hellhole movie review 2022

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Hellhole’ on Netflix, A Superb Chunk Of Horror Tropes, Satanic Gloom And Gleeful Sacrilege

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Poland might not be well-known for producing horror movies, but don’t tell that to Bartosz M. Kowalski. The director and writer’s 2020 film Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight and its resulting sequel both blended scares, gore, bloodsoaked comedy, religious satire, and meta horror self-awareness, and now he’s back with Hellhole (Polish title: Ostatnia Wieczerza , or The Last Supper ), which goes all the way in – or all the way down the well – on genre horror filmmaking and skewering the bombast of Catholicism.

HELLHOLE : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: It’s 1957 in a remote part of Poland, and a distraught Catholic priest is pulling an Omen , racing to a church altar to try to kill an infant whose skin bears a particular mark. Is the baby Satan made flesh? The clergyman seems pretty sure of it, but he’s shot and killed by police before he can certify it with his ancient dagger. 30 years later, Marek (Piotr Zurawski) arrives at a rambling collection of church buildings set amidst rain, slop, and the call of crows; a tree in the courtyard looks like the twisted souls of the damned. Marek is greeted by Prior Andrzej (Olaf Lubaszenko), who shows the newly assigned priest around the monastery’s gloomy corridors, candlelit sleeping chambers, and cells that house the tormented. “The Evil One often manifests his presence,” the prior says with a weird undercurrent of nonchalance.

His cigarettes are confiscated, and a henchman-like monk named Dawid (Rafal Iwaniuk) searches his belongings. But they don’t find the secret compartment in Marek’s case, the one that includes a pistol and a flashlight, or the lock picking tools secreted in his rosary. For Marek isn’t a priest at all, but an undercover police officer sent to investigate a string of womens’ disappearances linked to the monastery. And Marek’s pretty convincing in his rough-hewn habit and penitent air, until the prior challenges him to lead daily prayer in Latin. And don’t get us started on meal time, where mystery meat stewed to the consistency of sewage is slopped into moldy steel bowls.

Between vomiting violently and discovering strange passageways and alcoves located in the monastery walls, Marek is also given a front row seat to an exorcism performed by the prior and his aide Piotrek (Sebastian Stankiewicz). The latter also warns Marek that his snooping has been detected. Not taking any chances, he loads his pistol and stows it in the folds of his soutane. But when the monastery’s true nature finally emerges from the omnipresent gloom, any earthly protection feels puny and insignificant.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of? Hellhole already had Prince of Darkness vibes, dwelling as it does on a monastery located at the epicenter of Satan’s pathway to earth. But then the priests break out the Camcorder that documents their exorcism rituals, and Hellhole also starts to channel the queasy VHS visuals of John Carpenter’s ’80s horror classic. Consider also The Wicker Man – we’ll stick with the 1973 folk-horror original here – where another cop with a plan to locate the missing makes unexpected contact with Christianity’s devilish flipside.

Performance Worth Watching: As Andrzej, the monastery’s prior and chief holder of secrets, Olaf Lubaszenko lets his face measure barely perceptible shifts between menace, paternalism, evil, hope, sadness, and – ultimately – confusion. “I was supposed to be the Devil’s disciple, and fuck all happened.”

Memorable Dialogue: Here’s a little blurb from Hellhole that illustrates how little compassion Bartosz M. Kowalksi and co-writer Mirella Zaradkiewicz have for the precepts of Christian dogma. “God and the Devil sit side by side. They have an understanding. Always have. Since the beginning. But the Devil is not evil. People are. They deserve to be punished. And they shall be punished.”

Sex and Skin: Nothing doing on the former, but you can count on an eyeful of rotting flesh and unclothed corpses.

Our Take: “Ominous, gruesome, satanic” – don’t sugarcoat it, Netflix descriptors! Hellhole oozes with horror movie atmosphere from the second Marek is dropped off in the middle of nowhere to begin his investigation, and doesn’t let up until its deliciously sacreligious final few minutes. Creeping dread should also be added to that list of descriptors. In Hellhole , there’s never any doubt that deceit and darkness dwell underneath the superficial layers of a monastery’s daily harmonies of life. But it delights in delivering feints that engage with the heady genre filmmaking at work here. The preponderance of buzzing flies that scatter out of Jesus’ eyes. Crucifixes of the watchful kind, the upside down kind, and the bursting into flame kind. (But watch that last one for trickery.) And the consistent influence of body horror over the film’s candlelit proceedings, as Marek forces himself to consume the scummed offal in his bowl, pulls loosened molars from his mouth, and is later force-fed four servings of chum. And don’t forget about a would-be exhumation in the church graveyard that only reveals more questions.

It’s fun to engage with all of these misdirects, and to be led deeper and deeper into the monastery’s mysteries by the quietly determined Marek. (Piotr Zurawski only needs a few full lines of dialogue to illuminate his character, whose inner turmoil is his greatest weapon against the forces at work here.) And when it’s finally time for the big reveal – you knew it was creeping up, unseen but not undetected, in the shadows of religious architecture and secret tunnels descending beneath altars – Hellhole has the courage to fully and monstrously adhere to the prophecy of its own making. After all, it was said more than once. “The Chosen One shall devour seven sinners and drink the blood of an innocent one.” Didn’t anyone notice the human cranium used as a blood chalice perched next to Jesus in the refectory rendered by Leonardo da Vinci?

Our Call: STREAM IT. Packed with dread, gloom, and the machinations of Satan’s faithful here on earth, Hellhole is a wholly rewarding horror film with a healthy respect for the genre’s time-honored, sometimes stomach-turning stylistic tropes.

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges

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Hellhole Reviews

This stinker smells like 10-days-left-in-the-sun borscht.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | May 20, 2023

With its rituals and exorcisms, Hellhole initially seems to be purely a variation of a possession film, but as the movie progresses it takes a turn into occult and secret cult cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 21, 2022

Viewers willing to put up with cannibalism, slashed throats, suffocation, and general murderous mayhem will appreciate the craftsmanship, decent special effects, and perfect Halloween vibe.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 2, 2022

Hellhole is a monastic nightmare that leans on traditional jump scares throughout before paying off with an artful ending that makes its tight hour and 30-minute runtime hit its full potential.

Full Review | Oct 29, 2022

The first two acts are a mixed bag of clichés and obvious character turns. The atmosphere captured and wild turn of events in the final act make it worth a watch, but it does feel like a missed opportunity.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Oct 28, 2022

It is a standard religious horror with a bit of twist that isn’t that engaging.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Oct 27, 2022

Packed with dread, gloom, and the machinations of Satan’s faithful here on earth, Hellhole is a wholly rewarding horror film with a healthy respect for the genre’s time-honored, sometimes stomach-turning stylistic tropes.

Full Review | Oct 26, 2022

Hellhole (2022)

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Hellhole Ending Explained: What Happens to Marek?

Netflix’s ‘ Hellhole ‘ is a Polish film , originally titled, ‘Ostatnia Wieczerza,’ which translates to ‘The Last Supper.’ This horror film , directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski, is set in 1987 and revolves around an undercover cop named Marek (Piotr Żurawski). He impersonates a monk to enter a monastery and investigate the disappearance of women in the area. After looking around the monastery, Marek discovers a shocking truth about the place, the activities occurring within, and himself. Here’s everything you need to know about the ending. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Hellhole Plot Synopsis

The film begins with a priest trying to kill a baby with an odd mark on the left side of his chest. However, two officers from the militia shoot the man and prevent the killing. This occurs when there’s an eclipse, and the sun appears red. 30 years later, the story resumes as we see Marek entering the monastery, claiming to be a monk who knows exorcism . He meets with Prior Andrzej (Olaf Lubaszenko), who walks him to his room and mentions how the monastery is a sanatorium for possessed people. Later, it becomes clear that Marek is here to search for the missing women.

He partakes in regular activities of the monastery, which include an exorcism, the morning prayer, and lunch. However, everything seems a little odd to him. Soon, he discovers that the exorcism is staged using several theatrical techniques. He also crosses paths with Piotr, the Sub-Prior or deputy to Andrzej, who tells him that everything is a farce and the girls are drugged, killed, and buried in the graveyard present within the monastery’s grounds. Another odd thing that happens is Marek notices a couple of people unwilling to eat their lunch, and at one point, he finds a tooth in his mouth.

As the movie unfolds, Marek finds the graves empty, confirming his suspicion. However, the Prior catches him and later force-feeds him four plates of the meal he eats. After this, Marek somehow escapes and stumbles upon the dead bodies of women whose body parts are cut. Almost instantly, he realizes he has been eating human flesh and organs. At this point, Piotr shows him a book that explains how he is The Chosen One because he has the same mark as the baby, revealing the two are the same person. Piotr tells The Chosen One is meant to begin a New World Order. He then proceeds to help him run away, but as it turns out, he is on the Prior’s side.

In the end, the monks who turn out to be worshippers of Satan perform the ritual on Marek, The Chosen One, but nothing happens. Everyone is disappointed as the Prior doesn’t know what to do next, and the group disperses. Later, the Sub-Prior kills the Prior and the next day informs everyone while pretending he died of natural causes. He becomes the Prior, after which, as the group offers its prayers to Andrzej, a creature comes out, kills Piotr, and turns everyone upside down. At this moment, the sky opens up, and the film ends.

Hellhole Ending: What Happens to Marek?

Marek likely turns into the Devil or Satan, as prophecized by the book Piotr shows him. Several subtle moments foreshadow what is about to happen with Marek. The first instance is at the beginning of the film. We see a priest enter the church carrying a baby with an odd mark on his chest. The man offers his prayers and asks God to destroy the “evil seed.” He then takes out a dagger, but before killing the baby, two officers from the militia shoot him. The incident occurs at the time of an eclipse.

