A massive nuclear war has wiped out 65 percent of the world’s male population and humanity is under threat from a new enemy; a race of mutant frogs known as Greeners. From the chaos rises one fertile man, he could be the saviour of humanity, his name is Sam Hell and he’s heading to Frogtown.
Hell (Roddy Piper) is one of the most fertile men on Earth, and when the government send him into the wilderness to impregnate as many fertile women as possible, accompanied by Spangle (Sandahl Bergman) and Centinella (Cec Verrell) he’s bound to succeed. But things go awry when the fertiles are kidnapped by the Greeners and Hell must help them escape to win his own freedom.
One of the most noticeable things about Hell Comes to Frogtown is the extreme, and yet very relevant themes peppered throughout the film. From sexual politics, to the subversion of traditional gender roles and the very unusual representation of the threat of nuclear and biological war, this is a film that manages to take a comic look at the ideals of the day. This is because it’s more of a comedy than a traditional sci-fi movie, and it’s self-aware; its premise is outrageous yet forgivable, while the creature effects, designed by Predator’s Steve Wang, are highly impressive given the film’s famously low budget.
As 80s films go, Hell Comes to Frogtown isn’t an award-winning cinematic masterpiece, but it did win the hearts of legions of fans around the world because it’s so damn entertaining. The film manages to take an unlikeable anti-hero, then adds some suitably sleazy ingredients, such as Hell’s ‘chastity belt’ and the infamous ‘dance of the three, impressive effects and some okay acting and combines them to create one hell of a cult movie.