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==Plot==
==Plot==
This film is set in a [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] wasteland where few fertile men and women exist due to atomic fallout. As a result, the government places a high priority on those who can still breed. Shortly before the movie opens, a group of mutant [[amphibian]]s (who have been exiled to the desert by humans) capture a group of fertile women and are using them as sex slaves.
In a [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] wasteland, few fertile men and women exist due to [[nuclear fallout]]. As a result, the government places a high priority on those who can still breed. A group of mutant [[amphibian]]s (who have been exiled to the desert by humans) have captured a group of fertile human women and are using them as sex slaves.


Sam Hell (Piper) is a [[nomad]]ic traveler who wanders the countryside. He is first seen tied to a chair and smashed over the head with a bottle by a man whose daughter he sexually assaulted. He is eventually captured by an organization of warrior-nurses, the closest thing to a government in his region of the world, who reveal that they located him by tracking the trail of pregnant women left in his wake. Their original plan was to use him as breeding stock with their collection of fertile women, but this was the group captured by the mutants. With their own attempts to capture the women failing, the group presses Hell into service as a mercenary; he is to infiltrate the mutant city (derogatorily referred to as "Frogtown") and rescue the women. To make sure that the rebellious Hell follows his orders, he is forced to wear an electronic protective codpiece that will explode if he disobeys or tries to abort his mission. Having already had numerous samples of his reproductive material taken, he is now deemed far more expendable than the women themselves. To aid him in his mission (and make sure he follows the plan), he is paired with one of the nurses, Spangle (Bergman), and an aggressive guard named Centinella (Verrell).
Sam Hell is a [[nomad]]ic traveler who wanders the countryside. He is first seen tied to a chair and smashed over the head with a bottle by a man whose daughter he sexually assaulted. He is eventually captured by an organization of warrior-nurses, the closest thing to a government in his region of the world, who reveal that they located him by tracking the trail of pregnant women left in his wake. Their original plan was to use him as breeding stock with their collection of fertile women, but this was the group captured by the mutants. With their own attempts to capture the women failing, the group presses Hell into service as a mercenary; he is to infiltrate the mutant city (derogatorily referred to as "Frogtown") and rescue the women. To make sure that the rebellious Hell follows his orders, he is forced to wear an electronic protective codpiece that will explode if he disobeys or tries to abort his mission. Having already had numerous samples of his reproductive material taken, he is now deemed far more expendable than the women themselves. To aid him in his mission and ensure that he follows the mission, he is paired with one of the nurses, Spangle, and an aggressive guard named Centinella.


During their journey to Frogtown, Hell tries numerous times to escape, but quickly learns that a device Spangle carries will shock his genitals if used or if he gets too far away from it. Despite their rocky start and Spangle's initial cold demeanor, the pair grow closer during the journey and eventually fall in love. When they reach Frogtown, everyone involved is captured. The frogs' second-in-command, Bull ([[Nicholas Worth]]), tortures Hell and attempts to remove the codpiece for its technology. Meanwhile, a slightly drugged Spangle is forced to work as a slave and dance for the frogs' Commander Toty (Brian Frank) in the notable "Dance of the Three Snakes" sequence. Proving more successful than she had wished, the nurse soon finds herself at the mercy of the aroused commander. However, with the codpiece now removed (Bull finally removed it with a chainsaw, but it blew up and killed him), the escaped Hell rescues her along with the group of fertile women (Ellen Crocker, Kim Hewson, Ilana Ishaki, Annie McKinon and Janie Thorson) held captive.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-01-18|title=Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)|url=https://www.moriareviews.com/sciencefiction/hell-comes-to-frogtown-1987.htm|access-date=2021-07-29|website=Moria|language=en-GB}}</ref>
During their journey to Frogtown, Hell tries numerous times to escape, but quickly learns that a device Spangle carries will shock his genitals if used or if he gets too far away from it. Despite their rocky start and Spangle's initial cold demeanor, the pair grow closer during the journey and eventually fall in love. When they reach Frogtown, everyone involved is captured. The frogs' second-in-command, Bull, tortures Hell and attempts to remove the codpiece for its technology. Meanwhile, a slightly drugged Spangle is forced to work as a slave and dance for the frogs' Commander Toty. Proving more successful than she had wished, the nurse soon finds herself at the mercy of the aroused commander. However, with the codpiece now removed (Bull finally removed it with a chainsaw, but it exploded and killed him), the escaped Hell rescues her along with the group of fertile women held captive.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-01-18|title=Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)|url=https://www.moriareviews.com/sciencefiction/hell-comes-to-frogtown-1987.htm|access-date=2021-07-29|website=Moria|language=en-GB}}</ref>


==Cast==
==Cast==

Revision as of 06:11, 14 November 2023

Hell Comes to Frogtown
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story byRandall Frakes
Produced by
  • Donald G. Jackson
  • Randall Frakes
Starring
Cinematography
  • Donald G. Jackson
  • Enrico Picard
Edited by
  • R. J. Kizer
  • James Matheny
Music byDavid Shapiro
Distributed byNew World Pictures
Release date
  • January 1988 (1988-01)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.5 million

Hell Comes to Frogtown is a 1988 American science fiction action film directed by Donald G. Jackson and R. J. Kizer, and written by Jackson and Randall Frakes. The film stars professional wrestler Roddy Piper as Sam Hell, a nomadic traveler in a post-apocalyptic world populated by both humans and mutant amphibians. The film's cast also includes Sandahl Bergman, Cec Verrell, William Smith and Rory Calhoun.

