A young mother and her son move out to the Irish countryside, but not long after, she suspects it might not be him anymore.
Dark, atmospheric, and suspenseful! Strong inciting incident, followed by solid suspense build-up. And after that… it only gets better! Photography, Art Direction, and Visual Effects create a dark and eerie atmosphere that accompanies the equally dark and eerie narrative. The first stroll in that forest will most certainly convince you…
Mysterious and suspicious events will follow, and sooner or later, with the boy acting as he does, you won’t help but get a feeling of The Omen (1976). But if you think the boy is scary, wait until you meet Noreen, the woman who has sunk into the deepest psychological abyss. So, regarding what can scare you the most, between the forest, the kid, and the old lady you have quite the choice to make. Eventually, though, I don’t think that any of them is more scary than the feeling that your only child… is not actually yours…
The Hole in the Ground joins my pantheon of Irish horror films* that manage, on a tiny budget, to evoke all the intended feelings. Writer Stephen Shields and writer/director Lee Cronin write and direct, respectively, a solid horror which draws elements from ancient folklore legends to modern psychology. Seána Kerslake, James Quinn Markey, Kati Outinen, and James Cosmo do a wonderful job in front of the camera, believing in Cronin’s vision and projecting the intended fears onto the audience. Arguably, though, the ending could have been shorter and a lot scarier if it had maintained the levels of plausibility until then. But, that is subjective, so it’s up to you to decide. Regardless of what you think of the third act, this is a highly recommended indie horror. A24 is always on top of the game!
* A couple of Irish horrors that stood out for me in recent years are A Good Woman is Hard to Find (2019) and Sea Fever (2019)
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