The second instance is when Marek, the undercover cop, enters the room and changes into his robe. When he removes his shirt, there’s a mark on his chest, just like the baby’s mark. The third significant hint is the conversation between Marek and the Prior right before the exorcism occurs. The Prior explains why the time of exorcism is essential. It is revealed that 6 hours had passed between Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and Peter’s third denial. When Peter, one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus, denied him, Satan thought he had won, but as we know, he didn’t. The time at this point was 6 AM, and the Prior concludes how Satan is at his weakest at 6 AM.

The next thing that is a clue toward Marek’s future is his meals. Right from the beginning, he doesn’t like how his food looks. The second time he eats it, he pukes and finds a human tooth stuck in his mouth, out of which a fly appears. The third time he forces himself to eat the food despite not wanting to do so. This is because Piotr warns Marek that the Prior always has his eyes on him. In fact, even Piotr had tried to escape but was punished for the same. Marek confesses that he is with the militia investigating the disappearance of women in the area. This is when Piotr mentions how the exorcised women are not possessed but drugged. Later, they are killed and buried.

With this information, Marek continues his search and learns that the graves are empty. However, this time, the Prior catches him. We later see Marek tied to his bed, and Andrzej feeds him four plates of the same meal. Following this, Marek manages to escape and finds a room where he sees the bodies of several deceased women hanging. Different parts of their bodies are cut, and Marek realizes he’s been eating human flesh.

The third instance is Piotr’s revelation of a book at least 800 years old. The book carries a prophecy, according to which a child born at the time of the eclipse is The Chosen One, who has to be slain with a dagger and a prayer. If not, The Chosen One will devour seven sinners and drink the blood of an innocent. Once he does so, he will become a demon, the world will come to an end, and a new order will begin. Piotr then tells Marek that he can still help him escape, but unfortunately, the Sub-Prior betrays the undercover cop. All these moments foreshadow Marek’s fate in the movie.

In the climax, The Prior and the other monks in the monastery are in red robes instead of their brown ones. Andrzej explains how Marek is manipulated into taking the case of the missing girls and brought to the monastery to finish the ritual of The Chosen One. He goes on to reveal that they are the brotherhood who have been waiting 800 years for The Chosen One. Pointing to a well, the Prior says it is hell’s gateway. After the ritual is complete, the Devil will come out from there and enter Marek’s body.

So far, Marek has “devoured” the seven sinners in the seven meals/portions he has eaten. The Prior then brings an “innocent” girl before everyone. A monk slices her throat, and everyone, including Marek, drinks her blood. Following this, The Prior summons the Devil, but nothing happens. So, Piotr stabs Marek and has him thrown into the well while others from the brotherhood disperse into their rooms. Later that night, when the Prior is drunk, he tells Piotr how he is supposed to be the Devil’s Apostle.

This dialogue can be connected with the earlier conversation and the prophecy about The Chosen One. It indicates that Marek is supposed to be the Devil’s incarnation. However, things don’t go as planned, and Piotr decides to kill the Prior while he is intoxicated. The next day, he informs the brotherhood of Andrzej’s demise and pretends that it could be due to his old age. One of the brothers, apparently a senior clergy member, asks Piotr to take over the late man’s duties.

In the final scene, when Piotr and the brothers are offering their prayers to the former Prior, Marek wakes up, coughs frantically, and sees that his stab wound has disappeared. Suddenly his body starts contorting, and his skin obliterates from the body’s surface. Piotr, who is the new Prior, turns into a swarm of flies that go into the well. We then see a demon come out of the well and into the church. Marek is the demon or the Devil or Satan.

We conclude that Marek is the Devil reincarnated based on three simple instances. Peter was an apostle who denied Jesus. The Prior mentions how he and the brotherhood could act as the new Apostles to the Devil and help him run the new world. Finally, the Prior also confesses to Piotr that he is supposed to be the Devil’s Apostle. These instances show that Marek turns into the Devil or Satan.

Why Does the Sky Open Up?

According to the prophecy in the book, once The Chosen One devours the seven sinners and drinks an innocent’s blood, the world will come to an end. So, when the Devil appears from the well, he freezes all the monks and turns them and other people within the monstery upside down, in the form of an upside-down cross. He then turns toward the large crucifix, makes Jesus’ head turn towards him, spreads his arms, and screams. The walls of the monastery crack, the sky shatters open, and blackish-grey elements start appearing in the world.

The sky shatters because of the prophecy which says the world will end. In the climax, even the Prior mentions that a New World Order will begin. These two things could mean that the new world will be under the Devil’s rule and will essentially be in the form of hell. This is pretty much why the film is titled ‘ Hellhole .’ It refers to the monastery, the well, which acts as the gateway to hell, and the shattered sky through which the blackish-grey elements from hell appear in the human world.

Why Does Piotr Kill the Prior?

After the brotherhood completes the ritual, nothing happens immediately. This leaves the Prior and his deputy, Piotr, disappointed. Piotr is unhappy with how the Prior doesn’t know what to do next. We immediately see him take control even in the Prior’s presence. He asks the brotherhood to disperse, convinces them they are all in this together, stabs Marek, and has him thrown into the well.

Later, after the Prior has drowned his disappointment and sorrow in alcohol and is intoxicated, Piotr uses a pillow to suffocate Andrzej and kill him. He does so because he wants to become the new Prior and take things under his control. This way, he’ll lead the brotherhood and will not have to face disappointment again.

Read More: Is Netflix’s Hellhole Based on a True Story?

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Common Sense Says
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Common Sense Media Review

Horror movie set at monastery has disturbing violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

This is filled with horror-style and supernatural violence and fright with every

"F--k" and hell."

The movie has no romance or sexuality but in the background some naked female de

Adults drink alcohol to excess. Two men smoke cigarettes. Victims are drugged be

Any Positive Content?

This is set in Poland with Polish actors.

We are all doomed.

This is a horror movie about amorality. There are no heroes nor anyone to root f

Violence & Scariness

This is filled with horror-style and supernatural violence and fright with everything from stabbings and shootings to cannibalism and a deliberate release of ultimate evil on earth. Most of the visuals are obscured under a blue haze so the gore is somewhat muffled. Blood looks wet but not garishly red. Women are tied up in beds and drugged. They writhe as if in seizures and eventually are killed and, it is strongly suggested, eaten. A man is suffocated. A man is stabbed. A woman's throat is slashed so monks can drink her blood. Bodies are burned. A man vomits after being forced to eat human meat. He pulls his own bloody tooth out and the tooth spontaneously cracks in his hand. A man pulls a severed eyeball out of a hole in a wall and the eyeball continues to look around until he stomps on it. A human tooth is found in the dinner stew. A monk shows scars covering his back. Bodies are burned in kerosene fires to destroy evidence. Violence against women is a clear theme.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

The movie has no romance or sexuality but in the background some naked female dead bodies and body parts are seen, including glimpses of breasts.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink alcohol to excess. Two men smoke cigarettes. Victims are drugged before they are killed.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Diverse Representations

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Positive Messages

Positive role models.

This is a horror movie about amorality. There are no heroes nor anyone to root for.

Parents need to know Hellhole is the latest blood-and-gore offering from the Polish director of the 2020 Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight and its sequel . This one focuses on a group of Catholic monks who believe that they need to release the devil on earth to reorder the world for the good of mankind, a dubious proposition at best. Many people die violently in their pursuit of this goal. Look for everything from stabbings and shootings to cannibalism and the ultimate evil of the devil on earth. Most of the visuals are obscured under a blue haze so the gore is somewhat muffled. A man is suffocated. A man is stabbed. A woman's throat is slashed so monks can drink her blood. Dead women's breasts are seen. Bodies are burned. Women are killed as part of a ritual and then served as dinner. Language includes "f--k" and "hell." Victims are drugged before they are murdered. Adults drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

HELLHOLE is classic horror, this time with the Catholic church and the devil as its subjects. A baby is kidnapped by a priest who, after a frantic prayer, raises a ritual dagger to the child. Before he can slaughter it, the police burst in and mow him down in a shower of bullets. Thirty years later, that child arrives at a remote Polish monastery disguised as a priest specializing in exorcisms, badly needed in the area, according to the monastery's prior (Olaf Lubaszenko). Father Marek (Piotr Zurawski) is actually a cop investigating the mysterious disappearances and perhaps murders of local women. The film drills down to a religious belief that the devil and God sit side by side and Marek is a Chosen One who will be turned into the demon on earth we all need, if only the monks can capture him, kill a bunch of innocent women, eat them, and drink their blood. The world, we're told, will be a better place if all the pieces fall into place. Things don't go quite as planned, but evil does seem to reign by the movie's dramatic end.

Is It Any Good?

Hellhole is a giddy horror sendup of the Catholic church. Directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski, the Polish master of ghastliness ( No One Sleeps in the Woods Tonight 1 and 2), he targets a church whose highest authorities swept under the rug decades of pedophilic sexual abuse. The parallels cannot be a coincidence. The movie this most resembles is Jordan Peele's eerie Get Out , in which a community of like-minded White people secretly target, detain, and imprison Black people over the long term. Here the monks are only trying to fulfill an 800-year-old directive supposedly for the good of the world. When the ritual designed to unleash a demon doesn't work, they comically wonder if they followed the directions properly. They do everything but wonder, "Was it one eye of newt, or did we put in two? I just can't remember." Like a coach consoling a losing football team, one monk then offers a post-game pep talk to the disappointed team members who worked so hard and long on the conspiracy.

Underscoring their ineptitude provides a grimly hilarious moment. Good characters end up being evil, and evil ones just seem misguided or foolish. But it's not only their ineptitude that incites the director's contempt and mockery, but also the hubris of those who believe their connection to God somehow absolves them of immoral behavior and validates their view of how the world should work. Viewers willing to put up with cannibalism, slashed throats, suffocation, and general murderous mayhem will appreciate the craftsmanship, decent special effects, and perfect Halloween vibe.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how the filmmakers manipulate the audience to believe a character who seems good may in fact be evil. Does this suggest a point of view about humanity? What might that be?

How do the special effects enhance the scariness of the movie?

Why do you think some people like scary/horror movies?

