Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) User Reviews

Not very ribbiting.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 31 July 2020]

True story: Rowdy Roddy Piper once put me in a choke hold (at my request - doh!) and damn near snapped my head off. It's a good job I didn't let him know what I thought about Hell Comes To Frogtown: he might have finished the job.

The basic concept for Hell Comes To Frogtown sounds like B-movie heaven: Sam Hell (Piper), one of the few virile men in a post-apocalyptic world, is forced to take part in a mission to rescue a group of fertile women from Frogtown, which is controlled by an amphibious mutant called Commander Toty (Brian Frank) and his army of frog-men. Steve Wang's remarkably cool creatures make the film worth a watch for fans of practical special effects, but they are really deserving of a much better film, the script for this cheeze-fest not nearly as crazy, as inventive, or as entertaining as it should have been.

Piper gets in poorly choreographed fist-fights, as does Sandahl Bergman, who plays Spangle, the Medtech agent assigned to ensure that Hell plays his part. There are lacklustre gunfights, a few explosions, some cheesy one-liners, and a bit of nudity (from Cec Verrell as Corporal Centinella), plus the rather unique sight of a one-eyed humanoid frog chainsawing off our hero's explosive chastity belt. Sadly, it's all so flatly directed by Donald G. Jackson and R.J. Kizer that it actually proves rather tedious for much of the time. It doesn't help matters that the bulk of the budget was clearly spent on the frog make-up and animatronics, which means that the rest of the film has a distinct air of cheapness about it (Frogtown is a derelict factory with a population of about twenty, and the climactic pursuit of our heroes involves just two vehicles).

As if to emphasise the general lack of inspiration, the action culminates at that popular sci-fi movie location, the Vasquez Rocks, as seen in every other low-budget straight-to-video flick of the '80s.

5/10. Passable nonsense, but not deserving of its cult status.

Come on, what did you expect, Shakespeare???!!!!

[medrjel · 5/10 · 28 February 2002]

A movie with a name like this and a star like Piper, you know what you are in for... a B movie. However, this B Movie is actually quite entertaining. It sort of plays (in a way) like Barbarella with the exception that the hero is a guy, not that he's walking around half-naked (the girls still do that in this movie). I actually found it quite funny and entertaining. No, it's not classic cinema. It wasn't meant to be. It was meant to be entertaining, and it works.

Quick Summary: Men are mostly sterile. Women are not, and now are in charge. Sam Hell is a rare exception, and they need to "protect his jewels". You have giant mutant frogs trying to control the human race in this post-apocalyptic world.

It's a solid B-movie. If you are a B-movie fan, you will love this.

"You have aroused the three snakes!"

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 30 January 2014]

"Hell Comes to Frogtown" is an irresistible serving of 1980s cheese, a deliberately goofy send-up of the whole post-nuke action genre. It's engagingly silly from start to finish, with some choice bits of dialogue and fun performances. It offers more entertainment than a lot of mega buck Hollywood movies, beginning with its casting of wrestling star "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in his first starring role.

Piper stars as Sam Hell, a scavenger & drifter in a future wasteland who is discovered to be an incredible stud. This makes him extremely valuable because the world is in very short supply of fertile males, so the government lays claim to him, and sends him on a mission to rescue and impregnate a group of fertile females that have been kidnapped by humanoid frogs otherwise known as "Greeners". He does this in the company of uptight but sexy Spangle (Sandahl Bergman) and gung ho soldier Centinella (Cec Verrell), and does battle with villains such as Commander Toty (Brian Frank) and Bull (Nicholas Worth).

The filmmakers have a good time with their casting choices, including the legendary William Smith (one of Bergmans' fellow cast members in "Conan the Barbarian") as the thuggish Captain Devlin, the highly amusing Rory Calhoun as grizzled old miner Looney Tunes, and Kristi Somers as helpful Greener Arabella. Roddy is charismatic and terrific as our jovial hero, and has some decent odd-couple chemistry with Bergman. Verrell regularly steals her scenes.

