The Hole in the Ground
The Hole in the Ground
Directed by:
Lee CroninCinematography:
Tom ComerfordComposer:
Stephen McKeonCast:
Seána Kerslake, James Quinn Markey, Simone Kirby, Steve Wall, Eoin Macken, James Cosmo, Kati Outinen, Helena CoppejansVOD (3)
Plots(1)
Trying to escape her broken past, Sarah O’Neill (Seána Kerslake) is building a new life on the fringes of a backwood rural town with her young son Chris (James Quinn Markey). A terrifying encounter with a mysterious neighbour shatters her fragile security, throwing Sarah into a spiralling nightmare of paranoia and mistrust, as she tries to uncover if the disturbing changes in her little boy are connected to an ominous sinkhole buried deep in the forest that borders their home. (Vertigo Releasing)
(more)Reviews (3)
I was really looking forward to it. The notes and the distribution backing of my beloved A24 suggested that it could be a horror film fitting to my taste. It kind of is, but not very tight. The plot is unfortunately way too clearly drawn and simple, and it doesn’t get interesting until the last third, where The Hole in the Ground gets a character of its own and begins to tread nicely. Up to that point, though, it’s a parade of clichés that failed to interest me. It’s fine as a snack, but as a film that’s supposed compete with, for example, The Babadook (with which it overlaps several times), Cronin’s début doesn’t manage it at all.
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This year will be marked by horror films for children, and the first of them is this Irish effort from the relatively inexperienced but skilled director Lee Cronin. For the record the children's horror film The Prodigy is now playing in cinemas and we're due to see Brightburn, Pet Sematary, Chucky, Stranger Things and something else I'm sure. The Hole in the Ground is admittedly more intimate and focuses primarily on chilling atmosphere, which works reliably in certain scenes. It's slower paced, but once the insecure mother begins to observe the strange behavior in her son, the film fully captures the viewer's attention. The best part, however, is the final act, when the film shifts from thriller to horror and there are some nice monsters (it's a shame they didn't get more attention). All in all, a decent atmospheric horror film that won't blow a hole in the world, but is definitely worth paying attention to. 65%
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The Irish-Belgian-Finnish co-production gave The Hole in the Ground the right kind of dark feel, wherein the entire time you feel that no matter what happens, it's bad and it's going to get worse. This is what is very unpleasant about the film and what makes it interesting. You'll be waiting to see what else is going to happen and how bad it'll be. And it doesn't even matter that The Hole in the Ground is not overly explicit.
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