HellHole (2022) - Movie Review
What if I told you there was a Polish horror-comedy that only has 1 joke in its entire runtime?
What if I told you I laughed?
Let’s discuss.
HellHole, or Ostatnia Wieczerza (Last Supper) in its native Poland, is a Slow-burn, single location thriller brought to us by director Bartosz Kowalski and his writing partner Mirella Zaradkiewicz . You won’t know them unless you're a huge fan of Polish film and television. However, don’t hold it against them, it’s obvious they know what they’re doing.
The film focuses on Father Marek, a priest transferred to an ominous monastery with a dark past. Thirty years prior, a crazed priest nearly murdered a child, claiming it was the anti-christ. After the priest was killed by police, the monastery cut itself off completely from the world. The isolation only led to rumors and urban legends, especially when girls started to vanish from the nearby town. As Marek goes through the routine in his new position, he finds things are much stranger than expected. The monastery is old and in disrepair. It lacks modern amenities like electricity and heating. The food is medieval in its preparation and its grotesque flavor. The situation is dire, but Marek doesn’t plan to be there for long. He’s there to solve a mystery, but every answer he digs up just leads to more questions. Will he find the answers he needs to save the missing girls, or will he find himself at the bottom of the Hell Hole?
It’s really hard to write a summary without spoiling it.
This movie is a slow-burn thriller with an occult twist.
There isn’t a ton of gore, or even violence for that matter. This film is closer to 1986’s In The Name of the Rose than The Exorcist. It’s not a particularly frightening movie, and features zero jump scares. It doesn’t rely on shock value. Instead it hangs its hat on atmosphere, fantastic set dressing, and an engaging story.
As this is essentially a one man show, dialogue is sparing. This lends to the realistic depiction of the abbey. It also leads to the dialogue being an event. When people speak in this film, you need to listen. You almost long for them to talk, to give you a hint or a clue as to what the hell is going on. However, unlike some films that leave the answers ambiguous, this film gives you all the answers in a satisfying conclusion.
So why am I not ranting and raving about the movie as one of the best I’ve seen this year? Because the climax and the twenty minutes leading up to it were so much better than the rest of the film that it made me realize how poorly the story is paced. It starts with a pulse pounding opening with a baby’s life on the line, and then meanders through repetitive scenes in the monastery of the same daily routine again and again. Which, to be fair, is understandable. I think it was Einstein that said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I paraphrase, but the quote holds true. If the film were going for a dark, brooding, hopeless ending the first hour would have been perfectly paced. However, the film shifts to a comedy in the last 30 minutes, and adds a creature feature in the last 10.
I wish the filmmakers had decided what the film was going to be before they wrapped.
I still enjoyed the film, even with its uneven flow. The international cast was outstanding, especially Olaf Lubaszenko. You won’t recognize the name, but the man has 110 acting credits on IMDB, to go along with his other accolades as a director and producer. He’s more known for comedic films, which played perfectly into the best scene in the movie.
And if you haven’t seen a Polish film before, there’s a unique feel to them. There’s an innate darkness to their films, but there’s also a sardonic humor. My favorite example is Agnieszka Smoczynska’s 2015 masterpiece, The Lure.
As a closing note, not to spoil anything, but there is an absolutely badass creature design in this film. However, it’s ruined by showing the monster in bright, unyielding light. Making what could have been a terrifying, mysterious creature into a guy in a rubber suit.
Overall though, this one is worth a watch.
Even with an uneven story, it’s better than anything coming out in US theaters lately.
Check this one out streaming exclusively on Netflix.