Effective lighting, by Enrico Picard and co-story author / producer / co-director Donald G. Jackson, and good production design by Dins Danielsen help to create just the right futuristic look. Verrell supplies some eye candy by removing her top. The frog masks designed by Steve Wang are most impressive. And there are enough laughs to make this pleasant viewing.

Followed by the sequel "Frogtown II" (with Robert Z'Dar as Sam Hell).

Seven out of 10.

"This man's carrying a loaded weapon."

[Backlash007 · 11 November 2001]

Hell Comes to Frogtown is a hilarious cult classic. The plot alone makes this one a must see. It's the stuff of legends. No kidding, the greatest plot of all time. Get this: Rowdy Roddy Piper is one of the last fertile men on the planet. He has some kind of super sperm and humanity is a dying race because of a lack of fertile men and women. So, he is forced by a largely female government called MedTech to go to Frogtown (ruled by mutated Frog people known as Greeners) to rescue fertile women from the evil Toady so he can impregnate them. It's all in the name of freedom of course. Great huh? The supporting cast features Sandahl Bergman, Big Will Smith, Nicholas Worth, and Rory Calhoun. Rent only if you're looking for laughs, and laughs you'll get. A thousand thanks go to Anchor Bay for re-releasing this hard to find classic.

Fun with Frogs

[JaniceBackFromTheDead · 5/10 · 10 May 2005]

Just saw this one last night. Very goofy. After nuclear war, most people are either dead or sterile. Roddy Piper (Sam Hell) is Shanghai'd by the new govt to go around impregnating those women who are still fertile. They slap a male chastity belt on him and tell him "it's government equipment now." There's also some psycho army guy who's really cheesed that women are in charge of so many things now. (This was made in 1987. I checked, because this guy seemed to belong in 1887.) The army women drive around in cars painted Mary Kay pink.

Then they have to go rescue a bunch of fertile women who are being held prisoner in Frogtown. By frogs. Seriously. A bunch of people in frog masks/gloves run the place. Apparently, frogmen arose instantly as a result of radiation. (May I remind you... 1987. Hello???!?!) Anyway, the head frog is called Toady. Really.

There's bad acting and cheesy sets galore. I have no idea why this is rated R. (Oh, 1987.) They talk about impregnating women/sex a lot, but we see a total of 2 breasts for about 2 seconds. There are also a few scantily-clad, but completely-covered bimbo scenes. I get the feeling that they originally intended this to be a late-night-cine max kind of thing, then just went for campy comedy instead. As a female, this decision is not disappointing to me, but male viewers may feel cheated. :)

According to Netflix, this film "spawned two sequels." Why?? Did this actually make money???? Well, it looks like it was shot in Agua Dulce for about $10,000 so maybe it did. Was this a straight to video, or did it have a theatrical run? Anyone know?

Love B films

[Kierian · 6/10 · 28 May 1999]

I love bad films. This film is horrible. Fiendishly so. You get drawn in. It sucks up your will to stop watching. You sit there absolutely positive that you won't get more horrified. But heck it's got Rowdy Roddy Piper in it as the main star. That has to tell you something, though for the life of me I can't tell what. Please avert your eyes as our hero, Sam Hell(Rowdy), gets, for lack of a better word, seduced by every female in the post-apocalyptic world including a mutant frog woman. It's scary...I screamed in terror. And don't even get me started on the dance of the three snakes...I'll never look at a frog the same way again.

Cult classic wannabe

[gridoon · 5/10 · 17 December 2007]

"Hell Comes to Frogtown" seems to have many of the necessary ingredients to become a genuine cult classic, but the execution is uninspired and the film is not NEARLY as much schlocky fun as it could have been. The main problem is the pacing, which is, in a word, deadening: there are long stretches of nothing happening. In a movie like this, the No 1 thing you want to see is "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Sandahl Bergman kick a lot of mutant frog butt. They do, but to a much lesser degree than you might expect (even after Piper enters a room holding two shotguns and yells "Eat lead, froggies!"). It doesn't help that large portions of the film seem to have been filmed in a small, dusty warehouse. But Piper is likable enough, Sandahl Bergman and Cec Verrell are 2 strong & sexy women, and the "frog effects" are acceptable, so I'm giving this a higher rating than it probably deserves: ** out of 4 stars.

