HellHole 2022 - Movie Recaps
In 1987 Poland, a police officer investigating mysterious disappearances infiltrates a remote monastery and discovers a dark truth about its clergy.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00During an eclipse in 1957, a priest sneakily enters a church with a newborn baby who has
00:07a unique mark on his left chest.
00:10The priest lays the crying baby on the altar before he starts praying.
00:15As soon as the priest finishes praying, he takes out a dagger and holds it up against
00:20the baby, referring to the baby as an evil seed.
00:25Just then, militia arrive at the church, ordering the priest to drop his weapon.
00:30The priest appeals to the militia, claiming that they do not understand what he is doing.
00:35The soldiers are left with no choice but to shoot the priest and rescue the baby afterwards.
00:41Thirty years later, after the incident, an undercover priest and exorcist, who identifies
00:47himself as Father Merrick, onboards a bus on an eerie-looking highway.
00:52He takes out a map and smokes a cigarette before arriving at a church.
00:57Merrick is welcomed by a monk named Prior Andrzej as he expresses his gratitude to Merrick
01:03for willingly joining them.
01:05Merrick looks around inside the church, where he sees a number of priests.
01:09The Prior explains to Merrick that the church is in fact a sanatorium, a place in which
01:14people under the influence of the devil are brought in to be healed.
01:19Additionally, the priests inside the sanatorium also refer to themselves as monks within a
01:25brotherhood and live together inside the facility.
01:28The Prior introduces Merrick to Brother Dawid, who is known as the resident jack-of-all-trades
01:34in the sanatorium.
01:36The three of them meet inside an isolated storage area.
01:39Dawid offers Merrick rosary beads, but Merrick respectfully declines and insists that he
01:45has brought his own rosary.
01:47They orient Merrick with the standard procedures at the sanatorium as Dawid proceeds with inspecting
01:53Merrick's suitcase.
01:55Dawid confiscates Merrick's cigarettes before the Prior leads Merrick to his quarters.
02:00There is no electricity or phones around the quarters, but the Prior relieves Merrick that
02:05he will be comfortable during his stay.
02:08After his final reminders, the Prior soon leaves and Merrick settles inside his room.
02:14When Merrick changes his clothes and reveals his chest, a familiar unusual scar shows which
02:20infers that he is the same infant from the shooting incident 30 years ago.
02:25He opens his suitcase and shows a hidden compartment containing a pistol, a flashlight, and other
02:31items that were not allowed inside the premises.
02:35Merrick also takes out a piece of paper before closing his suitcase, exposing a small newspaper
02:40article about a missing woman.
02:43The bell tolls right at the moment, calling all monks to gather in the dining area.
02:48The Prior leads the prayer before the priests start eating their dinner.
02:52Merrick stares at the bowl of food, questioningly for its unusual taste and odor.
02:57He glances over the other priests, who seem to be eating just fine.
03:02And so he eats the strange-looking food.
03:05After dinner, Merrick continues his tour around the sanatorium.
03:09He comes across several different chambers containing other individuals who are said
03:14to be possessed.
03:16Inside one chamber, he stumbles upon a woman and a priest inside.
03:20Merrick stares at the woman briefly before he returns to his quarters.
03:25He then takes a shower.
03:26However, during the interval, Merrick does not notice that the crucifix in his room has
03:32subtly rumbled.
03:33The next day, the Prior organizes an exorcism session in the sanatorium.
03:39Merrick enters a room full of lit candles along with the rest of the monks.
03:43Inside, he discovers that it was the woman he previously saw inside a chamber.
03:49She stares blankly at the ceiling while tied on a bed as the monks gather on the corner.
03:55Father Piotr, Prior Andrzej's second-in-command and also his vice prior, prepares to record
04:00the exorcism from the other side of the room.
04:04Before they begin the ritual, Prior Andrzej relieves the woman, telling her that she will
04:09be healed through their help.
04:11Merrick witnesses how the exorcism is performed as the Prior sprinkles the woman with holy
04:16water.
04:17The holy water makes the woman wince as the Prior proceeds with the holy prayer.
04:22He continues the prayer in Latin and the other monks follow his lead while the woman slowly
04:27moves around the bed.
04:29As the prayer intensifies, the woman wildly gets up from the bed and snarls against the
04:35Prior.
04:36The bed shakes fiercely as she continues to wail, shuddering frantically.
04:41The Prior holds a crucifix against the woman, but she screeches and the crucifix catches
04:46fire.
