‘Hell Hole’ Review – Shudder’s Darkly Funny Horror Is ‘The Thing’ Meets ‘Tremors’

In a 12 months that has already seen some pretty good horror movies that do everything from take classic slasher elements and then cut them into pieces to serve up a new spin on our enduring fear of vampires, there’s additionally loads of room for the extra outright foolish. Initially enjoying like John Carpenter’s basic The Thing and Tremors had a child earlier than it begins to eat itself, Shudder’s scrappy horror film Hell Gap is right here to fill the void. Despite the fact that it is a bit of tough across the edges, it owns it and is all of the extra enjoyable due to it. Directed by the duo of Toby Poser and John Adams (who additionally co-star) in a script they co-wrote with Lulu Adams, it’s a movie that finds loads of payoff from a confined premise whereas working with a low price range. Whereas not fairly on the extent of one thing like their prior movie, the rather more haunting Hellbender, which they directed with the nice Zelda Adams, Hell Gap is a solidly gory, goofy little experience that cuts by any hiccups to get to the meat of a madcap indie monster film.

What Is ‘Hell Gap’ About?

We start a lot as Hellbender did, through flashback, to tons of of years in the past in 1814, the place a bunch of ravenous troopers preventing for Napoleon are trying desperately for meals in Serbia. Their fates appear to alter once they encounter a horse provided to them by a lady within the woods who smiles essentially the most delightfully menacing smile as they stroll away. With out tipping off the bloody enjoyable of what occurs subsequent, if you happen to thought the Trojan Horse was a ugly story, this introduction provides {that a} run for its cash. Not even 5 minutes have handed earlier than all hell breaks unfastened and one thing begins going after all of the troopers.

After briefly chasing them by the woods with digital camera strikes paying homage to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead, it ends on a slightly mean-spirited and extra provocative closing observe (a tone that rears its ugly head all through the movie) earlier than we reduce to the current day. It’s there we meet John (Adams), Emily (Poser), Teddy (Max Portman), Nikola (Aleksandar Trmčić), and Sofija (Olivera Peruničić), who’re all engaged on an American-led fracking operation. The latter two are precise native environmental advisors there to prioritize conservation, leading to some scattered battle all through, in addition to some nearly cartoonishly inane dialogue. Nevertheless, all that issues is what occurs once they uncover one thing on the distant dig website the place they discover themselves stranded by flooding on the street out. Left with no choices, and hazard looming round each nook, they will have to determine what is going on and how one can cease it.

From there, the movie is just not notably concerned with reinventing the basic beats of the monster film and doesn’t actually include a lot in the best way of surprises. As an alternative, it’s extra of an enthralling riff on the acquainted components of the enduring subgenre. It might be overstating issues to say the movie is a few form of pastiche, however there are many extra tongue-in-cheek moments the place it appears self-aware sufficient to get away with what it’s going for. It ensures that, simply as there are many scenes the place you might groan at a few of the jokey banter between the characters, you’re simply as more likely to crack a smile on the approach it presents itself.

‘Hell Gap’ Is a Playful Horror Romp Unafraid to Embrace Its Personal Silliness

When a discovery is made throughout a dig away from the principle website, we then reduce to the primary instance of drone footage that jumps out and in in sync with a guitar riff that units the scene. Whereas not the primary time that the filmmakers have used a drone, with Hellbender once more being a extra swish use of it, this time it represents one thing new, as they’ll typically reduce away to those photographs and the identical musical vein simply to maintain issues transferring. It’s greater than a bit of ridiculous, however you’ll be able to’t assist getting gained over the extra the movie retains falling again on it. Because the baffled group beholds a physique they’ve dug up, we then get the primary glimpse of some fairly good sensible results, because the much more confused man is trapped in some form of sack that he should burst out of. The story then will get a bit of snarled in itself right here and there as they ponder what to do concerning the state of affairs, with us biking by the identical couple of settings that really feel oddly disconnected from one another, although the movie finally finds its payoff when this being begins itself leaping round. That’s the place the true enjoyable begins.

The movie has loads of extra ridiculous visible results that aren’t constructed to be convincing or grounded within the slightest, however the bits that actually work begin coming extra constantly following a darkly comedic dialog between two folks faraway from the remainder of the group. Specifically, the reducing backwards and forwards between extra banal exposition ensures every is oddly entertaining when smashed collectively (plus, one character retains nodding and smiling in such a wierd approach you could’t assist laughing). Does this begin to drag on for a bit too lengthy? Sure. Is it nonetheless simply cheeky sufficient to work? Completely. After the remoted dialog descends right into a weird brawl, the being is leaping round from individual to individual faster than anybody can totally preserve monitor of it. Even once they get it pinned down and notice what’s happening, a plan on how one can take it down is so patently absurd you’ll be able to’t assist going together with it.

Every time one thing will get arrange, it isn’t precisely refined. Nevertheless, that’s a characteristic slightly than a bug. Our bodies explode into full mush till, in fact, an enormous piece is required for checks to be achieved to provide characters one thing to do. Whereas this may get a bit tiresome, you’re prepared to miss the moments it drags, as there are additionally simply sufficient moments the place it picks up the tempo. Each time you suppose it might have dug itself right into a gap and is out of concepts, it’ll uncover new life to maintain issues transferring. Whilst these new instructions could spell doom for the characters and tear all of them to items, you’ll be able to’t assist chuckling alongside on the chaos unfolding earlier than you. Just like the metaphor that will get thrown out by a personality in a key second about an octopus becoming right into a gap, it should not work, however it nonetheless does in pleasant trend.

Hell Gap had its World Premiere on the 2024 Fantasia Worldwide Movie Competition. It is going to be accessible to stream on Shudder within the U.S. beginning August 23.

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