Forget it Jake, It's Froggytown

[movieman_kev · 7/10 · 10 June 2005]

Rowdy Roddy Piper is Sam Hell the last potent guy in the impotent post-apocalyptic world. Now he, along with Spangle and Centinella (Sandahl Bergman and Cec Verrell respectively) has to save some fertile girls to impregnate from the clutches of mutant frogman Commander Totyor the bomb attached to his junk will go off. While this flick is nowhere near the greatness of Piper's "They Live", it still holds a special place in my heart from back when I was a kid. It's just a fun little movie to pop in every now and then. Rowdy Roddy acts great in this one.

My Grade: B-

DVD Extras: Commentary by the Late Director Donald Jackson and Writer Randall Frakes (if they got Roddy to take part it would've been MUCH better); plus a trailer and that's all

Eye Candy: Cec Verrell got topless, reminding me unfortunately of the dreadful "Inside Out" movies

Lives up to the title; hilariously horrible beyond belief.

[xezlec · 1/10 · 17 May 2002]

Well, some like it, some don't. The reason as far as I can tell is that it is simply such an incredibly, unbelievably horrible movie that it defies expectation or even imagination, to the point of being amusing in a way. If you think you can conceive of how bad this movie is, you are mistaken. You can't. But, there is a PLUS SIDE to that. At first I was in shock from the incredibly cheesy special effects, insanely, mind-twistingly awful plot, and the worst acting I have EVER SEEN, but then I realized that I was having the time of my life, because listening to the dialogue, I found myself laughing out loud. I missed some parts of the movie just because I was laughing so hard at the absurdity that someone actually made this film that I nearly wet myself. But there is no downside to missing a few minutes of this flick. Anyway I really think the film must be a joke, a parody of B-movies. And as a parody, it is very good. In summary, I recommend it.

Roddy Piper versus a walking, talking chainsaw wielding amphibian mutant wasteland freak. Not quite as good as it sounds, could have been better.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 11 February 2011]

Hell Comes to Frogtown is set in a future world which has been all but destroyed in the wake of a nuclear war, the earth is now a barren wasteland populated by a few humans & mutant Frog men. Lone wanderer Sam Hellman (Roddy Piper) is recruited by a company called MedTech, as one of the few fertile men left on Earth his potency is vital in order to repopulate the planet, unfortunately there are few fertile women left either & several such ladies have been kidnapped by mutant Frog man Commander Toty (Brian Frank) who intends to hold them to ransom. Sam finds himself forced to undertake a mission to rescue the women from the grasp of Commander Toty in Frogtown located right in the mutant reservation, MedTech places Sam in an explosive chastity belt then will blow up if he tries to remove it or stray a few hundred yards from MedTech employee Spangle (Sandhal Bergman) who is taking control of the mission, a dangerous mission vital to the continuation of the human species...

Directed by Donald G. Jackson & R.J. Kizer this desperately wants to be a cult film & almost makes it but just falls a little short, for a film with a title such as Hell Comes to Frogtown it isn't nearly as schlocky or exploitative or funny enough. Personally I'd have liked to have seen something resembling a cross between Mad Max 2 (1981) with it's amazing post apocalyptic set action scenes & the mutant creature aspect of Planet of the Apes (1968) but Hell Comes to Frogtown plays more like a silly sex comedy set at a desert & an old warehouse than anything else. Certainly the science fiction elements of the script are largely ignored beyond there are a few mutant Frogs running around & the action scenes are very low key & amount to little more than one explosion, a couple of brief shoot-outs & a couple of fist fights. Where Hell Comes to Frogtown really scores points is in it's light hearted & likable approach, there are numerous amusing one-liners & the sheer outrageousness of it's plot with exploding chastity belts, mutant Frog men, Frog strippers, Roddy Piper as one of the few fertile men on Earth, pink Morris Minor vans with machine guns on top of the roof & a great scene in which an evil mutant Frog man interrogates & tortures a tied up Roddy Piper with a chainsaw is worth at least the price of a rental all day long. At a shade over eighty minutes long you would think Hell Comes to Frogtwon would move like a rocket but alas that is not the case, while it's not exactly boring or slow the pace is a little sluggish & the simplistic & repetitive plot doesn't help, the gags about Roddy Piper & his sexual powers & fertility grow old & while amusing aren't exactly laugh out loud hilarious. I maybe expected a bit more action, a little bit more exploitation, a little bit more gross out humour & horror & gore, a little bit more outrageousness to go with the camp title & pink battle van & a little bit more inventiveness with the whole situation & set-up but then again maybe I was hoping for too much. Sure Hell Comes to Frogtown has some unforgettable moments & is a fun ride while it lasts but it's not as great as it could have been.

