John and the Hole

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1:36

John and the Hole

R

Released Aug 6, 2021

1h 44m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

129 Reviews

23%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

A desperate game of survival unfolds after 13-year-old John traps his family in a hole in the ground in this unsettling psychological thriller.

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Critics Consensus

John and the Hole's enticingly unique premise and disquieting atmosphere are often at odds with a meandering story that prevents this thriller from fulfilling its creepy potential.

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Clarisse Loughrey

Independent (UK)

It's both tantalising and deliberately unsatisfying. You're never given the comfort of knowing what comes next.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 13, 2021

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

While the result may not be quite as deep as the cavern at the centre of the story, it has an enticing sliver of ice at its heart.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 10, 2021

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

A sterile, supercilious, derivative exercise in sub-Euro-arthouse ordeal. But there is no ordeal because nothing is at stake.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 6, 2021

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Alex Billington

FirstShowing.net

Masterfully slick, unsettling filmmaking builds this film into something more profound than it seems at first glance. It's one of these films that is going to be endlessly divisive just because it's so ambiguous and creepy.

Rated: 9.5/10

Aug 23, 2025

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Michael Cook

Geek Vibes Nation

While the script allows the tension to dissipate some as the film goes on, Özgür’s cinematography only ups it. It never stops feeling slightly off, and a bit disturbing.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 17, 2025

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…John in the Hole is absolutely infuriating…an open-ended story that, for one reason or another, the film-makers have absolutely refused to resolve…

Rated: 2/5

Oct 2, 2024

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Mary

Terrible movie, everyone in the theater was making comments…..including us. People behind said that was 2 hours of wasted time she can never get back. Others ‘F’d up waste of money’

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/06/21

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Bobbi Jo F

I wish I had something redeeming to say. An hour and 45 minutes of my life that I will never get back. Thought provoking they say ... My only thought was, "Why?"

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/25

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Nicole C

Can’t understand why they chose to have us watch the movie through the perspective of the boy. Would have been much better if we didn’t see who put them in the pit and then the shot of the kid hovering over the pit would have been better or more shocking. Also I don’t care about what he’s doing, I don’t care that he’s driving the car or invites his friend over. Movie would have been much better from the family’s perspective. The kid is so annoying and I hated watching him. He didn’t seem to have much motive behind putting them in the pit. Just a moody preteen. Annoyed by him the whole time.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/31/25

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Andy D

The John character was not very believable and ruined it for me.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

Hayleigh P.

Rated R for what? This movie sucked and was boring. Who is this random little girl and mom that kept showing up in the middle of the movie? The end didn’t even make any sense and they just went back to being a normal family like nothing happened..?

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

Kerri D.

This was a fascinating story of a troubled tween boy in a privileged family who wanted to understand adulthood and life and his place in it. The secondary story of Lily made zero sense but was a very small part of the film. I would recommend this film for anyone who can relate to tween struggles of how they fit into life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/09/25

Full Review

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Pascual Sisto

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John and the Hole: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A desperate game of survival unfolds after 13-year-old John traps his family in a hole in the ground in this unsettling psychological thriller.

Director: Pascual Sisto
Producer: Elika Portnoy, Alex Orlovsky, Michael Bowes
Screenwriter: Nicolás Giacobone
Production Co: IFC Films, Mutressa Movies, 3311 Productions
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 6, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 6, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.0K
Runtime: 1h 44m

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