Content Advisory: Excessive or gratuitous violence
A Serbian fracking team unearths a parasitic cephalopod in Hell Hole. An American fracking team led by Emily (Toby Poser) and John (John Adams) have begun drilling in the Serbian wilderness, much to the concern of local scientists Sofia (Olivera Peruničić) and Nikola (Aleksandar Trmčić). The team unearthed a 19th-century French soldier encased in some cocoon. However, it soon turns out that the soldier is an incubator for a new breed of cephalopod, which specifically chooses men as its host.
Hell Hole Synopsis
Hell Hole is a creature feature by writer/director John Adams and Tobey Poser (Hellbender, Where the Devil Roams) and co-written by their daughter Lulu Adams, with their other daughter Zelda absent from this production due to her college studies. Produced by Troma’s Justin Martell (Return to Return to Nuke ‘Em High Aka Vol. 2, #ShakespearesSh*tstorm) and Matt Manjourides (Mutant Blast, The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs), the film was shot and set in Serbia with the leads played by Adams, Poser, and Maximum Portman as the chef Teddy joined by local actors playing the supporting cast, including Luka (Marko Vučković), Ivan (Ivan Ðorđević), Danko (Petar Arsić), and Christian (Bruno Veljanovski).
The main threat of Hell Hole is a new breed of cephalopod nicknamed the “Argonaut” by the scientists Sofia and Nikola. The Argonaut hides inside a male host, emerging in a bloody explosion when it feels threatened. While Emily wants to find a way to escape this creature, Nikola becomes concerned with preserving the cephalopod so that he can study its growth.
My Thoughts on Hell Hole
Hell Hole is the Adams Family’s celebration of the classic creature feature, with The Thing, in particular, being an obvious influence on this film. The creature effects of the film are pulled off through a mix of puppets and stop-motion designed by 35-year veteran Todd Masters (Rabid, Psycho Goreman) and his studio MASTERSFX. This includes an extreme level of gore, as the parasitic cephalopod has the habit of escaping its hosts in a very explosive fashion.
As is usually the case for their films, writer/directors John Adams and Tobey Poser do double duty working both behind and in front of the camera. John Adams also provides a very guitar-heavy score for Hell Hole. Poser and Adams are joined on the acting front by Maximum Portman (Where the Devil Roams), Bruno Veljanovski (Eight Eyes), and Olivera Peruničić.
As is the case with these types of creature films, Hell Hole has a human antagonist in the form of Aleksandar Trmčić’s scientist Nikola. Initially against the fracking operation for environmental concerns, Nikola becomes obsessed with studying this cephalopod. This includes trying to ensure that stays within a human host to grow to full maturity.
While Hell Hole is not particularly deep on the narrative front, the film does deliver the explosions of gore and some quite impressive creature effects. Sadly, the film’s budget limitations result in a foreshadowed appearance of a fully mature creature never coming to pass. However, Hell Hole is still worth checking out.
Trailer for Hell Hole
Prime Video Channels is the Prime benefit that lets you add channels you love with no long-term commitments. Only members can subscribe to Shudder on Prime Video. Cancel anytime.