Surprisingly quite well shot & put together Hell Comes to Frogtown as good production values & it looks as if some money was spent on it. The Frog mutant special make-up effects are pretty good, despite the odd stiff movement the mask's look great. Short on action & gore I wished the makers had upped the exploitation levels a bit but there's nothing they can do about it now. There's a little nudity, again not as much as maybe one might expect or hope for but it's better than nothing. There's a nice little homage to the twist ending of Planet of the Apes at the very start here which most sci-fi fans will pick up on straight away. Although Hell Comes to Frogtown went straight to video in the US it was intended for a wide theatrical release before production company New World Pictires went bankrupt.

Filmed in California this is a nice enough looking film. The acting is alright, Roddy Piper has a few amusing one-liners but is mostly quite flat while Sandhal Bergman does OK as the love interest who warms to Piper as the film progresses.

Hell Comes to Frogtown as a great title & is a well made, fun little post apocalyptic action film that somehow manages to just miss the mark, light on actual action & gore & nudity the silliness of it all keeps you watching but by the time the end credits rolled I felt a bit underwhelmed. Followed by three obscure sequels, Frogtown II (1992), Toad Warrior (1996) & Max Hell Frog Warrior (2002).

Best enjoyed with beer in hand

[tomgillespie2002 · 5/10 · 11 February 2014]

In one of his first feature film appearances, former wrestler Roddy Piper plays Sam Hell, a highly fertile man in a post-apocalyptic world that has rendered most of its adult population infertile due to a devastating nuclear war. This being the late 1980's, and with Hell Comes To Frogtown being unashamedly B-movie ridiculousness, every long-legged female character wants to jump his bones, and do so wearing not very much at all. It is misogynistic, very, very silly (which I'm sure one would assume from the title) and Piper won't be receiving any Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Academy, but it is occasionally a lot of fun, and features one of most memorable titles in the B-movie canon.

With male population numbers heavily reduced due to nuclear war, women now rule the Earth. After a group of warrior-nurses led by the bespectacled Spangle (Sandahl Bergman) capture nomad Sam Hell, they see their chance to do their part in helping re-populate the Earth due to Sam's high fertility rate. But when a group of fertile women are captured by a gang of rapey amphibian mutants who have been affected by the radiation, Sam is employed as a mercenary along with the tough-but- sexy Centinella (Cec Verrell) to enter a place known as 'Frogtown' in order to steal them back.

Somehow, Hell Comes To Frogtown has managed to spawn three sequels, the latest being made in 2002. The years have made the film a cult favourite, and admittedly, for all it's many flaws and amateur direction, the idea of women piecing together the remnants of civilisation is quite an intriguing one. Of course, the plot isn't really why you would watch a film involving rubber-suited monsters and scantily-clad women, and ultimately, Frogtown suffers from long moments of tedium that plague low-budget films of its ilk. But there are still moments to enjoy in the 90 minutes of endless gun-fights and goofy Roddy Piper quotes, namely in Piper's obvious amusement at the film he is starring in. Best enjoyed with beer in hand.

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

I love this movie

[wolfhell88 · 10/10 · 12 December 2006]

It's been a long time ago that I had so much fun watching a movie like this one. If you are familiar with the work of director Donald G. Jackson you are really surprised. Hell comes to Frogtown has a real story, great acting, excellent make-up effects, good camera work, a real cut and it is really a pleasure to watch it.

