Elliot Kim
The Well to Hell, also known as the Siberian hell sounds, is an urban legend about a borehole in Siberia, Russia, that was drilled so deep that it broke through into Hell. The story goes that in 1989 or 1999, engineers in Siberia drilled a hole about 9 miles straight down. They found that the temperature within was 1,800 degrees F or 1,000 degrees C, and when they sent a heat-tolerant microphone down, they allegedly recorded screaming. It is believed that they had recorded actual auditory evidence of hell. However, the recording of tormented screams was later found to be looped together from various sound effects, and the story has been proven to be fake.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1989 or 1999 |
| Location | Siberia |
| Depth | 14.4 km (9 miles) |
| Temperature | 1,000 °C (1,800 °F) or 2,000 °F |
| Sounds | Screaming or tormented screams |
| Audio | Available on YouTube |
| Reality | Fake |
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What You'll Learn
The 'Well to Hell' is an urban legend
The "Well to Hell", also known as the "Siberian hell sounds", is an urban legend. It was first broadcast in English in 1989 by the American Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The legend goes that a team of Soviet engineers, led by someone called Mr. Azakov, drilled a hole in Siberia, Russia, that was 14.4 km (9 miles) deep. They then broke through to a cavity and lowered a heat-tolerant microphone and other sensory equipment into the well. The temperature within was 1,000 °C (1,800 °F), and screams could be heard from a chamber of fire.
The story was originally reported by a Finnish newspaper, Ammennusastia, and was based on a letter printed in a Finnish Christian newsletter, Vaeltajat, in July 1989. The TBN claimed that the story was proof of the literal existence of Hell. However, the recording of "tormented screams" was later found to be composed of various sound effects, including those from the 1972 movie Baron Blood.
Åge Rendalen, a Norwegian teacher, heard the story on TBN and decided to augment it. He wrote to the network, claiming that he had read a factual account of the story in a Norwegian article, which included details of a bat-like apparition rising out of the well. TBN aired this story without verifying the claims. Since then, many alternative versions of the tale have been published, and it has inspired several horror films and a song.
While the story of the Well to Hell is indeed an urban legend, it is based on a real-life event. The Soviet Union did drill a hole more than 12 km (7.5 miles) deep—the Kola Superdeep Borehole—which is located on the Kola Peninsula, not in Siberia. This borehole is the deepest hole ever drilled.
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The legend first appeared in 1989
The legend of the "Well to Hell", also known as the "Siberian hell sounds", is an urban legend that first appeared in 1989. It was first reported by the Finnish newspaper Ammennusastia, a journal published by a group of Pentecostal Christians from the village of Leväsjoki in Western Finland. The story was based on recollections of a letter printed in the feature section of a newspaper called Etelä Suomen (possibly the Etelä-Suomen Sanomat). When contacting the letter's author, it was found that he had drawn from a story appearing in a Finnish Christian newsletter named Vaeltajat, which had printed the story in July 1989.
The legend holds that a team of Soviet engineers, purportedly led by an individual named "Mr. Azakov" or "Mr. Azzacov", drilled a hole in Siberia that was 14.4 km (9 miles) deep before breaking through to a cavity. Intrigued, they lowered a heat-tolerant microphone, along with other sensory equipment, into the well. The temperature deep within was reportedly 1,000 °C (1,800 °F) or even 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, with heat from a chamber of fire from which screaming could be heard.
The story eventually made its way to the American Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), which broadcast it, claiming it to be proof of the literal existence of Hell. The network quoted a man named Mr. Nummedal, who described the appearance of a fountainhead of luminous gas shooting up from the drill site, and a bat-winged figure emerging from the cloud with the words "I have conquered" emblazoned against the dark Siberian sky.
Åge Rendalen, a Norwegian teacher, heard the story on TBN while visiting the United States. He decided to augment the tale, deliberately mistranslating a Norwegian article and submitting it to TBN along with his real name, phone number, and address. TBN aired the story without verifying the claims, further perpetuating the hoax.
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The recording of screams was found to be from a horror movie
The "Well to Hell", also known as the "Siberian hell sounds", is an urban legend that gained popularity among Christian groups as it was seen as offering confirmation that Hell (and therefore God) exists. The legend goes that in 1989 or 1999, a team of Russian geologists or Soviet engineers drilled a hole about 9 miles deep into the permafrost-covered ground in a remote region of Siberia. When they neared the 9-mile point, their drill bit began to spin wildly, indicating that it had broken through into a larger area. A man identified as Mr. Azakov or Azzacov, the manager of the project, decided to lower heat-resistant microphones and other sensory equipment into the hole. The team recorded incredibly high temperatures of 1,000 °C (1,800 °F) or 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and to their astonishment, they heard what sounded like screams or the wailing of human voices.
The legend holds that the team had broken through to Hell and recorded the screams of the damned. However, this part of the story has been proven to be false. The recording of screams was found to be from a horror movie. Rich Buhler, who interviewed the editors of the Finnish newspaper Ammennusastia, which first published the story, found that it had been based on recollections of a letter printed in the feature section of a newspaper called Etelä Suomen. When contacting the letter's author, Buhler discovered that the author had drawn from a story appearing in a Finnish Christian newsletter named Vaeltajat, which had printed the story in July 1989.