Hell Comes to Frogtown was followed by two sequels: Return to Frogtown (1993) and Max Hell Frog Warrior (1996).

Plot

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, few fertile men and women exist due to nuclear fallout. As a result, the government places a high priority on those who can still breed. A group of mutant amphibians (who have been exiled to the desert by humans) have captured a group of fertile human women and are using them as sex slaves.

Sam Hell is a nomadic traveler who wanders the countryside. He is first seen tied to a chair and smashed over the head with a bottle by a man whose daughter he sexually assaulted. He is eventually captured by an organization of warrior-nurses, the closest thing to a government in his region of the world, who reveal that they located him by tracking the trail of pregnant women left in his wake. Their original plan was to use him as breeding stock with their collection of fertile women, but this was the group captured by the mutants. With their own attempts to capture the women failing, the group presses Hell into service as a mercenary; he is to infiltrate the mutant city (derogatorily referred to as "Frogtown") and rescue the women. To make sure that the rebellious Hell follows his orders, he is forced to wear an electronic protective codpiece that will explode if he disobeys or tries to abort his mission. Having already had numerous samples of his reproductive material taken, he is now deemed far more expendable than the women themselves. To aid him in his mission and ensure that he follows the mission, he is paired with one of the nurses, Spangle, and an aggressive guard named Centinella.

During their journey to Frogtown, Hell tries numerous times to escape, but quickly learns that a device Spangle carries will shock his genitals if used or if he gets too far away from it. Despite their rocky start and Spangle's initial cold demeanor, the pair grow closer during the journey and eventually fall in love. When they reach Frogtown, everyone involved is captured. The frogs' second-in-command, Bull, tortures Hell and attempts to remove the codpiece for its technology. Meanwhile, a slightly drugged Spangle is forced to work as a slave and dance for the frogs' Commander Toty. Proving more successful than she had wished, the nurse soon finds herself at the mercy of the aroused commander. However, with the codpiece now removed (Bull finally removed it with a chainsaw, but it exploded and killed him), the escaped Hell rescues her along with the group of fertile women held captive.[1]

Cast

Roddy Piper portrayed Sam Hell in the film.
Sandahl Bergman on Count Gore De Vol

Reception

Critical reception for Hell Comes to Frogtown has been mixed to positive. TV Guide awarded the film two out of five stars, calling it "Another of those futuristic, post-apocalyptic science fiction dramas".[4]

DVD Talk gave the film three out of five stars, writing, "Rowdy Roddy Piper has to save the world by diddling beautiful babes and squashing six-foot mutant toads with crummy attitudes. What's not to like?"[5]

Jason Cook from The Spinning Image rated the film a score of six out of ten stars, writing, "Cheap and cheerful its narrative lulls and directorial shortcomings are glossed over by a winning central performance and a smattering of witty dialogue. Its no cinematic masterpiece, but were there any talking mutant frogs in Citizen Kane?"[6]

Creature Feature gave the movie 2.5 stars, finding that while it is a Mad Max ripoff, it does so with a sense of style and has the ability to laugh at itself.[7]

Though not received well by critics, producer Randall Frakes says he was glad the fans seemed to like it and "get all the jokes as intended".[8]

Legacy

Hell Comes to Frogtown inspired the title of the "Hell Comes to Quahog" (2006) episode of animated television series Family Guy.[9]

Hell Comes to Frogtown still makes an appearance in today's news sources being compared to Roller Blade Warriors.[10]

Sequels and spinoffs

Hell Comes to Frogtown spawned one sequel, Return to Frogtown, which was released directly to VHS in 1993.[citation needed]

Toad Warrior was released in 1996 and later re-released as Max Hell Frog Warrior in 2002. According to Jackson, the film was intended as a stand-alone story.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)". Moria. 2011-01-18. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  2. ^ Irel, Rob (2020-07-31). "Roddy Piper - From The Streets to the Big Time". Pro Wrestling Stories. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  3. ^ Canby, Vincent (1982-05-15). "Fighting, Fantasy in 'Conan the Barbarian'language=en-US". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  4. ^ "Hell Comes To Frogtown - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide Staff.
  5. ^ Gross, G. "Hell Comes To Frogtown: SE : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk.com. G. Noel Gross. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  6. ^ Cook, Jason. "Hell Comes To Frogtown Review (1987)". The Spinning Image.co.uk. Jason Cook.
  7. ^ Stanley, J. (2000)Creature Feature:3rd Edition
  8. ^ "HDTGM: Conversation With Hell Comes to Frogtown Writer/Producer Randall Frakes". /Film. 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  9. ^ MacFarlane, Seth (2006). Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Hell Comes to Quahog" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  10. ^ Allen, Henry (1997-08-24). "THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF STARDOM". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  11. ^ "Donald G. Jackson The Final Interview | Scott Shaw.com". www.scottshaw.com. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
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