Movie Details

On DVD or streaming : October 26, 2022
Cast : Piotr Zurawski , Olaf Lubaszenko , Sebastian Stankiewicz
Director : Bartosz M. Kowalski
Studio : Netflix
Genre : Horror
Run time : 91 minutes
MPAA rating : NR
Last updated : February 17, 2023

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Hellhole review: Is the latest Polish horror-thriller movie on Netflix, worth watching?

Hellhole , the newly arrived Polish horror-thriller on Netflix, has been creating a lot of buzz among viewers. They are appreciating its ominously woven terrifying storylines, astonishing and quite striking ending, and the incredible acting by the lead actors as well as the film's impressive direction.

The intense and suspenseful horror movie Hellhole , arrived exclusively on Netflix this Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Bartosz M. Kowalski has served as the director of the movie. He has also acted as the screenplay writer for the movie, along with Mirella Zaradkiewicz.

Cezary Stolecki is the cinematographer of Hellhole , while Carl-Johan Sevedag has given music to the movie. The movie has been produced by Malgorzata Fogel-Gabrys, Jan Kwiecinski and Mirella Zaradkiewicz.

The official synopsis for the Polis film, according to Netflix, reads:

"In 1987 Poland, a police officer investigating mysterious disappearances infiltrates a remote monastery — and discovers a dark truth about its clergy."

A suspensefully woven ominous storyline - A review of Polish film Hellhole

The movie Hellhole is filled with ominous elements of terror, whether it's man-made or supernatural. Its screenplay writers, Kowalski and Zaradkiewicz, have done an excellent job in providing the audience with a storyline that is straight-forward and complex at the same time.

The story's strength lies in its ominous nature and its shocking twist at the very end. It explores the fine line between worldly and otherworldly quite well, and screenplay writers need to be appreciated for their ability to create the complex zones so easily.

Several scenes are intriguingly written and have successfully created the suspenseful atmosphere that the movie needed the most. These include the one where Marek speaks to Monk Piotr inside the confession box, or the one where Prior Andrzej acts to perform exorcism

Thus, the highly riveting storyline of the movie adds positively to the success of the movie.

Brilliant direction by Bartosz M. Kowalski

The director of the movie, Bartosz M. Kowalski, has done a great job in creating an atmosphere of fear, danger and death. From the very beginning of the movie, the director has tried to capture every aspect of evil in its most raw and real form.

The way he has shot each scene is highly impressive and undoubtedly deserves appreciation. Directions in scenes such as the one with all the amputated dead women's bodies hanging or the one where Marek discovers a ghastly hole inside his room, are gripping.

Without a shred of doubt, the direction of the movie has elevated the ominous storyline to another level of terror. Its direction makes the movie stand out among the rest.

Impressive acting performances by the lead actors

A still from Hellhole (Image Via Netflix)

The lead actor in the Polish horror movie Hellhole , Piotr Zurawski, has done an outstanding job in portraying his character Marek on-screen. The actor has delved very deeply into the character and has brought out all the complex and chilling nuances that the character holds within.

Zurawski is quite raw and real while presenting all the different stages of the character and the layers within. Certain scenes like the one where his character realizes that he has been eating human remains are absolutely exhilarating.

Another highlight of the movie is the acting performance by Sebastian Stankiewicz. Stankiewicz plays the pivotal role of Monk Piotr. It is safe to say that he is quite successful in establishing the complicated and wicked character. His on-screen presence is quite arresting.

In scenes such as the one where his character shows Marek the book for invoking the devil or the one where he betrays Marek, he has done an incredible job.

Apart from Zurawski and Stankiewicz, the promising cast list for Hellhole includes Olaf Lubaszenko, Lech Dyblik, Rafal Iwaniuk, and Krzysztof Satala. The film also has Malwina Dubowska, Zbigniew Walerys, Wojciech Niemczyk, Antoni Augustyniak, Kamil Pardo, Ireneusz Tomaszewski, and Tomasz Zawadzki, among others.

The entire cast has done justice to the movie by giving an impressive performance all together.

Don't forget to catch Hellhole , which is currently streaming on the popular streaming platform Netflix .

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Ostatnia wieczerza.

Directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski

In a monastery cut off from the world, the monks run a clinic for the possessed. One day, a young policeman Marek comes to the convent. Posing as a clergyman, he penetrates monastic life and tries to explain the recent, mysterious disappearance of several tormented inmates. It turns out, however, that there is no way out of the monastery.

Piotr Żurawski Olaf Lubaszenko Sebastian Stankiewicz Lech Dyblik Rafał Iwaniuk Krzysztof Satała Malwina Dubowska Zbigniew Waleryś Antoni Augustyniak Wojciech Niemczyk Kamil Pardo Ireneusz Tomaszewski Rafał Kiełbowicz Józef Smok Sylwester Nowakowski Tomasz Zawadzki Ernest Walczyński Wiesław Kachel Robert Łukowski Mariusz Winiarski Piotr Iskra Sławomir Kmiecik Paweł Dudziński Artur Jaros Tadeusz Kostrzycki Piotr Piechaczyk Robert Skwirtniański Krzysztof Andrzejewski Marek Bondarenko Show All… Sławomir Tomczak

Director Director

Bartosz M. Kowalski

Producers Producers

Paulina Bareńska Jan Kwieciński

Writers Writers

Bartosz M. Kowalski Mirella Zaradkiewicz

Editor Editor

Jakub Kopeć

Cinematography Cinematography

Cezary Stolecki

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Agnieszka Gryżewska Ernest Walczyński

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Małgorzata Fogel-Gabryś

Camera Operators Camera Operators

Cezary Stolecki Filip Halaška

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Łukasz Trzciński

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Waldemar Woźniak

Stunts Stunts

Maciej A. Maciejewski Sylwester Zawadzki Jarosław Golec Kamil Pardo Łukasz Czubak Paweł Jusiński Kacper Borowski Joanna Czerniak Bartłomiej Milczarek Piotr Popko Michał Pluskota Grzegorz Reda Michał Burdan Konrad Ostrowski

Composer Composer

Carl-Johan Sevedag

Sound Sound

Radosław Ochnio Piotr Pastuszak Marta Weronika Werońska

Costume Design Costume Design

Dominika Gebel

Makeup Makeup

Marcin Rodak Wanda Tatucha-Kędzierzawska Paula Kupc Marcin Kędzierzawski Agnieszka Stenka Klaudia Szot Katarzyna Kowal Adrian Kobyliński Julia Dzwonkowska Bruno Neuhamer Elżbieta Urbańska Piotr Grzegorek Mariusz Maciejewski Adam Garguliński

Akson Studio

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

Latin Polish

Releases by Date

26 oct 2022, 27 oct 2022, releases by country.

Digital K15 Netflix
Digital R18+
Digital 16 Netflix
Digital R21 Netflix
Digital R Netflix

90 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by haley ★★½

pretty average demonic film for the most part, but those last 10-15 minutes were excellent, even if everything that happened was expected

Review by joshrowley ★★

Atmospheric; brisk; cold; creepy; dark; half-baked; head-scratching; lean; short; undercooked; underdeveloped; well-crafted.

Review by Austin Burke ★★½ 9

⚠️50% 2022 list - Click HERE YouTube video review - Click HERE

In 1987 Poland, a police officer investigating mysterious disappearances infiltrates a remote monastery and discovers a dark truth about its clergy.

This is a Polish horror movie that dropped on Netflix this week, and it is one that will have people talking after they watch this final sequence. I see the audience being divided because many will appreciate the dark and gritty buildup revolving around this police officer who is trapped in this sketchy church. The other half will find the first two acts a bit slow, but the finale is bonkers, so this may be an ending that does enough to get you on board with the film as…

Review by sirvived ★★★

A dreary, unsettling religious horror with a compelling mystery, creepy atmosphere and some unexpected turns. This is a really nice atmospheric slow burn that bursts into an incredible finale. I was worried this was going to be another typical religious exorcism horror. It turns out to be much better than I anticipated. I got to admit it doesn't start off very interesting, but this film absolutely nails the atmosphere while also being very messy, and it's a good kind of messy. I wouldn't say this add too much to the religious horror subgenre, but a few unexpected turns make for an extremely effective and enjoyable film.

2022 Horror Ranked

Review by Nick Rynott ★★

I gotta say, the final 10 minutes of Hellhole contains some very atmospheric devilry. It’s just too bad that the 80 minutes leading up to the “black mass” are just evil ASMR.

Review by Mills ★★½

monks t-posing

Review by TheFreshBeef ★★★½ 4

Hellhole? Hellyeah!

Review by PT99 ★★½

Archetypal Polish experience.

2022 Ranked 2020s Ranked

Review by Brad Hanson ★★★

Final 10 minutes of this is some a-grade evil, demonic shit and I am here for it.

Review by 「𝙑𝙞𝙘𝙠」 ★★½

Predictable af but I really enjoyed the third act 😈

Review by jay ★★★

Hellhole is a Polish horror film that has a great ambience to it. It captures the feeling of unease and unbridled tension that gives the viewer, in every scene, a feeling of dread.

The story twisted, turned and came out to a point that you wouldn't expect from the surface. It certainly ramps up halfway through and doesn't give you much time to process.

There are some unexplained things which can confuse you. Like a jump scare that's not really built upon as to why that certain thing is there. However, it gave me a good scare and it certainly didn't feel too forced. You're always on the edge, so it is amplified.

In conclusion, Hellhole is a good horror film that will keep you interested but may do too much and you'll feel out of the loop. Also beware of the gore because there is a lot.

Review by Juju Hot Takes 🇨🇦 🇻🇳 ★★★ 2

Basically it's John Constantine and The Name of the Rose horror movie version with monks cutting up young virgins to summon the devil who looks like a goat with Velociraptor legs xDDDDDD . It's still worth a look for the photographyand amazing scenes , which is pretty cool, and at one point the director thought he was Christopher Nolan, I'm not saying in which scenes. Good one Poland :D

Horror movies

Previous review Noctambule

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Screen Rant

Hell hole review: a gleefully grisly body horror throwback to john carpenter's the thing.