Wrestling Legend Roddy Rowdy Piper is fantastic as Sam Hell, Conan's female fighting mate Sandahl Bergmann and the beautiful and sexy Cec Verrell as Centinella team up perfectly with him. Western B-movie legend Rory Calhoun and B-movies best bad guy William Smith complete this excellent cast.

You think this movie can't be much funnier in the first 30 Minutes but when they come to Frogtown and you hear William Smiths voice behind one of the masks you fell from your chair laughing and laughing.

Beneath The Roller Blade Seven this is Donald G. Jacksons best work. I really love this movie! Watch it and enjoy it.

*Snort*

[myfugi · 7/10 · 28 January 2005]

My best friend and I picked this up as an addition to our monthly, "crappy movie night" due to the fact that it was a employee pick of my boyfriends at the local video quest. I don't think we'd ever have come across it if he hadn't put it up. The acting is horrendous, but the sheer cheesiness of the plot saves it. So incredibly bad that it's hilarious. The plot revolves around a ridiculously fertile (we were so hoping it was soft-core porn)who has to venture into hostile territory (i.e. frog town) and impregnate/rescue a batch of fertile woman, apparently a rarity in this post apocalyptic world. Oh did I mention the electronic chastity belt? Something like a cross between a chastity belt, a tracking device, and one of those shock collars used to train dogs. my favorite quote of the movie: "relax, I'm trained in seductive techniques." made me laugh so hard I snorted.

I resemble that remark

[vkochhar · 5/10 · 25 March 2019]

Actually I got to participate for 3 days in the shooting of this fiasco.

I was one of the frog guards (not credited). I got to meet Rowdy Roddy Piper who was very friendly and Sandahl Bergman who asked me where she could get some coffee. The frog puns were flying a mile a minute on the set and some were unbearable. Also note the green beer made of 7-up and Palmolive. Three nights in a warehouse was too much for me and I refused to continue in a heavy frog costume in Death Valley in May-June of 1987 even though they promised me a credit.

Cheesy science fiction yarn...but watchable.

[willywants · 8 December 2003]

'Hell' is the name of the hero of the story. He's a prisoner of the women who now run the USA after a nuclear/biological war. Results of the war are that mutants have evolved, and the human race is in danger of extinction due to infertility. Hell is given the task of helping in the rescue of a group of people from the harem of the mutant leader (resembling a frog). Hell cannot escape since he has a bomb attached to his private parts which will detonate if he strays more than a few hundred yards from his guard. Some cool special effects (the frog creatures look really good), bad acting, cheesy plot....Leave your brain at the front door, there's some entertainment to be found here.

Stupid Fun

[Tweetienator · 5/10 · 2 March 2022]

The only thing I got to complain about Hell Comes to Frogtown is the fact that it did not exploit its potential to full extent. This is solid 80s cheese with lots of stupid but fun ideas, a cheesy show on a B-movie budget. On the other side of the coin the action and sleaziness factor is not that high - I know a lot of movies of the genre that provide here a higher level. Anyway, watchable for the connoisseur of cheesy post-apocalyptic B-movies. Starring Roddy Piper (They Live!), Sandahl Bergman (Conan The Barbarian, Red Sonja, She).

A Classic

[13Funbags · 7/10 · 17 April 2018]

This is the best low budget movie ever made. Not only does it have a good story and decent acting, they successfully use darkness and tight shots to hide the fact that there is no set. The frog people are surprisingly realistic too. See it.

The best '1 man in a post apocalyptic wasteland trying to impregnate without being taken by mutant frogs' movie you'll see this week!

[oneguyrambling · 5/10 · 1 March 2012]

Hell comes to Frogtown is a film that follows one of the last virile men on Earth as he tries to impregnate as many women as he can in post-apocalyptic wastelands filled with dangerous characters, not least of which are the human sized frog-people that have evolved since the nuclear wars…

• Hell comes to Frogtown is not a comic book. • Hell comes to Frogtown is not a cartoon. • Hell comes to Frogtown is not porn. • Hell comes to Frogtown is a real movie. Made in the 80s and starring a recently deceased professional wrestler of Canadian descent who wore a kilt in his fights.

