In 1814, a group of French soldiers fighting for Napoleon are lost in bleak Serbian territory. Exhausted, starving and on unfamiliar ground, matters are looking desperate for them until they encounter a local woman who offers them a tasty looking horse. The soldiers have no plans to lead it to water in order to make it drink; all they want is to make it their dinner. Unfortunately, their planned evening of alfresco Cordon Bleu cuisine is curtailed drastically when the horse unexpectedly goes kablooey.
Fast forward to the modern day, where the area is apparently free from de-atomising dressage contestants but now plays host to an exploratory fracking operation, overseen by the no-nonsense Emily (Toby Poser). In addition to fellow Americans John (John Adams) and Emily’s nephew Teddy (Max Portman), a group of locals is on hand to assist with the drilling operation and to provide security. To satisfy any ecological concerns, environmentalists/academics Nikola (Alexsandar Trmčić) and Sofija (Olivera Peruničić) are also along for the ride.
When the initial test finds something a lot weirder than a gas pocket, and with bad weather hindering the group’s escape, the ill-matched workmates find themselves in an on-site face off with a parasitic presence that is looking for the ideal host. Yes, it’s an updated version of Auf Wiedersehen Pet meets The Thing as the Adams Family turn their attention to the monster movie, and it’s every bit as wild and distinctive as I hoped it would be.
This time out, it’s less of a family affair, with no Zelda Adams to be found and Lulu Adams on co-writing duties only. Shot far, far away from their usual stomping ground, that feeling of Toby and John stepping into an unfamiliar arena in which their usual filmmaking compadres have been replaced by strangers translates fascinatingly from the production to the onscreen action, with all of the awkwardness, cultural differences and communication issues that kind of project can bring, along with an ultimate need to pull together to resolve the larger problems afoot.
For anyone who thought Where The Devil Roams was a little too oblique and grisly, I can assure you that Hell Hole has a huge amount of fun with its premise and there are plentiful laughs to be enjoyed. Yes, some of the humour is of the type marked “I’m really not sure I should be finding this amusing” and the workplace comedy is downplayed to the point that most mumblecore flicks wish they were that deadpan. However, take a couple of minutes to tap into the vibe and you’ll be chuckling at weird office banter one moment and guffawing at the most dreadful things the next.
Of course, it’s not just gross out body horror and running gags about tagine. Within the confines of an increasingly splattery creature pic, the screenplay makes sharp observations and opens up discussions about big themes: bodily autonomy; American involvement in the affairs of foreign countries; profiteering from an increasingly unstable planet; and, because we’re talking The Thing – and, by extension, Alien – the male fear of pregnancy. As is the case with previous films from the Adams stable, the subtext is not that of the finger wagging lecture variety, it’s just a little extra to chew on which you wouldn’t normally find in a film about a many-tentacled varmint causing unfortunate folks to explode in gorehound-pleasing showers of blood and guts.
Considering the limited budget, the creature work by Masters FX Inc. is impressive, with the monster’s appearance riding the line between disgusting and hilarious, especially when it’s slobbering over its next target. For me, the digital effects from regular collaborator Trey Lindsay don’t quite match up to the practical stuff, but I grew up watching 1980s horror on VHS so maybe I’m showing my bias. Having said that, there’s still something undeniably gross about seeing an animated feeler emerging from a character’s eye.
With a slightly larger set of characters on which to focus, the Serbian drilling team, each one clad in orange overalls, gets a little lost in the shuffle. Their members, although not interchangeable cast offs, are more often than not ushered in as critter fodder but there’s a sneaky through line in the story which suggests, in this particular situation, the local employees are the ones which will be chucked in front of the threat first. And they are.
Poser and Adams are on reliably good form here, the former’s reluctant den mother also coming to terms with an ethical 180 in her career after her solar power business failed, the latter’s laid back cool coming under severe – and, it has to be said, comedic – stress. Trmčić’s and Peruničić’s characters entertain in diverting supporting roles as haughty intellectual and smart/klutzy science babe respectively, which allows them – and the script – to take at least some time out from the entrail spilling to consider the moral and scientific issues. This also gives the audience a breather or two before the next poor sod finds themselves either forcefully entered by a determined, parasitic presence or blasted into bloody chunks. Or both.
The score is great, too, with Adams’ chunky, fuzzy guitar blasts sometimes acting as the heartbeat of the increasingly frazzled protagonists as they creep or blunder around, wondering what’s around the next corner, sometimes serving as an exclamation point to the latest pile of rank-looking viscera or the realisation that the ongoing plight has somehow turned even more grim. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the family’s skewed, punk rock approach to familiar subgenres.
So, given the differing production circumstances of this latest opus and taking the plot synopsis at face value, is Hell Hole a glimpse of the Adams family embracing the mainstream? Absolutely not. Even with the drastic change of scenery, the overall feel remains satisfyingly offbeat and the European settings are imbued with the same sense of foreboding as their previous American counterparts, whether it’s the shabby, towering, industrial complex or the surrounding forests, where everyone can hear you scream but finds they’re not in much shape to do anything about it.
The overriding ethos of getting maximum bang for the buck is still firmly in place. Some of the narrative decisions made along the way would only be found in an Adams Family movie. If you were worrying that this was somehow going to degenerate into something more akin to a gun for hire job, worry not. Hell Hole is different yet – in terms of style, wit and regular ventures into the oddest of territories – it’s more of the strangely comforting same. Fans will miss Lulu and Zelda, no doubt, but there’s still so much to savour. The tale may be as old as time (or it’s at least clocked up a couple of centuries in this case) but there’s an uncommon freshness to the way it’s related here. Hell Hole? Hell, yes!
Hell Hole (2024) will be released on Shudder on August 23rd.