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Hell Hole offers the craziest body horror since John Carpenter's The Thing with uniquely themed storytelling.
The practical effects in the horror film are gleefully disgusting, while CGI effects range from subtle to low-budget.
The directorial style also proves to be both visually stunning yet tonally jumbled, creating a mix of tension and energy.

The body horror subgenre is one of the more fascinating and wide-ranging of the larger genre's history, with everything from alien doppelgängers in Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the slow transformation into an insect-human hybrid in The Fly . With Hell Hole (2024) , the creative team known as The Adams Family — comprised of directors/writers/stars John Adams, Terry Poser and writer Lulu Adams — look to recapture the same chills and thrills of John Carpenter's The Thing . Though this results in some gleefully shocking visuals and a fast-paced story, there are a few missteps along the way.

Hell Hole centers on Emily, John and Teddy, an American fracking team trapped in the middle of the Serbian wilderness as the roads leading away from the site are deeply flooded. As they grapple with the isolation from the world and pressure from government-assigned environmental advisors, they are surprised by the discovery of a French soldier from the Napoleonic army buried deep in the Earth and harboring a dormant parasitic monster. While they try to determine the nature of the creature, they find themselves becoming its target as it searches for the perfect new host.

Hell Hole's Story Is A Fresh Approach To The Creature Body Horror Subgenre

Taking a page out of Carpenter's Thing playbook , the Adams Family take an initially basic approach to setting up Hell Hole 's story, albeit with a few unique twists. The focus on an American-led group of frackers in a foreign country invites some fitting discussions of its effect on the planet and environment, particularly as they're doing it in the middle of the Serbian wilderness, where the environmental advisors explain there to be a number of region-specific species. While some of these concerns are shaken off a little too easily by the characters, it establishes the tension to come between them.

This, in turn, also leads to one of Hell Hole 's more intriguing story aspects in that the creature will only target men rather than women in the hopes of reproducing.

Once the creature is discovered is where Hell Hole starts to nicely forge its own original path. Rarely has body horror seen those infected or possessed by the movie's entity still largely in control of their actions and behavior, and yet everyone from the unearthed French soldier to the creature's subsequent victims actually show a sense of agency in the hopes of keeping those around them safe, save for killing themselves, as the creature won't allow them to do so.

This, in turn, leads to one of Hell Hole 's more intriguing story aspects: The creature will only target men rather than women in the hopes of reproducing. Where many of the characters seek to take their lives to prevent the creature from spreading, the lead scientist does frequently argue for the creature to be protected by leaving whomever it inhabits alive and safe. Much of his argument for its preservation holds interesting thematic parallels with discussions surrounding abortion, making the flip to the men being the creature's host all the more of a fascinating exploration of the topic.

Hell Hole's Practical Effects Look Superb

Though the film's cgi is dodgy.

While it certainly gets some mileage with its themes and characters, Hell Hole also makes sure to stay true to delivering what we expect from its creature feature aesthetic with some gleefully disgusting practical effects. The creature's design is reminiscent of classic '50s and '60s sci-fi horror movies, including Phantasm director Don Coscarelli 's unique filmography, with an unsettling mashup of various real animals that creates a sense of shock. The Adams Family smartly never give a full-on look at the creature for most of the film, building a feeling of the unknown and unpredictability about how to defeat it.

Despite the great practical effects, Hell Hole begins to falter with the use of CGI for some sequences. There are instances where the digital effects look great, namely when the creature's tentacles emerge out of its hosts. But other moments make the movie's independent budget quite apparent, whether it's the CGI version of the creature running through an open field to chase down fleeing people, or certain hosts exploding as the creature escapes their body. There's no denying the level of ambition the Adams Family are striving for in these moments, but the actual execution is a bit underwhelming.

Hell Hole's Direction & Style Are A Bit Too Much Of A Tonal Jumble

One of the other elements I ultimately found myself mixed on was Adams and Poser's directorial style. The film's opening flashback to the Napoleonic era is one of the more visually stunning of the movie, rendered nearly entirely in black and white with only some elements, like the French soldiers' blue uniforms, colored in. The directorial duo also builds unique tension by leaving the camera situated at a distance from certain characters during seemingly innocuous discussions in unsettling locations.

However, where this begins to crack is in some of the editorial decisions with certain sequences. Ranging from scenes of the discovery of the buried French soldier to a character beating up another after being insulted, the use of quick zoom-ups to indicate the force of a hit and looping footage every three seconds is a bit forced. It makes it seem like the directors are attempting to create a music video within the film. This leads to many scenes being tonally out of place from the rest of the movie, creating an energetic atmosphere rather than one of tension.

Despite these missteps, Hell Hole is a really rewarding experience for horror genre fans who have longed to see a crazy body horror outing in the vein of The Thing . Between its interesting thematic layers melded with its thoroughly bloody set pieces and interesting characters, the movie offers plenty of compelling twists to its format, which helps set it apart and overcome its lackluster elements.

Hell Hole is now available to stream on Shudder.

In the Adams Family's celebration of the classic creature-feature, an American-led fracking crew working deep in the Serbian wilderness find themselves at odds with government assigned environmental advisors. When they get approval to drill, the workers uncover the unimaginable: a dormant parasitic monster entombed deep in the frozen rock. Now awakened, it tears through the mining facility in search of the perfect host.

The movie's creature and action offer the craziest body horror since John Carpenter's The Thing.
The story also offers a fresh twist on the genre with interesting thematic parallels to abortion and environmental concerns.
The practical effects are gleefully disgusting.
The use of CGI is a mixed bag between some subtly creepy imagery to obvious low-budget effects.
The direction is both stylish and too over-the-top, feeling like a music video rather than horror film in parts.

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Hellhole (2022) is a Polish horror movie released on Netflix today. Directed by Bartosz M Kowalski, the story is by Mirella Zaradkiewicz and Bartosz. It stars Piotr Żurawski, Olaf Lubaszenko, Sebastian Stankiewicz, Lech Dyblik, Rafal Lwaniuk, Krzysztof Satala, Malwina Dubowska, and Zbigniew Walerys. The runtime is of 90 minutes. The movie has English subtitles and is also dubbed in English.

The synopsis reads, “In 1087 Poland, a police officer investigating mysterious disappearances infiltrates a remote monastery- and discovers a dark truth about its clergy.”

Hellhole Movie Review Contains Spoilers

The Netflix movie Hellhole begins in 1957 when a priest attempts to kill a baby boy, who is addressed as an evil seed. However, the man shot by two cops. The story then takes a 30-year-jump where a young Father named Marek joins a monastery. The Fathers and priests there call the monastery a Sanatorium.

Marek is the same boy who the cops saved. He also works for the militia, and is in disguise to find the truth about what happens at the monastery as he received complaints of multiple women going missing after visiting that place. As Marek gets closer to finding the truth, he also gets closer to threats and death. Will he find the truth about the monastery and get out safe? Well, the story has an unexpected end.

Hellhole on Netflix has an eerie opening that will leave you curious about why the baby is addressed as an ‘evil seed’. When Marek enters the monastery and watches the priests conduct exorcism and eat questionable food, the screenplay keeps you engrossed. However, the story loses its direction once he learns the truth about the place.

Also Read: The Good Nurse Review: Eddie Redmayne Calmly Creeps Us Out With His Character

Despite being just 90 minutes movie, writers Bartosz and Mirella didn’t have much to tell. They kept showing us scenes of attacks and betrayals. Netflix describes the movie as ominous and scary. Sadly, that’s not delivered.

Director Bartosz has given us a close look at how odd the food looks and revealed the truth about the place in the first 30 minutes. But he majorly relies on loud background music and blood to give the horror touch. Unfortunately, none of it helps.

The climax gets interesting only in the last 10 minutes. But it feels like a different story altogether. Hellhole isn’t the first movie attempting to expose the wrong religious practices. Despite having 2 hours in hands, the makers fail to present a synced and gripping story that would blow away our minds.

The movie doesn’t make a lot of conversations. However, there are lots of English and Latin chants. The chanting scene, in the end, sounds creepy. Despite a weak script, actors Piotr Żurawski, Olaf Lubaszenko, and Sebastian Stankiewicz have done a good job.

Netflix’s Hellhole Review: Final Thoughts

Overall, Hellhole on Netflix is disappointing and not at all frightening. It’s not going to satisfy the Halloween 2022 screams you’re looking for. It’s a familiar concept, but the makers never go deep into the subject to present something astonishing. You’ll be annoyed because of the constant use of background music to create the scary effect and the slow narration.

The movie is now streaming on Netflix .

Also Read: Doll House (2022) Review: Bittersweet Father-Daughter Story

Bartosz M Kowalski
HellHole Review
Piotr Żurawski

Overall

OVERALL SCORE

OOOOHH HEEEELLL NOOOPE, I FELT LIKE I WAS IN HELL while watching the little parts between i used the fastforward button, i feel i was punished for something!?? Anyway 70% of it was REALLY BORING, i do not care about curch, bible, alot of meaningless words, I WANTED A GOOD ENDING, the poor girl getting cut of her throat, its was NOT SCARY, only made me bad in my stomach (almost vomit) instead couldn the guy and the girl manage too escape in the end?!! NOOOPE netflix at it again with killing all of them like other movies, deleted, thumbs down,

My score: 0.5, dear god jesus christ (IM NOT A CHRISTIAN PERSON) someone should get a knife in their neck like the girl for this bad idea, TOOO LOOOONG MOVIE.

Hellhole (2022) – Movie Review: The ‘Trailerless’ Horror Movie

Hellhole is a Netflix horror movie directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski , starring Piotr Zurawski , Olaf Lubaszenko and Sebastian Stankiewicz .

In a secluded monastery, the monks run a “sanatorium” for the possessed. Posing as a clergyman, a young policeman infiltrates the monastic life in to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a number of inmates. It turns out, however, that there is no way out of the monastery.