By now you are either in. Or so far out that your mouse is frantically moving toward the 'Back' button.

Rowdy Roddy Piper is the only 'name' in this cast of non-actors, his Sam Hell is identified early as being an anomaly in this largely impotent future, where virile men are as rare as a Bruce Willis afro and child bearing women are as famous and revered as Oprah.

Sam Hell is indeed that much coveted 'young, dumb and full of…' ideas about how to help humanity. So he and two female government operatives, one actually reasonably attractive and the other supposedly attractive head into the wasteland in a big bright pink car to get to impregnatin'.

Couple of hitches: Hell can't just be spreading his seed willy-nilly (so to speak), so he has a large metal codpiece wired to give either an electric shock or a mini explosion to his nethers, triggered by the gals if he gets out of line. The other hitch is that apparently the maternal instinct of women has been sent into overdrive in a kind of 'want what you can't have' way, and everyone that meets Hell is ready for luvin'.

Once the trio get to the titular Frogtown we learn that yes indeedy it is populated by real live giant frog-people who are ruled by the vile and corrupt Toady. The frog-people are just what you would expect from a low budget 80s movie named Hell comes to Frogtown, they have froggy heads and froggy hands with everything else human and the lips usually don't even nearly sync with the dialogue delivered.

The sliminess is well captured though. Good job I guess…

For a movie with fertilization as a central theme there isn't too much horizontal action going on, not even froggy style, and even when Hell finally saves his harem of delectable females all dressed in skimpy undergarments the nudity factor is kept pretty low, with the actresses playing the women all sporting the same 'I left Arizona to be a big Hollywood star for this!' look on their faces.

Perhaps the funniest thing about a film called Hell comes to Frogtown is that despite all I have written above they play it all pretty straight. There is no winking at the camera, no gonzo sound effects and no sly nods to Mssr Piper's former wrestling career. This really is a film about a man who needs to save women from frog creatures so that he can bone them…

Final Rating – 5 / 10. Sure this is just a '5' movie, but it's the only '1 man in a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland trying to impregnate as many women as possible while surrounded by mutant frogs' film you'll see this week.

Surely that counts for something?

The Frog Prince...

[fmarkland32 · 6/10 · 16 June 2009]

Rowdy Roddy Piper stars as Sam Hell (Great name, by the way) the last fertile man on earth who has to impregnate some fertile women to save humanity, while scientist Sandahl Bergman helps Rowdy Roddy out, while falling for him. Rowdy Roddy Piper isn't a great actor but he certainly has the charisma to make this cheapie worth seeing. Indeed the frog suits are great, and the film without question works on an utterly surreal level. This is one of those films that you watch in spite of yourself. The movie is actually decently made but the movie is beyond surreal to watch. I mean you haven't seen surreal until you see a frog trying to chainsaw Roddy Piper's chastity belt (Which will blow up his testicles if he separates from Bergman) and while the film doesn't have a lot of nudity considering the premise, the film is action packed, never boring and works solely on a visceral level. The action is well choreographed and well acted by Piper and Bergman, who share an entertaining chemistry. It's a B.movie through and through but you can't help but enjoy the tongue and cheek antics that the films indulges in.

**1/2 Out Of 4-(Pretty Good)

Strictly for collectors of outrageous movie premises.

[dave13-1 · 4/10 · 5 May 2012]

The story: Roddy Piper is the last sexually potent man on earth and the now female-dominated military has to drive him into a post-holocaust wasteland to impregnate fertile women. Really. Not making this up.

There is actually a halfway decent B-movie script here. Unfortunately the 'actors' in this movie don't do it justice with their mostly amateurish performances. Cec Verrell is spot on as a bad girl soldier, but Sandahl Bergman is a better dancer than an actress and rassler Roddy Piper is from the bargain basement of action stars. Also, the budget for vehicles and stunt drivers must have been very low, resulting in some not very exciting two vehicle or one-vehicle-chasing-a-pedestrian (!) chase scenes. Road Warrior this isn't. Some pretty good makeup effects were employed, and so the denizens of Frogtown look pretty good, and there are some genuine laughs in the dialogue. But low expectations are a must for anyone looking for a good time here.

