13 Slots for the Best Horror I've Seen in the Past Year
[9 of 13]
THE HOLE IN THE GROUND
(January 2019)
“And the branch on the tree...
And the tree… in the hole…
And the hole in the bog…
And the bog… down in… the valley-o…”
Sarah O’Neill (Seána Kerslake) and her son Christopher (James Quinn Markey) have just moved to a new town--specifically, to a
house on the edge of some deep, dark woods (are there any other kind of woods in these kinds of films?)--when she begins to suspect that Chris isn’t Chris at all…
That’s the central conceit of Lee Cronin’s feature directorial
debut, The Hole in the Ground.
Working from a screenplay he co-wrote with Stephen
Shields, Cronin gives us a potent dose of largely exposition-free horror that delves
into the fears and anxieties a parent has for their child, relying on tone and
atmosphere (and some excellent performances by Kerslake, Markey, and James
Cosmo in a brief supporting role) to make its point.
And a fine, creeptastic point it is, punctuated by some
unsettling set pieces (maaaaaan, that talent show number…) and wrapped up with Lisa
Hannigan’s haunting rendition of “Weile Weile Waile” that runs over the end
credits roll.
(The Hole in
the Ground OS & UK quad courtesy of impawards.com.)
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