Movie Review

Without being one of the loudly announced releases on Netflix this season, this film sneaks into the catalogue in “under cover” mode, as it is actually better than what we had expected.

Here we have a movie that is carried out quite well, despite the unrealistic premise – somewhat absurd – and that engages the viewer step by step. The story is set exclusively in the monastery, of course reminding us of the novel by Umberto Eco , although on this occasion the story involves more supernatural elements, with exorcisms and such.

The idea is not original, nor is it going to make it to “movie of the year”, nor will it leave a mark in us due to spectacular photography and images. It is an understated production that offers some serious horror genre thrills, which within its frame (budgetary and all) is well carried out, and manages to become a movie that is entertaining and thrilling. Strangely enough, there is no trailer for this movie, so we gather that they are not expecting many views.

Time will tell what the audience thinks of this piece, because as we have seen in the past with, say, RRR, which not many expected would be a hit, and made a splash…. Who knows how this obscure production will be received?

Note though, we are not comparing the two movies here. ‘Hellhole’ is a small production that aims to entertain and offer the good old possession-exorcism chills.

It is easy watching, it entertains without being grandiose, and does not let you down despite bordering the B movie category.

Release Date

October 26, 2022

Where to Watch ‘Hellhole’

Hellhole (2022) - Movie Review: The 'Trailerless' Horror Movie Martin Cid Magazine

Olaf Lubaszenko

Sebastian Stankiewicz

Piotr Żurawski

See full credits >>

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Home » Endings Explained

Hellhole ending explained – what happened to the missing girls and why did the ritual fail?

We discuss the ending of the Netflix horror film Hellhole, which will contain spoilers. Be warned!

In 1987 Poland , a police officer investigating mysterious disappearances infiltrates a remote monastery and discovers a dark truth about its clergy. The horror film , Hellhole , was co-written and directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski , and he creates a sinister atmosphere from the very beginning of the film. We see a priest about to kill a baby with an odd mark on his chest.

From that scene, we know that the baby will be special, and like all religious horror films, there’s a tie to the devil. Kowalski then flashes forward to the present day in a Sanitorium. A new priest named Marek (Piotr Zurawski) goes to the clergy because they are looking for an exorcist.

The Sanitorium is known for exorcism , and they vet the priests coming into the area. The lighting is dark, and it feels eerie when they walk through the halls of the Sanitorium. The priests all come together to eat in the main hall and serve something rather disgusting. Marek doesn’t take well to the meal, and weird things start happening to him when he’s alone in his room. He doesn’t digest the food properly, and he starts hallucinating. We find out that Marek is an undercover cop sent to investigate the Sanitorium because eight women have gone missing due to exorcisms.

The only way the cops would be able to get in and talk to Prior Andrzej (Olaf Lubaszenko) is by pretending to be a priest. He finds out the issues with this clergy and how unconventional their methods are.

Hellhole ending explained – what happened to the missing girls, and why did the ritual fail?

By the end of the horror film Hellhole, we start to get some answers . Throughout the film, Marek was trying to find out where the missing girls are and he slowly discovers the clergy’s secret. The meal that he was eating every day in the main hall was, in fact, the girls who were missing. Marek felt sick to his stomach and even found a tooth after eating the meal.

There were these strange incidents that kept happening to him that including seeing insects and other hallucinations around him after eating the meal. A few days after the exorcism, the priests dug out the grave to place a coffin in it. Father Marek walked to the room where the girl was kept and saw that it was now empty.

One of the Priors, Piotr, followed Marek at one point and asked him to meet him in the confessional. There, he told him that everyone was watching him closely. He went back to his room to see if he could find any devices that could have been hidden.

At one point, he pushed the wardrobe and found a hole behind it. Marek reached his hand into the hole and found a storage object made out of bones and a moving eyeball. He threw it away and vomited out a black substance. After a run-in with Prior Andrzej, he went to the kitchen to find out what was in the food. He opened the door to the freezer to find the bodies of the women.

The clergy was practicing cannibalism as the bodies were dismembered and were hanging from hooks. As for Marek being the chosen one, Prior Andrzej tried to perform the ritual with him right after he discovered what was happening in the Sanitorium.

They believed that the Evil One would emerge from the gateway to hell and enter the body of the chosen one, and a new world order would begin. Even after some sacrifices, nothing happened, and they threw Marek down a well.

The next morning, Piotr went into the Prior’s room and ended up suffocating him so he could take on the role of the head of the clergy. But he noticed that the cross in his room was upside down, meaning the devil was present. Meanwhile, Marek woke up surrounded by bones, and he could feel something take over him. It took a whole night for the devil to consume him and take his form. While the dream of the clergy was to become the Devil’s apostles, the Devil himself showed no mercy and killed them all. The devil was now on Earth, ready to pick off the humans, one by one.

What did you think of the ending of the Netflix film Hellhole? Comment below.

Article by Amanda Guarragi

Amanda Guarragi joined Ready Steady Cut as an Entertainment Writer in June 2022. She is a Toronto-based film critic who has covered TIFF, Sundance Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and HorrorFest International. Amanda is also a growing YouTuber, with her channel Candid Cinema growing in popularity.

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Hellhole (2022) Movie Ending, Explained – Does Marek manage to escape the sanatorium?

Hellhole (2022) movie plot summary and movie synopsis.

The screenplay of Hellhole is written by the film’s director, Bartosz M. Kowalski along with Mirella Zaradkiewicz. The narrative of this horror movie begins in Lower Silesia (Central Europe) in 1957, where a car enters a mysterious place. A man walks out of this car and enters the church with a baby in his hands. While he is about to put a knife through the little one’s chest while calling it a ‘seed of evil’, two officers burst the door wide open and threaten to kill the old man. He pleads to them for mercy, stating the importance of what he is doing. Yet, he gets shot dead within the next few moments and the narrative switches to 30 years later.

The Prior introduces Marek to the daily proceedings of the church, where he is given a ghastly meal to eat. When he finds the offering vile, he goes along with eating it, not being perceived as someone odd or different. The clergy, sometime later, is called upon for an exorcism where Marek is fed the knowledge about the importance of exorcism and its ritualistic side. He sees a deceased woman on the bed, lying, where one of the priests is recording the incident while the exorcism is being performed by singing holy verses. She screams in anger and pain. But the procedure continues. Disgusted by witnessing it in person, Marek starts puking. Yet when he sees himself in a broken mirror and tries touching it, the mirror starts breaking further in front of his eyes.

He tries to find different ways to escape the scary place apart from investigating the case that he is working on. During his search, he finds undeniable signs of supernatural forces lurking around in the church, with the mirror incident, with the cross in his room moving by its own accord, or hearing strange noises coming from the cupboard. He also finds signs indicating the exorcism he attended to be staged by the clergy by making the bed move and the wind gush to make it seem real. As a result, he senses something even more sinister brewing under the surface.

During one of his meals, his tooth falls out and he goes to know further what caused it. He walks around in the interiors and stumbles upon a room full of dead bodies having been chopped and realizes the cannibalism happening inside these closed doors. Piotr scares him by showing up at the time and seems surprised seeing the bodies. He mentions the holy text that suggests Marek being the ‘chosen one’. The monks wanted him to come inside so that they can perform the ritual to bring the devil back. Piotr notes since he did not get killed and is now seen by the Satan-worshipping monks as a necessary factor for their ritualistic practice to call in the devil.

Hellhole (2022) Movie Ending Explained:

Does marek manage to escape the sanatorium.

Saddened by this turn of events, The Prior started heavily drinking to numb his pain. was disappointed with the turn of events and consumed alcohol to numb the pain of his failure. Piotr considers Prior to being the reason for the ritual being unsuccessful and kills him with a pillow over his face. He seems to have been selfish all along to fulfil his own desire to lead the clergy. While he kills the Prior, the cross in that room starts rotating, indicating the presence of the devil. Meanwhile, Marek wakes up and while he had sensed something strange going on until then, he senses it in his own body and gets burnt to dust within a few moments. He does not manage to escape the sanatorium or find the missing girls as per his mission.

Later, when Piotr conducts a prayer service for the dead Prior, he chokes and starts levitating. His skull bursts open and several flies leave his body, entering possibly the gateway toward hell. Not long after that, the Sabbatical goat (the Baphomet) appears in the church. While the frightened priests try to escape the sanatorium, they get frozen and then get levitated upside down. The dead flowers start turning fresh. The resurrection of dead bodies might start in the same manner. With the sky being wide open with a thunderstorm, it seems like the new world order has been set in motion. While we don’t understand Marek’s history or what made him the chosen one, the narrative of logical investigation certainly gets superseded by the one about the presence of the supernatural.

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"Packed with dread, gloom, and the machinations of Satan’s faithful here on earth, 'Hellhole' is a wholly rewarding horror film with a healthy respect for the genre’s time-honored, sometimes stomach-turning stylistic tropes" Johnny Loftus : Decider
"Kowalski's direction was strong in the first half, but the story wasn’t strong enough. It fizzles in the end, even though the creature that comes out of it looks interesting (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 5)" Amanda Guarragi : Ready Steady Cut
"Another strong Polish horror movie (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)" Karina Adelgaard : Heaven of Horror

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‘Hellhole’ Ending, Explained: What Happened To The Missing Girls? Who Was The Chosen One?

Hellhole Ending Explained Piotr Zurawski as Marek

Netflix’s “Hellhole,” directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski, is a Polish horror film that uses supernatural elements and the concept of pure Evil to induce fear. The constant experimentation with the genre has resulted in a reduction of the typical horror films that we once knew of. “Hellhole” is a typical horror film that revolves around an ancient dark ritual. In the film, the cross goes upside down, bodies levitate, and a man is reduced to a swarm of flies. Even though “Hellhole” creates a haunting atmosphere with well-composed shots, it is predictable and not quite engrossing.

Spoilers Ahead

‘Hellhole’ Plot Summary: What Is The Film About?