A wildly goofy B-movie homage...

[shaneo632 · 6/10 · 27 November 2007]

Shaun Munro's Reviews (ShaunMunro.co.uk):

If this film's title wasn't enough of an indication for you - yes, Hell Comes to Frogtown is a cheese piece, a staple of the "so-bad-it's-good" genre of action adventure films, and more to the point, it's a 1980s film, and in all aspects, it is both a considerably under-seen, and dare I say, underrated little gem of a film.

By classical film standards, this film may be considered nothing but a resounding smudge on the sleeve of the cinema of yesteryear, yet the opening moments of the film alone should cause you to realise that this was made with the tongue very firmly planted in the cheek - I have an inkling that everyone involved with Hell Comes to Frogtown knew that it would be both an extremely fun film to make, and moreover, be ravaged by critics upon release.

The film's plot, which cannot be described as anything less than "offbeat", involves the preposterously-named, hilariously virile Sam Hell (Roddy Piper) standing among the few men left with their reproductive organs in tact following World War 3. Soon enough, Sam is captured by a band of scientists and informed that he must aid them in kidnapping a group of virgins, and subsequently inseminating them. Yes, the plot sounds as though it was torn directly from a pornographic film, but it works, as long as you're not expecting high art, and if you are - what on Earth did you expect with a title like "Hell Comes to Frogtown"? Furthermore, the female scientists escorting Sam on this mission are naturally quite fetching once free of their glasses and army get-ups, and their unequivocally ridiculous mission objectives include keeping Sam "excited" throughout his mission, in order to promote potency, a feat apparently best achieved by stripping off, at times of class, into lingerie, and at all other times, to nothing. Additionally, near enough any female that Sam comes into contact with (even the frog-like females of Frogtown) pounces on him, turning the ever-trite stereotype of "the lecherous male" on its head, one female even asking Sam, "I guess you have to be in love first?" in response to not wanting to be used "like a machine". It's a refreshing turn, and funny to boot, thanks largely to Piper's ever-present charm as the dumbstruck last hope of mankind.

Of course, what would any bite of 80s cheese be without the forced, shamelessly telegraphed sexual tension, which quite naturally pans out as you would expect. Of course, this tension is somewhat stunted by the fact that, to every male's cross-legged cringe, the love interest herself, the lead scientist (Sandahl Bergman), is wearing earrings which control an electronic codpiece that Sam wears, and even worse, if the earrings get too far away from her, the codpiece will explode, a plot thread which is of course explored exhaustively.

Almost half of the film passes before we finally meet the stars of the show - the inhabitants of Frogtown, by-products of man's nuclear war, melding the DNA of humans and frogs together to create a bestial entity that assumes the form of a human, whilst the skin and facial features resemble that of a frog. Considering the all-encompassing B-movie aura surrounding this film, the effects are surprisingly impressive looking, and any flaws, such as the often out-of-synch mouth movements, only add to the fun, as if guffaw-inducing frog-men themselves weren't levity enough. Moments from Sam and his cohorts entering Frogtown, they hear of the town's anger that they were all herded into Frogtown by the government, and moreso, disallowed from handling weaponry (not that this stops them). This in itself is interesting food-for-thought in relation to the place of deformed individuals in today's society, and whilst it's never dwelled on in any great detail, it doesn't have to be either.

Once our heroes settle rather comfortably into Frogtown, the film becomes something of a caper, and quite predictably, Sam and company become embroiled in a scrimmage with the inhabitants of the town, attempting to both rescue the helpless virgins, and escape Frogtown themselves. However, even as the gunfights ensue, Hell Comes to Frogtown never surrenders its whimsical tone, never endeavouring to take itself too seriously. This is to the film's credit - it aids us in not focusing on its misgivings, but simply sitting back and absorbing this truly harebrained work of cinema.

