A security expert, Thomas Jackman or Jack (Adrian Paul) goes to check out an apparently abandoned science base and discovers weird things going on there. A mysterious woman, JC, shows up claiming to be part of the science team, but there is no record of her when he radios back to his superiors. She has a good excuse for this and many other things, however, she never really gives him a direct explanation of what happened which makes him suspicious of her.
He starts seeing things. The question is, is he really seeing things, or is he having a mental breakdown? Did the drill site really dig down so deep that it opened a gate from hell, or is he going crazy? The story itself, about a deep hole opening the gates to hell, is actually based on a real-life story from Russia that was later claimed to be a hoax. However, some claim that it was covered up by saying it was a hoax. Whatever you believe, it gives it an interesting grain of sand to consider.
The problem for me was that it was too ambiguous all the way through to the end. Sometimes this works for horror movies, but for some reason, it didn't work for me here. I wanted to know exactly what was going on, or at the very least, have a twist at the end with the character of JC to imply one way or the other what was true. I think that was a missed opportunity that could have led to a sequel.
Adrian Paul from the Highlander series has never received enough credit for his good acting in that series. I mean the guy had to do several different accents from several different time periods and do all the drama as well as fight scenes. Unfortunately, he is usually ignored in the acting aspect of that show. Here we see him as a guy who becomes paranoid, perhaps having a mental breakdown, yet has some sane moments where he questions things and wonders if hell is really causing all of this. He goes in and out of different emotions and facial expressions and really pulls off a great job.
I gave the movie 6/10. I recommend for people that like psychological thrillers, horror, and don't mind the ambiguity. Also, for people that liked Adrian Paul from Highlander and wanted to see him deliver some good acting in another role.
He starts seeing things. The question is, is he really seeing things, or is he having a mental breakdown? Did the drill site really dig down so deep that it opened a gate from hell, or is he going crazy? The story itself, about a deep hole opening the gates to hell, is actually based on a real-life story from Russia that was later claimed to be a hoax. However, some claim that it was covered up by saying it was a hoax. Whatever you believe, it gives it an interesting grain of sand to consider.
The problem for me was that it was too ambiguous all the way through to the end. Sometimes this works for horror movies, but for some reason, it didn't work for me here. I wanted to know exactly what was going on, or at the very least, have a twist at the end with the character of JC to imply one way or the other what was true. I think that was a missed opportunity that could have led to a sequel.
Adrian Paul from the Highlander series has never received enough credit for his good acting in that series. I mean the guy had to do several different accents from several different time periods and do all the drama as well as fight scenes. Unfortunately, he is usually ignored in the acting aspect of that show. Here we see him as a guy who becomes paranoid, perhaps having a mental breakdown, yet has some sane moments where he questions things and wonders if hell is really causing all of this. He goes in and out of different emotions and facial expressions and really pulls off a great job.
I gave the movie 6/10. I recommend for people that like psychological thrillers, horror, and don't mind the ambiguity. Also, for people that liked Adrian Paul from Highlander and wanted to see him deliver some good acting in another role.