This movie might deserve more stars because it accomplished what it clearly set out to do: make an exploitation movie with an asylum setting. Be that as it may, HELLHOLE is an absolute mess of a movie with a weak "final girl" and a convoluted story that seems to covertly establish one pointless gratuitous nude scene after another.
The flimsy story begins with student Susan (Judy Landers) witnessing the murder of her mother. Her mom cabbaged on to some incriminating documents at work, so her boss hired a sadistic hitman named Silk (Ray Sharkey) to get the papers back. However, Silk kills Susan's mother before she delivers the articles, and when he chases Susan to a construction site, she takes a nasty tumble and he assumes she's dead. But Susie hasn't passed on, bodily that is, for her memory has disappeared and she, now an amnesiac, is sent to an asylum to recuperate. Silk is finagled a job as an orderly at said asylum so he can monitor Susan and hopefully retrieve the documents he was hired to reacquire.
Unfortunately for shapely Susie, her new diggings are run by a mad doctor, Dr. Fletcher (Mary Woronov) who uses the more unstable patients as Guinea pigs in her experiments with chemical lobotomies, keeping her trials secret from the staff, save fellow mad scientist Dr. Dane (Marjoe Gortner) and a handful of black clad security brutes, in the abandoned adjoining structure the residents call " Hellhole."
STORY ($): The script is ridiculous. What serves as the impetus for Susie's despair, the documents her mother absconded with, are hardly mentioned the remainder of the film. Silk's presence at the asylum doesn't raise much of an eyebrow, nor does the employ of a moll (Richard Cox, outfitted by Don Johnson's wardrobe manager) eager to expose wrongdoing at the sanitarium. Apparently the filmmakers just wanted the audience to turn their minds off and enjoy the mayhem and never ending supply of female nudity. Unfortunately, the mayhem is weak but the unadorned women are in ample supply
ACTING ($$): The only reason I gave the acting two dollars instead of one is the work of Mary Woronov. A classic B-movie villainess, Mary steals the show as a morbid scientist who seems to work only to get her jollies off rather than to help people. Likewise, Ray Sharkey was convincingly sinister as Silk. Robert Z'Dar is good as Mary's primary muscle, while Richard Cox is serviceable as the hero. Judy Landers, bless her, sure does give it the good ol' college try, but the airheaded, vacant of deliberation schtick that worked so well for her as Dan Tanna's shiftless bimbo on VEGA$ is pure drudgery here. Exploitation icon Dyanne Thorne pops up briefly and Marjoe Gortner has little to do until the climax.
NUDITY ($$$$$): The supply is neverending! Edy Williams, another veteran of exploitation flicks, is clothed for about 5% of her screen time. Most of the young actresses playing mental patients slip out of their standard patient's garments with little provocation.
The flimsy story begins with student Susan (Judy Landers) witnessing the murder of her mother. Her mom cabbaged on to some incriminating documents at work, so her boss hired a sadistic hitman named Silk (Ray Sharkey) to get the papers back. However, Silk kills Susan's mother before she delivers the articles, and when he chases Susan to a construction site, she takes a nasty tumble and he assumes she's dead. But Susie hasn't passed on, bodily that is, for her memory has disappeared and she, now an amnesiac, is sent to an asylum to recuperate. Silk is finagled a job as an orderly at said asylum so he can monitor Susan and hopefully retrieve the documents he was hired to reacquire.
Unfortunately for shapely Susie, her new diggings are run by a mad doctor, Dr. Fletcher (Mary Woronov) who uses the more unstable patients as Guinea pigs in her experiments with chemical lobotomies, keeping her trials secret from the staff, save fellow mad scientist Dr. Dane (Marjoe Gortner) and a handful of black clad security brutes, in the abandoned adjoining structure the residents call " Hellhole."
STORY ($): The script is ridiculous. What serves as the impetus for Susie's despair, the documents her mother absconded with, are hardly mentioned the remainder of the film. Silk's presence at the asylum doesn't raise much of an eyebrow, nor does the employ of a moll (Richard Cox, outfitted by Don Johnson's wardrobe manager) eager to expose wrongdoing at the sanitarium. Apparently the filmmakers just wanted the audience to turn their minds off and enjoy the mayhem and never ending supply of female nudity. Unfortunately, the mayhem is weak but the unadorned women are in ample supply
ACTING ($$): The only reason I gave the acting two dollars instead of one is the work of Mary Woronov. A classic B-movie villainess, Mary steals the show as a morbid scientist who seems to work only to get her jollies off rather than to help people. Likewise, Ray Sharkey was convincingly sinister as Silk. Robert Z'Dar is good as Mary's primary muscle, while Richard Cox is serviceable as the hero. Judy Landers, bless her, sure does give it the good ol' college try, but the airheaded, vacant of deliberation schtick that worked so well for her as Dan Tanna's shiftless bimbo on VEGA$ is pure drudgery here. Exploitation icon Dyanne Thorne pops up briefly and Marjoe Gortner has little to do until the climax.
NUDITY ($$$$$): The supply is neverending! Edy Williams, another veteran of exploitation flicks, is clothed for about 5% of her screen time. Most of the young actresses playing mental patients slip out of their standard patient's garments with little provocation.