04:47After the exorcism, Merrick comes back to his quarters to wash his face.
04:52He stares in the mirror for a moment before it shatters in his touch, making him freeze
04:58in surprise.
04:59Shortly after, the door to his wardrobe mysteriously opens with a low, guttural growl.
05:05Merrick leaves his quarters and walks across the hallway of the facility.
05:10He discovers a mysterious door on the corner of the hallway and approaches it.
05:15Just when he is about to enter the mysterious room, Dawood appears before him.
05:21Dawood tells Merrick that he can't enter the room unless the Prior invites him, so Merrick
05:26obediently leaves the door.
05:28During dinnertime, the monks continue to eat the strange-tasting food, but Merrick is unable
05:34to digest it.
05:35He throws up as soon as he returns to his room.
05:39Merrick feels an immediate ache coming from his jaw, making him pull out his tooth.
05:44When he looks at his tooth, it cracks open, revealing a buzzing fly.
05:48He frantically pants and checks his mouth in front of the cracked mirror.
05:53Later that night, Merrick comes back in front of the mysterious room.
05:57He pulls out a small pointed metal from the cross of his rosary and picks on the lock.
06:03The lock clicks open and he enters the room, which is revealed to be the Prior's office.
06:09Merrick quietly looks into the shelves until he stumbles upon a small hole in the painting.
06:15He touches the painting and not long after the wall clatters, displaying a hidden room
06:20behind the painting.
06:21Merrick finds small storage containing a number of cassette tapes and a television.
06:27He plays a tape showing the recorded video of a woman who was previously exorcised.
06:32He later leaves the Prior's office and comes back to the room where the exorcism took place.
06:39Merrick lingers around the room, where he finds a mechanism that controls the bed and
06:44a machine produces the wind inside.
06:46He also touches the crucifix that was used and discovers a lighter behind it that initiated
06:52its fire.
06:53Merrick comes to a realization that the exorcism he had witnessed earlier was staged.
06:59He returns to his quarters in confusion and picks up the crucifix on his wall, keeping
07:04it concealed inside a cabinet.
07:07The Prior gathers the monks for another prayer meeting the following day.
07:11He calls Merrick in front of the platform to lead their penitential act.
07:16Merrick hesitantly steps in front and leads the prayer.
07:20The Prior tells him to recite the prayer in Latin and he haltingly obliges while reciting
07:25random Latin words.
07:27Prior Andrzej interrupts Merrick as he instructs Father Piotr to take over the penitential
07:33act instead.
07:34While eating their dinner, Merrick unexpectedly ingests strands of hair from another bowl
07:40of the strange-looking food.
07:42He automatically gags and coughs in the middle of his meal, rushing to spit out the food.
07:48When he returns to his quarters, he glances on his side only to find that the crucifix
07:53is hung back on his wall.
07:55Feeling a sense of danger and anxiety, Merrick then opens his suitcase and takes out the
08:00pistol before putting it in his pocket.
08:03He also burns the newspaper article about the missing woman.
08:08Merrick walks through the halls and lets out an exasperated sigh, unable to understand
08:13the strange occurrences inside the sanatorium.
08:16He forcefully pulls the chained gates to express his frustration before he catches sight of
08:21a few monks digging a grave with a casket outside the sanatorium.
08:26Merrick returns to the individual chambers to check on the possessed woman he saw earlier
08:31but only finds the room to be empty.
08:34Father Piotr, the vice prior, appears behind Merrick and watches him in the chamber.
08:39He requests for his presence in the church while waiting for him in the confessional.
08:44They enter the confessional where the two talk in secret.
08:48Piotr warns Merrick that the other priests are watching his every step and that it would
08:53be dangerous for him to continue on exploring the sanatorium.
08:58Merrick reveals to him that he is not a priest nor an exorcist but an officer of the Citizens
09:03Militia who went undercover to investigate the missing woman in their area.
09:09It was through an anonymous tip that Merrick is sent in disguise to the sanatorium after
09:14learning that the missing woman were sent to the place.
09:17He further explains that the Militia cannot run a normal investigation in the sanatorium
09:22because of the shooting incident with a priest 30 years ago.
09:26In response, Piotr reveals to Merrick that the possessions and exorcisms are indeed staged
09:32in order to get attention and budget from the Vatican.
09:36Piotr leaves Merrick with a last warning before leaving the confessional.
09:40Later, Merrick comes back to his room and looks around for any surveillance.
09:46He pushes aside a closet and finds a hole with dark liquid spilling out.