In 1957, in Lower Silesia, a priest ran away with a baby and attempted to murder them at a church. The priest called the baby the “seed of evil” and raised a dagger to end the baby’s life. The police entered the scene and shot the priest before he could harm the baby. The baby had a scar on the left side of its chest. The scar marks the baby as “evil,” and the fact that the baby was saved confirms the return of Evil in the film.

After twenty years, a priest, Father Marek, goes to an eerie-looking church that the Prior refers to as the “sanitorium.” Those who were considered to have been possessed by the Devil were sent to the facility for treatment. Father Marek was an exorcist. He joined the sanitorium to help with their mission. The facility did not have electricity or a phone, meaning that there was no way to contact the world outside. After settling in his room, the father opened his suitcase to reveal a secret chamber in it where he stored a gun, a torch, and other essential goods that were not permitted within the premises. Clearly, Father Marek was aware of something sinister happening at the sanitorium. He had a newspaper cutting of a woman who disappeared, further explaining that he might have joined the sanitorium to find out what had happened to the woman. But what was even more interesting was that the father had the same mark that the baby possessed, indicating that the baby grew up to be Father Marek.

While the mission of Father Marek seemed logical and calculated, the presence of the supernatural was undeniable. The cross in his room moved, the washroom mirror cracked at a touch, and a low gurgling noise could be heard from the wardrobe. Father Marek attended the exorcism of a woman at the facility. She was tied to the bed and the Prior chanted holy verses that made her scream and screech. The bed moved violently, a gust of wind blew when the girl screamed, and ultimately, the cross that the Prior was holding caught on fire. These were the signs of devil possession, and the woman seemed to be possessed by the evil spirit. But Father Marek doubted it all. At night, he went into the chamber where the exorcism was performed and found it was all staged. There was a special mechanism that made the bed move, there was a machine for the wind to gush, and the crucifix had a system to light the fire. It is clear that the exorcism was a scam, but what happened to the girls after the alleged exorcism?

What Happened To The Girls Who Went Missing After Entering The Sanitorium?

The food that was served at the sanitorium smelled and tasted strange, but the priests needed to consume it. Father Marek struggled with the food. One day, as he was retching, he could feel a pain in his jaws. He pulled out a tooth from his mouth. It broke open, and a fly escaped. Marek could not find a reason for these strange incidents. A few days after the exorcism, the priests dug out a grave to place a coffin in it. Father Marek walked to the room where the girl was kept and saw that it was now empty. He knew that the girl must have been killed, but why? As he was trying to reason, the vice Prior, Piotr, stood behind him and asked him to wait for him in the confession room. Piotr explained that the church was watching him, and they did not trust Marek. He warned Marek to not make any foolish decisions because those who did not abide by the rules were severely punished. Piotr had attempted to escape from the place once, and he was brutally punished for it. Marek confided in Piotr that he was not a priest but a militiaman who was working on the case of the missing women in the area. His station received an anonymous tip confirming that the women who went missing were sent to the sanitorium because they were believed to be possessed. The militia did not wish to interfere directly with church affairs after a past incident (referring to when a priest was shot dead by the militia), which is why he had to pretend to be a priest to investigate the case. Piotr confirmed that the Prior faked the exorcism to extract money from the Curia and the Vatican. But Piotr did not know what actually happened to the women after the exorcism. That was what Marek had to find out.

Marek went into his room and tried to locate if any devices were kept to spy on him. He pushed the wardrobe aside and found a hole behind it. The cement felt wet around the hole. Marek reached his hand into the hole and found a strange object made out of bones and a moving eyeball. He threw the object away and puked a black substance out of his mouth. From the black liquid he threw up, he noticed flies in it that buzzed and flew away. As he turned away, he hallucinated, he saw his own face covered in the black liquid. He managed to step out of his room at night and dug the coffin out, only to find out it was empty. As he made this discovery, a man covered his face and took him away. Father Dawid and the Prior took him to his room and tied him to the bed. They force-fed him, stating that he had to have his food for medicinal purposes.

At night, when Father Dawid fell asleep, Marek used the opportunity to untie himself and later shot Dawid dead. He went to the kitchen to find out what was in the food. He opened the door of the freezer to find the bodies of the women who disappeared hanging from hooks. The bodies were dismembered. Marek realized that the priests practiced cannibalism, and he was fed the organs of the women he was trying to find. Piotr found Marek in the kitchen, and even though Marek doubted him, Piotr was able to win his confidence.

‘Hellhole’ Ending Explained: Who Was The Chosen One?

Piotr asked Marek to follow him to the library. He opened an ancient book and stated that the “chosen one” was born during an eclipse and had to be slain with a dagger right after birth. If the chosen one continues to live, then the chosen one will consume seven sinners and drink the blood of an innocent. After this ritual, the chosen one would transform into the demon, and a new world order would begin. Piotr explained that the church believed Marek was the “chosen one.” Marek was born with a scar that symbolized that he was the chosen one, which was why the priest tried to kill him right after birth. But the priests at the sanitorium seemed to be worshipping Satan and wanted to complete the ritual to call in the Devil. Piotr asked Marek to follow him into a secret passage through which they could go outside the sanitorium. As Marek followed Piotr, he heard a noise from behind. He was surrounded by priests who attacked him and took him back to the sanitorium. Piotr was never sympathetic to Marek; it was all a lie to win his trust and stop him from escaping.

Marek was tied down, and he was surrounded by all the priests at the church. The Prior explained that they were the ones who had provided him with the anonymous tip to lure him to the sanitorium. The priests believed that God and the Devil sat side by side, and the two shared an understanding. They did not consider the Devil to be Evil but rather believed that humans were evil and deserved to be punished by the Devil. The church was built around the gateway to hell (a well), and for 800 years, the brotherhood had been waiting for the birth of the chosen one. They believed that the Evil One would emerge from the gateway to hell and enter the body of the chosen one, and a new order on Earth would begin. They dreamt of being the Devil’s apostles, helping him run the new world. While they managed to feed Marek parts of the bodies of sinners, he was yet to consume the blood of the innocent. They brought a girl and slashed her throat. The blood gushed out of her throat. The priests collected the blood and consumed it. They forcefully made Marek drink the blood as well. They called upon the Devil, but nothing happened. The Prior was devastated. This was what the book had instructed them to do for the Devil to enter the body of the Chosen One, but for some reason, it was not working. Piotr took a dagger and pushed it into Marek’s body. It was announced that the ritual was not a success and that Marek’s body must be thrown into the well.

The Prior was disappointed with the turn of events and consumed alcohol to numb the pain of his failure. Piotr entered the room and helped him go to bed. He believed that the Prior was, in a way, responsible for the way the event turned out. He suffocated the Prior to death with a pillow, knowing that after the death of the Prior, he would be the one to take his position. While Piotr’s selfish motive is unleashed, the cross in the Prior’s room is turned upside down, indicating the Devil’s presence. Meanwhile, Marek woke up. He was surrounded by bones. He could feel something taking over him, and he transformed into the Devil. The next morning, as Piotr was conducting a prayer service for the Prior, he choked. He could not speak any longer, and he lost control of his body. His body levitated, it deformed, and his skull burst open, allowing thousands of flies to leave his body. It seemed as if his body was made of flies, and all the flies swarmed into the gateway to hell. Within a few minutes, the Sabbatical goat, or the Baphomet, entered the church, shocking the priests. As the priests tried to run away, they froze and levitated. Every human present there was suspended in the air and turned upside down. The dead flowers turned fresh, indicating that the dead would come to life and those living would perhaps die. With the Devil’s presence, the sky broke open, and thunder rumbled, symbolizing that the Earth had turned into hell and the new world order had commenced.

While the dream of becoming the Devil’s apostle remained unfulfilled, the brotherhood was able to call the Devil on Earth to punish humans and begin a new world. “Hellhole” tried to be logical while dealing with the investigation of the missing girl, but ultimately the supernatural element took over the entire film. The falling out of Marek’s tooth, and the puking of the black liquid, symbolized that he was slowly consumed by the Devil. The women were sacrificed to bring the Devil to Earth. What remains unknown is whose baby Marek was and why he was marked Evil from birth. Was he born out of wedlock or something sinister? Considering how the world turned upside down, Marek’s past and personal history no longer seemed to be the film’s concern.

“Hellhole” is a 2022 Drama Horror film directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski.

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Filmmakers Toby Poser and John Adams made waves with their film Hellbender , released on Shudder in 2021. The film has a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the witchy coming-of-age story. Hell Hole , a new horror film directed by Poser and Adams, debuted on Shudder last month.

The film, which is not light on gore, follows an American-led fracking crew who discovers a living French soldier frozen in time during a Napoleonic campaign. Unfortunately for those who made the discovery, the body contains a parasitic monster.

We talked with Poser and Adams about working with Shudder, the film’s practical effects , and what’s next for the duo.

Horror Geek Life: This is your second feature to release with Shudder; how is that relationship?

Toby Poser: Pretty damn beautiful. They’re nice people. They’ve been really good to us. They just planned this showcase in New York, where we were, and in Chicago, where we weren’t, but we saw, and they’re doing great stuff.

Something I love about Shudder is that I’m in touch with a lot of female filmmakers, and there’s a lot of talk about where and where not women are getting support. And Shudder is really up there in terms of the support they’re giving and the exposure to women filmmakers. Shudder has a real understanding of the horror community. The fact that it’s open-minded and inclusive and that we all love talking about these subjects, but while covered in blood.

John Adams: They also treat us as what we are, which is just a tiny family, and they don’t expect more from us, and they don’t expect less. And that’s really important to us because we enjoy what we’re doing and. We feel lucky to do it. So they really celebrate that.

HGL: Hell Hole is super bloody, gory, gooey, goopy—all of those words apply, plus some. Can you talk a bit about the practical effects?

