Fantasia 2024 Review: HELL HOLE, Man In The Warmest Place To Hide In The Adams Family Creature Feature
The Adams Family filmmaking team moves away from their usual introspective slow burns in their latest film, the Serbia-set creature feature, Hell Hole. Even though this film seems mile away from their usual projects, the Adams/Poser family can’t help injecting a bit of clever cultural satire into their movie about a Lovecraftian parasitic ass octopus, and we’re here for it.
Set in the remote forests of eastern Europe, Hell Hole follows the crew at an oil fracking site as they attempt to get their job underway, only to find that there’s something in the ground that really wants to get out. Part of the delay comes from an environmental study seeking out endangered species led by a pair of scientists, leader Nikola (Aleksandr Trmčić) and his young parasite specialist, Sofija (Olivera Peruničić). Site foremen Emily (Toby Poser) and John (John Adams) are eager to get to work, and the minute they get the green light they put their drill to work but within seconds a stench overwhelms the work crew and they realize that there’s more than just oil below the surface.
Meanwhile, site cook Teddy (Max Portman) has gone off with Sofija to dig a waste pit, but that, too winds up unearthing something unusual. A man, covered in what appears to be some kind of giant amniotic sac, dressed in 200-year-old military garb. Emily stops work while they investigate this stranger, who appears to be harboring some kind of tentacled parasite. When the creature escapes from its host – with spectacularly splattery flair – it immediately looks for another warm place to hide, and with ten employees on the site, it’s only a matter of time before the beast goes on a shopping spree, leaving buckets of gore in its wake.
Taking inspiration from paranoid horror thrillers like John Carpenter’s The Thing, Hell Hole is a very different kind of film than The Adams Family’s previous work. Far from subtle, this “rock ‘n’ roll creature feature” is all about the splatter, with some big satirical swings and a healthy dose of comedy. The creature, whose origin remains murky, but who modus operandi is figured out with impressive speed thanks to the science nerds on site, is partial to male hosts, leaving the women as the only safe ones and de facto leaders.
This twist on the current political situation in the US as female bodily autonomy is under attack proves fertile ground for drama, and gives the film space to explore a “what if” scenario as the men are now victims of the creature’s forced birth policy. Thankfully, the film doesn’t belabor the point, but it adds a nice layer to the interpersonal drama brewing as Emily and John battle the proletariat among the workers to determine how exactly they are going to get out of this mess.
While the Emily and John are trying to figure out what to do, they’ve got the Nikola making the case for conservation and letting this extraordinary animal just do its thing, a blossoming romance between Sofija and Teddy, and a series of reluctant parasitic hosts pondering their own ends. There’s a lot going on, but the script by Poser, John, and Lulu Adams, does a great job balancing tones and keeping the tension high.
Hell Hole is probably The Adams Family’s funniest film, with the combination of language barriers and a slimy tentacled monster who prefers to enter its host from the rear presenting plenty of opportunities for fun gags. It’s also definitely their goriest, and while a lot of the splatstick FX are distractingly digital, the moments with the practical monster are fun to watch. The creation by Masters FX gets just enough screen time to make its presence known, and the team gives this unnamed creature plenty of personality when needed.
Hell Hole certainly introduces a new color into The Adams Family palette, and it’s an exciting evolution. Is it a silly creature feature? Absolutely, but there’s also plenty here to think about just below the surface. The film certainly has some issues; there are logical inconsistencies that jump out when things start getting crazy toward the third act, but when it focuses on the monster and the dramatic tension surrounding who will be next to go, Hell Hole really shines. Plus – spoiler alert – people explode, and that’s always a boon in my book.