09:51Merrick touches the liquid and slowly puts his hand into the hole, discovering a peculiar
09:56device made with an eyeball and a small bone.
10:00Just then, he gags and ends up spitting dark liquid on his floor.
10:05He glances at the floor when a buzzing sound intensifies as more flies emerge from the
10:10dark liquid he vomited.
10:12Merrick watches the door for a moment until he turns back and finds a hallucination of
10:17his face being soaked by the unknown dark liquid.
10:21As the night deepens, he sneaks off to locate the exorcised woman.
10:26He goes out to the graveyard and digs through the grave earlier.
10:29However, Merrick discovers that the casket was empty.
10:33Just then, Father Dawood emerges behind him and covers his head with a cloth.
10:39When Merrick wakes up in his room, he realizes that he is tied to his bed.
10:44All his belongings, including his pistol, have been discovered by the monks.
10:49Dawood watches him while he struggles against the ropes before the prior enters the room
10:54with four portions of meat.
10:56The prior expresses his disappointment to Merrick for their failed collaboration before
11:01they proceed to force-feed him with four portions of meat.
11:05Merrick gags and ends up losing consciousness during his meal.
11:09He wakes up later that night and notices that Dawood has dozed off.
11:14In an instant, he untangles himself from the ropes and takes the chance to escape.
11:20Dawood shortly wakes up and catches him in the act, leading the two to engage in a wrestle.
11:26After much struggle, Merrick throws Dawood to the ground and shoots him dead.
11:31Before leaving his quarters, Merrick notices the bowls that were used earlier for his meat.
11:37He sets off in the kitchen to learn more about the strange-tasting food being fed to them.
11:42Inside, he discovers a freezer which contains the disfigured bodies of the women he was
11:47looking for.
11:48Merrick soon figures out that he and the monks have been consuming the organs of the women
11:54all this time.
11:55He bumps against Piotr in the kitchen, who has come looking for him, and they both stare
12:00in shock at the sight.
12:02Merrick becomes even more determined to escape the sanatorium, but Piotr calls him over to
12:08an ancient library.
12:09Piotr brings out an ancient book and reveals a ritual about the Chosen One.
12:14He states that the Chosen One was born during an eclipse and had to be immediately killed
12:20using a dagger.
12:21If he isn't slain after birth, then the Chosen One will devour seven sinners and drink the
12:27blood of an innocent.
12:29As soon as the ritual is complete, the Chosen One will become a demon and will bring upon
12:34the end of the world.
12:36Piotr speculates that Merrick is the Chosen One and that the Prior and the rest of the
12:41monks are completing the ritual.
12:43It is revealed that Prior Andrzej and the monks are priests that worship Satan and are
12:48working on summoning the devil.
12:51While Merrick scans through the pages, he finds an image of the same appearance as the
12:56scar on his left chest.
12:58Despite that, he denies the tale out of disbelief and the two of them devise a plan to escape
13:04in the sanatorium.
13:05Piotr offers a plan and mentions a hidden passage that leads outside the monastery,
13:11inviting Merrick to escape with him.
13:13In an attempt to gain his trust, Piotr also shows Merrick the scars he had acquired after
13:19supposedly trying to escape from the sanatorium.
13:22In the end, Merrick trusts Prior and lets him lead the way.
13:26He introduces Merrick to a small tunnel and the two of them crawl deep into a cave.
13:32Suddenly, they hear a noise from behind and soon later Merrick is cornered by two monks
13:37who immobilize him in the process.
13:40He turns his head toward Piotr, realizing that it was all a bait before the monks knock
13:44him unconscious.
13:46Merrick wakes up at the sight of the church monks surrounding him.
13:49He is again bound and tied to a wooden pillar while the Prior and the church monks gather
13:55in their red cloaks.
13:56Prior Andrzej reveals to Merrick that he had intentionally brought him to the sanatorium
14:02and the few anonymous tips Merrick got actually came from him.
14:06The Prior apologizes to Merrick for the deception, but he also clears out that everything they
14:11had done came with good intentions.
14:13Prior Andrzej and their brotherhood of church monks believe that God and the devil sit side
14:18by side with an understanding.
14:21He further explains to Merrick that it is not the devil but the humans who are evil,
14:26and that in turn they have deserved punishment for a long time.
14:30The church monks also believe that a gateway to hell exists in the nearby well, leading
14:35them to build the sanatorium in the said location.
14:38The entire brotherhood has waited for 800 years before Merrick, the Chosen One, came
14:43to existence.