John Adams: Yeah. So, we were lucky enough to work with Todd Masters , who is a master of real organic practical effects. He makes monsters. When we got that opportunity, we were so excited. Our effects guy, Trey Lindsay, has always looked up to, read about, and worshipped Todd Masters. So, the way they worked was that Todd made three monsters. He made one animatronic monster that was quite big. It probably weighed 70 pounds, at least. Then he made another monster, the exact same size, that could be puppeted by a human. He also made Trey a very little but exact duplicate of the big monsters so that Trey could do stop-motion filming to get the monster to move in bigger environments.

So, it was all practical effects. There are no computer-generated images. There’s some blood composites that hit the camera, but otherwise, it’s all filmed real and compositive together.

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HGL: I love Todd Masters, and it’s great seeing him attached to Hell Hole . He’s the King of VOD and practical effects!

Toby Poser: Well, Melissa, he was out there with us. Todd was really on the ground, making sure everything made sense. He was super involved with that intention. What’s great about Todd, besides the fact that he’s a great artist, he’s the best human being you want to be doing art with. It’s great to work with happy, good people.

John Adams: Another thing that he was really good at was saying, “This is how you have to do this.” For example, there’s one scene where a tentacle reaches out of a man and grabs another man’s leg. That’s Todd’s design of how to shoot it, which is in reverse. He’s like, “We’re going to shoot this all in reverse. So everybody has to act in reverse,” and all this stuff. Todd had all the tricks up his sleeve, and it was great to learn from him.

Hell Hole is Coming to Shudder August 2024

HGL: I can imagine! He can make an entire movie for $7! I’ve noticed in reviews that what critics and audiences take away from the film varies, whether it’s environmental concerns, a statement on abortion, etc. What are your thoughts on that?

John Adams: I think it’s really interesting to create something, and people can take different things away from it. That’s our favorite thing about horror, and the horror community, is that it’s an inclusive community. It’s an open-minded community, and we’re all talking about bigger issues, but we’re covering them up in blood so that they’re more fun and easier to talk about.

It is really nice to see the themes that are important to us being picked up by these writers, and now, we can talk about them. But it’s not vicious talk or angry talk. It’s more like, let’s talk.

Toby Poser: Also, my personal model is I always want someone to want to walk out of the room because then I feel like I’m not playing it safe. I want people to like our films, obviously, but I don’t aim to please everyone. Otherwise, you’re not making your art. You’re making someone else’s art. And how are you going to grow with that philosophy?

John Adams: Another interesting thing about the reviews is we’ve noticed with our films, half the audience has a great time, and half the audience will say, fuck this. We’ve come to be like, you know what? That’s kind of our badge of honor because it’s like the line right down the middle of “I really don’t like these people. The other half is, “I’ve got to like these people.” That’s really fun. I grew up on punk rock, and punk rock never tried to hit the radio.

HGL: It’s funny you mentioned that because I have it written in my notes: “This has a punk vibe!”

John Adams: We just saw it with two audiences, and you think you know what movie you just made until you sit and watch it with an audience. Then you find out what movie you made. We were happy people enjoyed the punk vibe to it.

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HGL: I know Hell Hole is just coming out, but I must ask if you’re already thinking about what’s next. Is there anything you can share?

Toby Poser: Hell, yeah. Times two! One is called Slug , and the other, what do you think of the title, because we’re chewing on this one: Mother of Flies .

HGL: I love that title! It sounds like something I would see.

John Adams: We’re excited to apply the lessons learned with Hell Hole and all the lessons learned from our other movies. We’re really having a great time with these two movies. One’s basically in the can, and the other’s filmed but not edited yet.

HGL: The titles sound like eco-horror films …

John Adams: Well, actually, it’s funny. One is more about a man who has a car accident and wakes up and realizes he has a demon inside of him that is trying to kill everything he loves. That’s been really fun, and we’re applying a lot of the practical effects we learned with Todd to that movie.

The other movie is really fun because it’s very much about dark magic, family, and things that we’re super comfortable with and love talking about. Basically, all of these are documentaries on our lives, but covered in blood and fun.

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Ryan lattanzio, deputy editor, film.

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But this version of “Speak No Evil,” despite an effectively creepy performance from James McAvoy , grinds the unsettling contours of the original into gory, “Straw Dogs”-lite, home-invasion comeuppance pulp in a last act that’s exactly the sort of dragged-out predictable material Tafdrup sought to avoid. Even a captivatingly unnerved Mackenzie Davis, here married to a feckless shell of a man played by Scoot McNairy, and the commanding “The Nightingale” actress Aisling Franciosi in her first major studio turn, can’t rescue this “Speak No Evil” from its own impulse toward placating the audience with a happy-ish ending that’s a far cry from the stones thrown in the final, harrowingly deflating scene of the original.

L to R: Agnes Dalton (Alix West Lefler), Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) in Speak No Evil, directed by James Watkins.

Everything and then some, as after a pitch-black snaking drive to Paddy and Ciara’s off-the-grid, working-class cottage home, Paddy is soon forcing game into the mouth of a devoutly (but perhaps hypocritically) vegetarian Louise. Watkins, who also wrote the script, lifts such faux-pas interactions directly from Tafdrup’s film — while leaving out the really creepy stuff like the Paddy of the original, there called Patrick, helping himself to a piss in the guest bathroom while Louise is taking a shower. Or the Danish couple in the 2022 film getting so turned on, whether they know it or not, by their hosts’ lack of shame that they end up having sex in the guest room with Patrick watching from a cutout window in the door. All Tafdrup’s kinks are ironed down to make this “Speak No Evil” presumably more palatable for popcorn-chomping moviegoers in the United States.

If you’ve seen the first “Speak No Evil,” there’s really no need to seek out this one. The best horror remakes enhance or augment their source material ( see Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” for one), finding new crumbs under the carpet previously unexplored or only dusted up in passing by the original. Watkins’ remake unforgivably lifts directly from the original while leaving out a lot of the strong stuff, including the awful inevitability Tafdrup set up as the hosts turn out to be marauders with a murderous secret.

L to R: (from left) Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) in Speak No Evil, directed by James Watkins.

In the American remake tradition, Watkins goes for a quote-unquote happier ending than Tafdrup did, one that finds Louise and Ben facing off in an overlong set piece against their hosts, while trying to prevent the premeditated family annihilation they walked right into. Davis, the Canadian indie film and TV actress beloved for her role in AMC’s “Halt and Catch Fire” and superbly menacing in Sophia Takal’s industry psycho-thriller “Always Shine,” does her best in a role that’s mostly a chess piece to move the plot machinations forward.

Same goes for McNairy, a helpless, spineless sad sack of a father who leaves his wife to take charge of the situation (and Davis is plenty game) as Paddy and Ciara turn full-blown evil. McAvoy’s gift for a rictus grin and a swaggering machismo that eases you into feeling comfortable, only to twist on a 180 into pure psychopathy, is well-played here. But he’s more cartoonishly evil toxic male than the often-unreadable enigma actor Fedja van Huêt conjured in the 2022 film — especially when he’s screaming in Ant’s face about his poor dancing skills.

“Speak No Evil” premieres in U.S. theaters on Friday, September 13.

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Movie Review: Sinister and unhinged, James McAvoy is the weekend host from hell in ‘Speak No Evil’

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‘speak no evil’ review: james mcavoy is in top sinister form in a slow-burn blumhouse thriller that almost works.

Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis play the victims in a remake of the 2022 Danish horror movie about two families holed up in a remote farmhouse.

By Caryn James

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Movies | ‘speak no evil’ review: invited to the countryside have some reservations.

Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) are less-than-perfect hosts in "Speak No Evil." (Susie Allnutt/Universal Pictures and Blumhouse)

The remake does, however, go its own, less downbeat way with mixed results dramatically, though presumably better results moneywise. “Speak No Evil” also brings up the question of enjoyably queasy psychological horror versus stuff that’s a bit of a chore, or a drag. Watkins, who made “Eden Lake” and “The Woman in Black,” ends up splitting the difference. Which means see it, if you’re inclined, and find out which side of the “versus” you’re on.

The relocation of the “Speak No Evil” storyline works nicely, since hospitality, like psychopathology, knows no geographical boundaries. On vacation in Tuscany, a family of Americans living, uneasily, in London — mother Louise, father Ben and nearly 12-year-old daughter Agnes — meet another family trio from rural England. The parents, Paddy and Ciara, have a young boy, Ant, who is dealing with speech delays and who is essentially mute, as well as plainly troubled.

Paddy invites Ben and Louise to get out of London and explore and come visit. The kids get along; even with Paddy’s oddly controlling streak, and peculiar notions of discipline, currently unemployed and morose Ben craves a break, and Louise figures, what’s the worst that could happen? “Speak No Evil” provides the answer, as young Agnes learns some frightening truths from Ant about his life on the farm with his parents. It escalates from there, though director Watkins does, I think, maintain an almost too-steady rhythm of cat-and-mouse tension in the final third.

Alix West Lefler, Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy in

The ideas in the original film, and here, stick to themes of the very high price people can pay for being too nice, or trusting. Paddy’s politics aren’t spelled out, but he has no patience with gas-free cars (his guests roll up in a Tesla) or lax discipline when it comes to complaining children (he’s plainly violent-tempered).

The rural English setting recalls Sam Peckinpah’s vicious “Straw Dogs,” with the emasculated Eeyore of “Speak No Evil” — the father played by Scoot McNairy — searching for ways to restore his ego and mitigate his own anger issues. Mackenzie Davis, who really goes for it in her reaction-shot close-ups of Louise freaking out, has more to play; Louise has cheated, to some degree, on her husband, and the marriage has been wobbly ever since. McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi, as the hosts with the aggressive smiles hiding a secret or three, gently probe the sensitive points of vulnerability in their guests. They modulate the tension with real finesse.

Is the movie a good time? It’s an effective experience, but good time? Not really, no. Does it risk as much audience hopelessness as the original? Hell no. I’m not advocating for audience hopelessness in general, or even here, necessarily. The preview crowd I joined the other night got what they wanted, based on the bursts of applause at Davis’ most rousing payback scenes. These involve hatchets and the like, because it’s a farm, and there it is, a hatchet waiting to be used.

