Hell Hole review: A gory, goopy parasitic rampage hindered by poor pacing

The Adams Family returns with a new movie following a fracking company in the Serbian wilderness that accidentally drills directly into a Frenchman's corpse that turns out to be hosting a parasitic monster. What follows is a horror story in the vein of The Thing about this parasite rampaging through the crew in search of a new host. Yet for a film focused on creating gross-out spectacle and lots of tentacled mayhem, Hell Hole is a little too focused on making jokes that don't often land than on delivering the advertised creature violence.

Scenes of parasitic carnage are spread out too far for my liking, interspersed with long conversations between the characters talking circles about what is happening to the crew and trying to figure out what to do about it without... really doing anything about it. The moments where the parasite makes its appearance—whether by graphically exploding out of someone, leaving behind a blood-soaked pile of innards, or flicking its undulating tentacles out of a man's mouth—are the best parts.

I didn't find the characters all that interesting, and the majority of the banter between them feels more like the filmmakers' desire to have scenes riffing with each other than moving the action along. The humor will land for some, I'm sure, but while I appreciate the dry absurdity, a litany of ass jokes isn't really my cup of tea, though I can appreciate the film's central twisted quirk that sets its antagonistic monstrosity apart from others in the genre.

Moments where Hell Hole tries to use CGI aren't great, but I give complete credit to the team for their practical effects. That monster looked sick in the best way, so the long stretches of its absence felt more pronounced.

Hell Hole's other highlight is in its effortlessly cool and stylish transitions, a nod to The Adams Family's musical background. Adding these personalized flourishes feels like a bold and creative way to punch up the film and build tension.

Most viewers will be able to tell within the opening 30 minutes if this is a creature feature for them. Thankfully, at a tight 90 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome but I actually wished it was a little shorter, a problem I think better pacing could have solved. When you step back and look at Hell Hole, there are plenty of deaths and squicky creature violence, but the slow pacing between the good stuff makes the film feel longer and less effective than it should be.

In short, Hell Hole is a rock and roll B-movie with a devilish octopus spawn sliding into a plethora of squishy, unexpected orifices—so if that sounds like your jam then give this one a chance. While it didn't succeed in everything it set out to do for me, I still appreciate The Adams Family's ability to reinvent themselves with each film and, sort of like the creature in this one, adapt seamlessly to each new subgenre.