The "Well to Hell" story has since been perpetuated and embellished by various individuals and media outlets. Åge Rendalen, a Norwegian teacher, deliberately mistranslated a Norwegian article and submitted it to the American Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), which broadcast the story as proof of the existence of Hell. TBN cited Ammennusastia as their primary source, further spreading the story. The audio recordings of the screams have been analysed and found to be fake, likely originating from an Italian horror movie called Baron Blood.
Despite the hoax being exposed, the "Well to Hell" story continues to fascinate and scare people, with many still believing that the audio recordings are real. The story has spawned numerous alternative versions and has been adapted into horror movies such as "The Devil Below" and "The Superdeep".
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The legend gained popularity through American Christian media
The "Well to Hell", also known as the "Siberian hell sounds", is an urban legend that gained popularity through American Christian media outlets. The legend first appeared in English in 1989 on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), an American Christian television broadcaster. TBN presented the story as evidence of the literal existence of Hell, claiming that it had been drilled so deep that it broke through into Hell itself. The legend holds that a team of Soviet engineers, led by an individual named "Mr. Azakov" in an unnamed location in Siberia, drilled a hole 14.4 km (9 miles) deep before breaking through to a cavity. The engineers then lowered a heat-tolerant microphone and other sensory equipment into the hole and reportedly heard screams and recorded temperatures of 1,000 °C (1,800 °F).
The story quickly spread across the United States, with American tabloids and evangelical channels picking up the tale. The Trinity Broadcasting Network discussed the sound clip on its evangelical channels, proclaiming it as proof of Hell's existence and calling for Americans to repent for their sins. The story also inspired a song, "Transmission from Hell", on the Cradle of Filth album *Evermore Darkly*.
The legend gained further traction when Åge Rendalen, a Norwegian teacher, decided to augment the tale. Rendalen wrote to TBN, claiming that he had read a factual account of the story in Norway, which included details of a bat-like apparition rising from the well, similar to common pictorial representations of demons. To perpetuate his hoax, Rendalen deliberately mistranslated a Norwegian article and submitted it to TBN, but the network aired the story without verifying the claims.
The "Well to Hell" hoax is a notable example of how urban legends can evolve and spread, with each retelling adding new elements. While the original story was based on the real-life Kola Superdeep Borehole drilled by the Soviet Union, the supernatural elements and recordings of screams were later found to be fictional. Despite this, the legend continues to capture the imagination of people worldwide, with many alternative versions of the story published and adapted into films, such as *The Devil Below* and *The Superdeep*.
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The legend has inspired films and perpetuated other hoaxes
The "Well to Hell", also known as the "Siberian hell sounds", is an urban legend that has inspired films and perpetuated other hoaxes. The legend first appeared in a 1989 broadcast by the American Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), which claimed it as proof of the literal existence of Hell. The story goes that a team of Soviet engineers, purportedly led by an individual named "Mr. Azakov" or "Mr. Azzacov", drilled a hole that was 14.4 km (9 miles) deep in Siberia, Russia. They then lowered a heat-resistant microphone and other sensory equipment into the hole and allegedly recorded screaming, which they believed to be the sounds of the damned in Hell.
The story quickly gained traction and inspired Åge Rendalen, a Norwegian teacher, to augment the tale. Rendalen deliberately mistranslated a Norwegian article and submitted it to TBN, along with his real name, contact information, and that of a pastor friend who knew about the hoax. Despite this, TBN aired the story as proof of its validity. The hoax was also picked up by other publications, such as the Finnish newspaper Ammennusastia, and it inspired alternative versions of the story, such as one published in the U.S. tabloid Weekly World News in 1992, which was set in Alaska.
The legend has since inspired films such as "The Superdeep", a 2020 Russian horror film directed by Arseny Syuhin, and "The Devil Below", a 2021 horror movie about a group of people searching for a burning coal seam. While the story of the "Well to Hell" has been proven false, it continues to perpetuate hoaxes and inspire films and other media.
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Frequently asked questions
The Siberian Hell Sounds, also known as the Well to Hell, is an urban legend about a borehole in Siberia, Russia, that was drilled so deep that it broke through into Hell.
The story was first broadcast in 1989 by the American Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), which claimed it to be proof of the literal existence of Hell.
According to the legend, a team of Russian geologists or engineers drilled a hole about 9 miles deep into the ground in Siberia. When they reached this depth, their drill bit began to spin wildly, indicating that it had broken through into a larger area. They lowered heat-resistant microphones and other equipment into the hole and recorded the sounds of screaming, which were purported to be the screams of the damned in Hell.
No, the Siberian Hell Sounds are not real. The story is a hoax or urban legend that has been debunked. The recording of "tormented screams" was found to be looped together from various sound effects, possibly from the soundtrack of the 1972 movie Baron Blood.
The legend of the Well to Hell appealed to some Christian groups as confirmation that Hell (and therefore God) exists. It also had elements of truth, as the Soviet Union did drill a hole over 7.5 miles deep in the Kola Superdeep Borehole project, although this was not in Siberia and they did not break through into Hell.
