The Polish Horror Film Leaving Netflix Fans Nauseated
The Netflix recommendation algorithm is a boundless and ineffable mystery. On any given day, it will reach randomly into the Netflix catalog and haul out a film many had kind of forgotten existed or perhaps never knew about, and get scads of subscribers to watch it. One might recall the time in April of 2023 when the not-particularly-beloved 2011 prequel-cum-remake of "The Thing" topped Netflix's popularity charts. More people saw it that month than perhaps watched it in theaters.
The latest popular surprise from Netflix comes in the form of Bartosz M. Kowalski's "Hellhole," a Polish horror movie that was released on the streaming service in October of 2022, but is only now coming to prominence. Don't feel bad if you hadn't heard of "Hellhole" prior to this; few have. It's only by the caprices of Netflix that it now arrives in the public eye.
"Hellhole" is an exorcism thriller set in a Polish sanitarium specifically built for women who are apparently possessed by demons. It's 1987, and a mysterious monk named Marek (Piotr Zurawski) has come to visit the sanitarium to see the Prior Andrzej (Olaf Lubaszenko) about his skill in performing exorcisms. Marek is allowed to witness some of the exorcisms, but something is fishy. Marek, you see, is actually a secret investigator who has been sent to audit the monastery.
When it gets goopy
Sadly for Marek, that's not where the conspiracy ends. Marek finds a curious spying apparatus — an apparatus made of bones and eyeballs — hidden in his room. He vomits a bunch, and there are flies in the vomit ... but things only get weirder from there.
Marek will be knocked out by a monk, tied to a bed, and force-fed ample portions of gross-looking meat. What is this all about? It might have something to do with the mysterious marking on Marek's chest, and the fact that crosses seem to supernaturally turn upside down when in his presence. Marek, the priests seem to believe, is demonic. This is not a bad thing for these particular clergymen, however, as they are actually Satanic priests who aim to manifest Satan on the earthly plane. Their church sits atop a portal to Hell, and their goal is to summon the Devil through it, shunt his consciousness into a human vessel, and bring about an apocalypse. Because humans are so rotten, they figure, the end of the world is much deserved. Too bad for Marek that he has to eat all that disgusting meat.
Where said ritual meat comes from should remain a mystery for now, although one might suspect it has something to do with the eight missing women mentioned before. It might be the meat-eating scenes that have some viewers reaching for the Dramamine. This matches earlier scenes when multiple monks chow down on moldy flesh out of dirty bowls. Marek pulls a molar out of his head when the meat seemingly infects it. It seems that this monastery doesn't have dish soap.
Twitter user Balzabul offered some helpful advice, saying: "Tip for the new Netflix horror movie 'Hellhole': don't eat anything while watching."
Don't eat while you watch
Without giving too much away, it should also be noted that "Hellhole" doesn't really end well for Marek. Indeed, it may not end well for many of the characters. According to several reviews, "Hellhole" is a drab, muddy, gruesome movie, meant to make viewers squirm in discomfort, and despair in its glorious nihilism.
Horror critic Zena Dixon took to Twitter to say "It's been over two weeks since I've watched 'Hellhole' on Netflix and it's stuck in my brain," so the film is certainly making an impact. Pop culture obsessive Lord Ashen Jackal likewise tweeted that "'Hellhole' ... was perfection in that it achieved exactly what it set out to do. A brutal and nauseating horror film that really flips the tables on the viewer. The music in this film is astounding too. It enhances the mood of an already intense experience."
Del James, who some rock nerds may know as the road manager for Guns N' Roses and the author of the "November Rain" short story (the one that inspired the GNR song) was also effusive on Twitter, saying: "Unholy f****!! The highly Satanic Polish horror film 'Hellholwe' is one of the best horror offerings in recent memory! I can't praise this wonderfully diabolical film high enough! 'Hellhole' is streaming on Netflix if you're up for it ..."
Hail Satan
Critic Johnny Loftus, writing for the Decider, pointed out that a lot of classical religious art is also rife with violence. St. Jerome famously sat next to a skull in a notable Caravaggio painting, one can visit the catacombs of Paris and see how human skulls were once stringently filed alongside Christian iconography, and a crucifix, after all, is a depiction of a mutilated dead body. "Hellhole" seems to tap into a lot of death-forward religious art and morphs it into a meaty, hopeless horror movie that might be best enjoyed when you're not having dinner.
In English, the word "Hellhole" typically refers to a dilapidated house or enclosed site of struggle. In the movie "Hellhole," the hole is quite literal. The Polish title, "Ostatnia Wieczerza," translates to "The Last Supper," which, given the amount of eating that goes on in the film, might have been a better title."Hellhole" is currently playing on Netflix. If there are enough brave souls, perhaps it will continue to be recommended. It may eventually be considered one of the more notable Satanic thrillers of its day. Or, at the very least, audiences will see a "Hellhole 2." Note: this comment is hilarious for anyone who has seen the film.