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The Hole in the Ground

Play trailer 2:03 Poster for The Hole in the Ground R Released Mar 1, 2019 1h 30m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 89 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
One night, Sarah's young son disappears into the woods behind their rural home. When he returns, he looks the same, but his behavior grows increasingly disturbing. Sarah begins to believe that the boy who returned may not be her son at all.
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The Hole in the Ground

The Hole in the Ground

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Critics Consensus

The Hole in the Ground artfully exploits parental fears with a well-made horror outing that makes up in sheer effectiveness what it lacks in originality.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald In this creepy Irish-Finnish co-production, that fear combines with more modern concerns about the traumas of parenting in a way that freshens up the soil. Rated: 3.5/5 Apr 10, 2019 Full Review Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle The Hole in the Ground is filled with all the tropes of the "sinister child" subgenre, but first-time feature director Cronin... deftly weds it with the same rural Gothic sensibilities that have made Irish horror such a vibrant and unsettling scene. Rated: 3/5 Mar 8, 2019 Full Review Mark Kermode Kermode & Mayo's Film Review Well-edited set pieces... this gave me the creeps. Mar 5, 2019 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film Although The Hole in the Ground brought nothing new to the horror genre, it’s still a decent movie that was fun to see on the big screen. It’s worth a try if you’re looking for a solid horror movie... Rated: C+ Aug 19, 2024 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Requires quite a bit of heavy-lifting from Kerslake, who is onscreen nearly all the time, and she pulls it off, planting seeds of anxious doubt every step of the way. Rated: 3/4 Jul 20, 2024 Full Review Kristy Strouse Film Inquiry With some genuinely terrifying imagery and set design and moments that definitely speak to our mental fragility and awareness of who we think we know best, The Hole in the Ground strikes a nerve. It’s a hidden gem. Oct 17, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Waniya S Wasn't scary at all! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/18/24 Full Review Jens B 🎃 A pleasant, simple, and slowly told spooky tale—essentially a decelerated form of horror. That doesn't mean it doesn't have its handful of escalations, whether it's due to the strange woman in the woods or the creepiest child in a horror film in quite some time. 🪞 Cynical souls might point out that Cronin's Irish folk horror is little more than a string of elements borrowed from THE BABADOOK, THE SHINING, and ORPHAN, or just a new episode of LORE. I, on the other hand, had a good time, even if I briefly dozed off at some point. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Dan R 2019's 'The Hole in the Ground' is a well made B list horror film which has a number of original concepts. SYNOPSIS: 'A single mother living in the Irish countryside with her son begins to suspect he may not be her son at all, and fears his increasingly disturbing behavior is linked to a mysterious sinkhole in the forest behind their house.' This creepy Irish-Finnish co-production combines the usual jump scares with more modern concerns about the traumas of parenting in a way that freshens up this film. Those fears are well known to many of us. It bases itself more on tension and uncertainty than on gory shocks and the film's horror is never unbearable or grotesque. It's really cleverly done. An effective little chiller which needs more attention to it. 7/10 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Audience Member How did she get out of the hole?! Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/23/24 Full Review chitown2bayarea Good movie, creepy and entertaining. Definitely recommend it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Steven M Horror legend Stephen King has aptly described terror in its rawest forms, my favorite being: "Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute." However, what if the thing that was taken from your home was your own flesh and blood? The Hole in the Ground burrows this question into your psyche, and is born, grown, and flourished in this kind of visceral terror. This is a divisive movie, with critics and audiences at odds with their opinions on this UK film. I find myself siding with the critics with this one. More than its premise suggests, the internal pressure that grows within this movie is immense, tricking you before your very eyes from scene to scene. This deliberate confusion and trickery is weaponized to keep you guessing, hoping that your horror film detective skills are still sharp. Keeping the viewer in suspension is a mental and emotional threat. The acting is superb - particularly from Seana Kerslake, James Cosmo, and James Quinn Markey. The believable performances add a sense of realism and humanity where many movies like this fail - which can make or break a horror film in its first act. Along with this is the movie's brilliant set design, exemplifying the creeping isolation and helplessness apparent from its first act. Very limited on jumpscares, many of this movie's scares are cultivated through ambiguity and limited vision - always big points from me. The only thing that docks this film for me is its use of the "creepy old lady saying ominous things to kids" trope - a tired concept that did cause a brief eyeroll from me, even though Kati Outinen played slightly-cliched Noreen Brady with style and finesse. I am not grading this based on the original or groundbreaking qualities that some were hoping this would create. I don't believe that films in the horror genre need to be the next best thing since The Exorcist. A good horror movie needs to make you feel unsafe, alone, and wondering. Good work, The Hole in the Ground. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

The Hole in the Ground

The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Supernatural Strength The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Supernatural Strength 1:42 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Monstrous Child The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Monstrous Child 2:05 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Shapeshifter Attack The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Shapeshifter Attack 1:58 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Burying Mommy The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Burying Mommy 1:55 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Eating a Spider The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Eating a Spider 2:48 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Ripping the Scar Open The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - Ripping the Scar Open 1:35 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - It's Not Your Son! The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - It's Not Your Son! 2:55 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - The Creepy Kid's Song The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - The Creepy Kid's Song 3:06 The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - You're Not My Son The Hole in the Ground: Official Clip - You're Not My Son 1:10 The Hole in the Ground: Movie Clip - Spiders The Hole in the Ground: Movie Clip - Spiders 1:26 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis One night, Sarah's young son disappears into the woods behind their rural home. When he returns, he looks the same, but his behavior grows increasingly disturbing. Sarah begins to believe that the boy who returned may not be her son at all.
Director
Lee Cronin
Producer
John Keville, Conor Barry
Screenwriter
Lee Cronin, Stephen Shields
Distributor
A24
Production Co
Metrol Technology, Savage Productions, Head Gear Films, Bankside Films, Wrong Men North
Rating
R (Some Disturbing Images)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 1, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 26, 2019
Runtime
1h 30m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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