The actors put it over, and Watkins is a genre filmmaker who believes in using his actors as more than pieces of plot in human clothing. That, I appreciate, with no reservations whatsoever.

“Speak No Evil” — 2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for some strong violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use)

Running time: 1:50

How to watch: Premieres in theaters Sept. 12

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

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Speak No Evil Review: Never Has a Cringey Horror Movie Been So Much Fun

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Universal Studios and Blumhouse Productions' Speak No Evil is a dark and twisted psychological horror satirizing the hypocritical social mores of the day, taken to their most terrifying logical conclusion. The film serves as a remake of the 2022 movie of the same name from director Christian Tafdrup, this time helmed by James Watkins and starring Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Alix West Lefler, Aisling Franciosi, Dan Hough, and James McAvoy. While its predecessor was hailed by critics on Rotten Tomatoes as "a darkly delicious treat for fans of misanthropic thrillers," 2024's Speak No Evil is painfully, awkwardly, and even hilariously cruel.

As Americans Ben and Louise Dalton and their anxious 11-year-old daughter Agnes enjoy an idyllic trip in Italy, they cross paths with another family from England – outgoing and outspoken father Paddy, cheerful wife Ciara, and their silent, timid son Ant. The families instantly hit it off, leading Paddy to invite the Daltons to stay a week with them in their rustic farmhouse in the English countryside. Things soon get a little too close for comfort, and while the Daltons bend over backward to spare hurt feelings and save face, it's their own lives that may need saving.

Speak No Evil Serves Up Unbearably Wicked Psychological Horror

Christian Tafdrup's horror film Speak No Evil feels genuinely evil, building tension with psychological horror rather than on-screen gore.

Speak No Evil Sticks to Horror Conventions

The blumhouse remake is cheerier than the original but no less cruel.

The original Speak No Evil film was a thoroughly bleak psychological horror with satirical undertones – a gory and dark commentary on the unspoken social contracts of politeness, driven by the desire to be accepted and not offend or make waves. However, the movie's grotesque ending and all-consuming cynicism didn't make it user-friendly. This is especially true as the horror renaissance of the post-pandemic world has begun to skew more optimistic, or at least bittersweet.

Considering the resounding success of foreign films in the United States and other English-speaking countries in recent years, it's fair to presume that an English Speak No Evil remake so soon after the original's release could be seen as unnecessary and gratuitous. However, the choice of director and screenwriter James Watkins – famed for his work on the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance" – certainly hinted at the remake's potential. Another point in its favor is the modifications to the story. The basic plot is the same, as is the social commentary on acceptance, politeness, social contracts, and the flagrant violations thereof. However, by the second and third acts, Watkins deviates from the escalating violence in favor of a more poignant survival horror parable, hinging on reconciliation and redemption – albeit in a bloody and scorched-earth manner that befits the horror genre .

Admittedly, this makes the 2024 Speak No Evil a bit predictable in the final act, but the payoff after seeing the protagonists suffer fools for well over an hour makes this lack of originality more forgivable.

The tonal shift from nihilistic violence means the 2024 remake plays a little closer to the modern horror playbook format. Whereas the 2022 Speak No Evil is unambiguously bleak, the remake is decidedly more optimistic. The Dalton family has more agency and self-awareness; Louise, Ben, and Agnes are more proactive, even as they struggle under societal pressure. The climax is akin to the closed-circle cat-and-mouse chase of films such as You're Next, with Louise, Ben, and even Agnes making intelligent decisions that would make a typical final girl proud. Admittedly, this makes the 2024 Speak No Evil a bit predictable in the final act, but the payoff after seeing the protagonists suffer fools for well over an hour makes this lack of originality more forgivable.

Speak No Evil Brings Cringe Comedy to Horror

Speak no evil gleans horror and humor from mundane embarrassment.

"Cringe" has become something of a buzzword and catch-all insult. However, the term is apt in this case. Much like The Office and its contemporaries, Speak No Evil deliberately invokes awkwardness and discomfort in its viewers. It intends to make the viewer cringe and laugh about how real and embarrassing the interactions on-screen are. Many of the things Louise and Ben go through are commonplace, gross, humiliating, and darkly humorous – and that is exactly the point.

Speak No Evil isn't a typical horror movie, it's a comedy with a sinister twist . For at least two-thirds of the film, the audience is more likely to laugh – genuinely and nervously – rather than gasp or scream. The "horror" takes the form of various social transgressions, the way Paddy, and – to a lesser extent – Ciara, flout convention and public conduct and how Louise and Ben try to keep their heads down to save face and dignity, however little there may be. The disregard for the social contract and basic politeness runs the gamut from benign and mildly annoying: talking loudly in public, scatological jokes, screaming, and rude humor, to obnoxious: acting out sexual fantasies, saddling their guests with the bill, giving them dirty bedclothes, and pressuring a vegetarian into eating meat. The audience can mostly laugh and squirm at these outrageous antics because of just how relatable (and awkward) they are.

See No Evil is an effective piece of social commentary, critiquing and satirizing the breaking and adherence to social codes and cues that go unspoken.

The real psychological horror hits when, like the frog in the boiling pot, the audience is jolted by real abuse and violence, usually to Ant by Paddy, reminding the Dalton parents (and the viewers) that none of this is normal. Only the anxious and hyper-aware 11-year-old Agnes, with some spurring from the mute Ant, is willing to call the situation for what it is. Time and again, Louise and Ben endanger themselves, their marriage, and each other's lives for the sake of keeping the peace, avoiding embarrassment, and preventing social rejection. They are both sympathetic people-pleasers, but their misguided and ironically self-centered determination to save face and avoid offending their hosts brings them to the brink. See No Evil is an effective piece of social commentary, critiquing and satirizing the breaking and adherence to social codes and cues that go unspoken. Time and again, Paddy and Ciara manipulate them with inappropriate jokes, gestures, and plays for sympathy, resulting in one of the most insidious portrayals of psychological abuse on film. The killer himself puts it best – he's allowed to terrorize the Daltons because they let him. The scariest thing about Speak No Evil is also its funniest – it is truly, deliberately, and effectively cringeworthy.

The Director of This Iconic Horror Movie Made an Incredibly Dark Western

The director of The Babadook's second film, The Nightingale, is an incredibly dark Western that may be too disturbing for some viewers.

Speak No Evil's Cast Is Awkward And Excellent

Speak no evil pairs cozy with creepy with its colorful cast and pastoral setting.

The entire cast commands praise for conveying their corresponding roles. The brittle anxiety for the trio of Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, and young Alix West Lefler's Dalton family is equal parts frustrating, pitiable, and deeply relatable. Davis and McNairy, especially, convey the dark subtext behind their superficial and reluctant politeness – bruised egos, learned helplessness, repressed anger, and a mutual sense of victimhood, all subtly unraveling their relationship. West Leflter's childlike and agitated Agnes deserves accolades, given the emotionally tense and difficult script she has to work with. Young Dan Hough as the shy, mute Ant is her worthy scene partner. Restrained from speaking outside nonverbal moans, grunts, and screams, he shows an impressive range of emotion and body language. He and West Leflter have great chemistry as the vulnerable child duo. This unlikely quartet, unlike their Danish counterparts, have the luxury of acknowledging and overcoming their flaws, making their transformations into action survivors armed with hammers, drain cleaner, and forks all the more satisfying.

Like many of the great horror flicks, the villains are often the real draw. The nefarious Paddy and Ciara – played by McAvoy and Franciosi – steal the show. Franciosi's performance as Ciara ventures from vulnerable, co-dependent, and put-upon to sinister, malicious, and unhinged, then back to painfully cheerful, all at the drop of a dime. However, for as respectable and impressive as this cast is, Speak No Evil is McAvoy's film. Like an unholy fusion of Michael Scott and Freddy Krueger, he chews the scenery like a gourmet buffet, eliciting laughs, groans, and genuine terror, with a macabre charm that can only be found in horror films. His ability to go from charming and hilariously uncouth to chillingly abusive and passive-aggressive is commendable. He carries every scene, even in ones where he is holding back, keeping his character's intentional veneer of faux affability just barely intact. The best example of "love to hate"; as much as he lights up the screen, like any good horror villain, his gradual breakdown is cathartic.

However, for as respectable and impressive as this cast is, Speak No Evil is McAvoy's film.

A film about social niceties and superficial pleasantries can only be set in a beautiful environment. Speak No Evil defies the usual horror palette of the 2010s and early 2020s for something more natural, pastoral, well-lit, and even cozy. Shot in England and Croatia, the film takes place in sunny Tuscany and the lush, forested UK. The audience is treated to the sights of green, rolling hills, a beautiful lagoon, close-ups of plants and flowers, delicious-looking food, and the rustic, homey trappings of Paddy and Ciara's vintage-looking farmhouse. The fact that this story of social pressure and discomfort is set in such a warm and comfortable place, even for all its quirks and dirty sheets, only adds to this sense of dread and unease.

Speak No Evil straddles the line between comedy and horror to create a fresh take on satire, though the end result isn't perfect. It does drag on the embarrassment a bit too long while leaning on some conventional storytelling tropes, especially at its climax. Nevertheless, the journey is so rewarding and cathartic that its shortcomings are negligible. We have been told in recent years to avoid the cringe, but considering how well this movie pulls it off, perhaps everyone should reconsider. Speak No Evil may be cringe, but it's free. Embrace the cringe.

Speak No Evil hits theaters on Sept. 13, 2024.

Speak No Evil (2024)

When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.

Great performances, especially from James McAvoy
Creative, bright and cozy art direction
Stays true to satirical roots despite updating the plot
Pacing drags in middle of movie
Awkward "cringe" black comedy can be hard to watch

Blumhouse Productions

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Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight

Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight 2

The Blair Witch Project

Hellhole review: Is the latest Polish horror-thriller movie on Netflix, worth watching?

A suspensefully woven ominous storyline - A review of Polish film Hellhole

Brilliant direction by Bartosz M. Kowalski

Impressive acting performances by the lead actors

Letterboxd — Your life in film

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