14:44When the ritual is complete, the devil will emerge from the well and enter Merrick's
14:49body.
14:51Shortly after, the church monks proceed to complete the ritual by acquiring the last
14:55requirement, which is the blood of an innocent.
14:58They bring over the woman who was previously exorcised, making her kneel before Merrick.
15:04Merrick stares down at the woman he has long been looking for, trying to stop the priest
15:08from killing her.
15:09The priest mercilessly slashes the throat of the woman and collects the gushing blood
15:14out of her.
15:15Then, they all sip the woman's blood from a bowl before disposing of her.
15:20Ultimately, the prior reaches the bowl onto Merrick's mouth and forces him to do the
15:24same while he whimpers.
15:26The prior leads another prayer as the church monks recite a chant to call upon the devil.
15:32But after reciting their chants and completing the ritual, nothing happens.
15:37Merrick cackles weakly while Prior Andrzej checks back to Piotr whether they have missed
15:42a step on the ritual.
15:44Piotr reviews the ancient book but fails to find any more instructions left to do.
15:49The two continue to speculate and recall how they did the ritual.
15:53When they come to a realization that the ritual has failed, Piotr becomes upset and subtly
15:59blames the prior.
16:00As a response to the rest of the church monks, Piotr admits there was a mistake on their
16:05part.
16:06He orders them to go back to their quarters and meet the next day like nothing happened.
16:11The members grow concerned with Merrick, thinking that the militia will come looking for him
16:16soon.
16:17Piotr faces Merrick and apologizes to him before he stabs him with a dagger.
16:22He stares at Merrick until he loses consciousness before the church monks untie him.
16:27They then drag Merrick towards the well and throw him inside.
16:31Later on, the prior drinks out his dissatisfaction at the failed ritual while smoking a cigarette.
16:37He goes through the night while drowning his frustration in liquor, failing to notice that
16:41the cross in his room has turned upside down.
16:45After some time, Piotr enters his room and finds him wasted.
16:49It looks as if he is helping the prior to settle on his bed.
16:53However, Piotr grabs on a pillow and pushes it against the prior's face, suffocating
16:58him.
16:59The prior chokes and lets out continuous muffled struggles, but Piotr holds the pillow firmly,
17:05killing him.
17:06By the following day, the church monks burn the disfigured bodies of the women when suddenly
17:11Piotr calls them to gather in Prior's room.
17:15He shows the church monks the dead body of the prior while pretending to mourn his passing.
17:20The responsibilities of the prior are now given to Piotr.
17:23Meanwhile, Merrick turns out alive as he awakens at the bottom of the well.
17:28He slowly gets up and looks around the well surrounded with bones before his body starts
17:34to shake violently.
17:36Inside the sanatorium, Piotr and the church monks recite a prayer for the soul of Prior
17:41Andrzej.
17:42In the midst of the prayer service, Piotr shudders as he loses control of his senses.
17:48All of a sudden, he drops the ancient book as he is unable to talk any longer or move
17:53at his own will.
17:55The church monks stare at Piotr in confusion while he continuously gags.
18:00He slowly rises into the air with his arms forced to be spread horizontally, mimicking
18:06the pose of the crucifix.
18:08Just then, Piotr screams in agony while his body dissipates into a massive group of buzzing
18:14flies.
18:15While the flies buzz, a demon known as the Sabbatical Goat emerges from behind the altar.
18:21It is later revealed that the entire ritual was not a failed attempt because they have
18:25successfully summoned the demon and the demon was able to enter the sanatorium.
18:31The faceless demon goat looks at the church monks and shrieks loudly, shocking them.
18:36They attempt to run out of the sanatorium, but the demon stuns them in place.
18:41The church monks all freeze there while the statue of Jesus on the altar slowly turns
18:46toward the demon.
18:47It looks back at the statue of Jesus and imitates the pose of the crucifix.
18:52At the same time, the church monks levitate on their spots and are forced to stand upside
18:58down following an inverted cross.
19:01Soon, every human being inside the sanatorium takes after the inverted cross.
19:07Outside the sanatorium, the dead flowers and trees slowly come alive.
19:11This implies that the dead would be brought back to life while the living would immediately
19:16come to die.
19:18In the end, the demon continues to empower its presence inside the sanatorium.
19:23Within a few minutes, the ceiling of the sanatorium breaks in half.
19:26The sky cracks open and is followed by a rumbling thunder signifying how evil has returned
19:32into the earth with the new world order.