Hell Hole

Hell Hole sounded exactly like the kind of movie I'd enjoy. It has an intriguing premise involving a parasitic monster in a remote setting. When I saw that it was made by the Adams family, who have produced several darker horror films in the past, I was even more interested, as I generally support their work, even though it doesn't always align with my tastes. Most films like this end up being SyFy-level productions with poorly written characters getting picked off by cheap CGI monsters. But with the Adams family's usual preference for a more subtle approach, Hell Hole had the potential to be a genuinely interesting film.

First off, the creature was made with practical effects, with some CGI used for certain scenes. The challenge with movies like this is that they require a certain budget and a skilled team for the creature effects to feel convincing. Otherwise, the results can feel cheap and amateurish. Unfortunately, Hell Hole fell into this trap. While I appreciate the effort to focus on practical effects, the monster doesn't look believable, and in many scenes, it's clearly a puppet being maneuvered over the characters. There are a few moments when you get a closer look at the creature's face, where the details are decent, but otherwise, the effects don't hold up. The CGI used for things like blood splashes, often from characters randomly exploding when being shot, also looks unconvincing, and these scenes end up looking poor every single time.

The acting is another drawback with some of the actors delivering their lines unconvincingly, which is an issue given that the movie relies heavily on dialogue. Most of these conversations are unnecessary and end up dragging out the scenes and the movie as a whole which makes this pacing issue even more apparent.

Overall, I liked the story itself and think it had real potential, but the execution just didn't quite come together. That said, I appreciate the effort put into Hell Hole. I enjoy these types of movies, and it's clear the team didn't just throw together a creature feature for a quick profit. They put in genuine effort. Unfortunately, though, the final product didn't quite hit the mark. [5.4/10]