They're flawed, likable, and grounded, which makes the tension hit harder I actually cared what happened to them. The father who ends up walking into the lake and Danko, in particular, gives a good performance, they brought quiet intensity and authenticity to his role.

The mix of Serbian and English in the dialogue added a unique cultural layer that gave the world more depth, and it never felt forced. It just fit. The creature design was also pretty good, creepy and unique without leaning too hard into cliché.

Visually, the cinematography had a distinct, almost beauty to it that set the tone perfectly for this bleak place, and the music deserves special mention. Many did not like it, I did, it was almost like a character of its own.

Overall, Hell Hole is a refreshingly original take on classic horror elements, I also welcomed the sense of humanity. And remember the budget was only one million dollars, not a lot today ! Definitely worth a watch, and decide on your own if you like it or not. I know I've seen hundreds of worse horror movies than Hell Hole.

Well . . . If you can sit through the clumsy writing, pregnant pauses and 90s-style soundtrack, this will do as a creature feature that you can watch while doing laundry, vacuuming, or making bird houses. The basic plot is familiar: a team of frackers, joined by scientists and eco-types, unearth a critter that time had forgotten, therein accidentally unleashing a monster on the land.

Nobody in HH can act, with the exception of director/actor Toby Posner, who does the best she can with the limited material. (Frankly, had the delivery of the lines by the other actors been tightened up a few notches, this movie would have been fairly decent.) What budget was on hand was spent on the creature, which is admittedly pretty decent for a low budget movie.

Can''t say I recommend it, but if it is the only thing on, you could do worse.