In theaters March 1st! Available exclusively now on DirectTV!

THE HOLE IN THE GROUND (2019)

Directed by Lee Cronin
Written by Lee Cronin, Stephen Shields
Starring Seána Kerslake, James Quinn Markey, Simone Kirby, Steve Wall, Eoin Macken, Sarah Hanly, James Cosmo, Kati Outinen, Bennett Andrew, David Crowley, John Quinn, Miro Lopperi
Find out more about this film here

Comparisons to HEREDITARY and THE BABADOOK are already being lobbed around when talking about THE HOLE IN THE GROUND. The Irish evil child/troubled mom flick doesn’t quite live up to those standards, but it is a brilliant and nuanced horror film.

Single mom Sarah (Seana Kerslake) and her son Chris (James Quinn Markey) move into a new town to start a new life. Things seem idyllic, save for the crazy woman who wanders the roadways in her nightie that Sarah barely misses with her car. After Sarah has an argument with her son, he runs out of the house and into the nearby forest. Sarah loses Chris momentarily, but finds him on the edge of a giant crater in the middle of the forest. Upon returning home, Chris begins to act differently. Sarah begins suspecting her son is not hers==the same suspicions that drove the crazy lady nuts. Or is Sarah just going off the deep end herself?

As with THE BABADOOK, THE QUIET PLACE, IT COMES AT NIGHT, HEREDITARY, and a few other notable horror films over the last few years, THE HOLE IN THE GROUND deals with the horrors of parenthood. Though I have no children myself, I could imagine that the biggest fear one can have is to lose a child. Piggybacking on that idea is the paranoia of those closest to you becoming something different. I could see a lot of parents who have a teenager relate to the horrors of suddenly not recognizing their child. While this horror seems to come from some kind of supernatural or paranormal origin, the theme is prevalent throughout. The main reason why I didn’t flip for this film is because the theme of parenthood and all of the horrific nuances one can approach it has been the subject of so many bigger budgeted horror films. That is the theme of THE BABADOOK—is the kid doing the evil shit or is the mom going nuts. In one way or another, many horror films balance on the fact that we don’t know if the horror is all in the protagonist’s head or not. Frankly. I know this is a horror film and unless the film is ballsy enough, it isn’t much of a surprise when the horror turns out to be real (I don’t think I’m spoiling anything here since this reveal is in the preview).

THE HOLE IN THE GROUND is filled with fantastic cinematography, literally flipping the world we know upside down in the opening minutes. It sets up a lot of scares and ambiguity well. It is precisely acted and utilizes minimal CG and other effects expertly. In itself, it is a finely crafted film—one worthy of seeing. If not for the all too familiar themes at play, this film would be a must see. But if you’ve seen the hyped films from A4 (a company known for misleading hyperbole in their ad campaigns for HEREDITARY, IT COMES AT NIGHT, and THE VVITCH), you’re in for an experience that will feel like you’ve been there before. It’s still quite good, but I think there are other themes worth delving into besides the same old ones and THE HOLE IN THE GROUND just isn’t as good as A4’s previous horror releases.