Hellhole

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.