The film's solution relies on an outrageous measure of coincidence, making no attempt whatsoever to emancipate or otherwise inspire, but it's so flagrant and deliberate in its delivery that one has no other choice than to laugh. Nevertheless, once the smoke clears, everything is tied up a little too nicely, and we are left with little time to ponder anything (as if there was anything to ponder) before the credits roll - we are simply invited to observe our protagonists riding away into the sunset.

It is quite sincerely a cinematic truth that few films can hold claim to being able to "out-cheese" Hell Comes to Frogtown, but this film, above all else, is a huge ball of fun. If made today, moreover, without the imposing "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, it likely wouldn't be half as fun, but on the sheer "strength" of its premise alone, would enter into the cult film lexicon. Hell Comes to Frogtown is one of the many films of decades past that no doubt influenced such post-modern cheese-fests as Crank, Snakes on a Plane, and more recently, Shoot 'Em Up, and so Hell Comes to Frogtown is at least something more than forgettable guys-in-costumes fare with, of all people, a professional wrestler as the protagonist. Just ensure to steer well clear from the purportedly dire spate of sequels.

I'll quote my friend and say "Absolute (expletive deleted) Trash!"

[The_Thin_Red_Line · 1/10 · 4 April 2002]

This is one of those movies where the corniness is so depressing that after watching it you spend the rest of your time thinking of inventive ways to kill yourself. I thought that "Rowdy Roddy" Piper was about enough, but I always give movies a chance so I finished it. Definetly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Squidlips is one of the charictor's names, as I mentioned, it stars Roddy Piper, yes the wrestling "superhero". Not to mention in one of the scenes you can see a crash bag when one of the villans falls off of a cliff, I believe he was shot, but I tried to forget about it, so I don't quite remember. Anyway my advice is not to watch the movie, unless you're extremely intoxicated. Diggeth!

Enjoyably silly send-up of post-nuke sci-fi action fare

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 23 January 2014]

Smartaleck Sam Hell (a lively and engaging performance by wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper) is one of the few potent men left in the wake of a nuclear holocaust. He's recruited by uptight doctor Spangle (Sandahl Bergman in top two-fisted form) to impregnate as many fertile women as possible in order to restore mankind's status as the dominant species in a barren wasteland ruled by mutant humanoid frogs. Directors Donald G. Jackson and R.J. Kizer, working from a pleasingly wiggy'n'witty script by Randall Frakes, relate the lovably loopy story at a snappy pace, maintain a winningly zany tongue-in-cheek tone throughout, and milk the amusing sense of cheerfully lowbrow humor for all it's worth. The zesty acting by the enthusiastic cast keeps the movie humming: Cec Verrell as fierce'n'foxy soldier Centinella, Kristi Somers as sassy saloon gal Arabella, Nicholas Worth as brutish "greener" Bull, Brian Frank as evil frog leader Commander Toty, and Cliff Bemis as suave club owner Leroy. Better yet, we've got colorful supporting parts for dependable veterans Big Bill Smith as the surly Captain Devlin and Rory Calhoun as amiable old prospector Looney Tunes. Moreover, there are a lot of cracking hilarious lines, with the sparky rat-a-tat-tat banter between Hell and Spangler providing the biggest belly laughs. Spangler's scorching hot dance number for Commander Toty rates as a definite highlight. David Shapiro's robust score hits the spirited spot. Jackson's sunny cinematography makes the most out of the desolate desert locations. A total hoot.

Fun B Movie

[stuart-smith729 · 7/10 · 21 August 2021]

For me Sam Hell belongs up there with Snake Plissken and Ashley J Williams as B movie hero's.

There's been an apocalypse leaving behind sterile male humans and mutated human frogs.

Sam has been recruited as the last known virile man to go mate with the fertile human ladies roaming the badlands, he's accompanied by two frisky government ladies.

Roddy Piper once again proved he can act and hold his way as the lead in a scifi movie. Well worth watching for anyone who loves B movie nonsense.

7 croaks out of 10.