The Hole Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Two brothers find a seemingly bottomless pit in the basement of their new home that brings their worst fears to life.

Review: You're probably tired of me saying "wasted potential" at this point, but here we go again! This film was so bizarre in the fact that it is the rare instance of a family horror film; at least that's how I interpreted it. The scares are so tame and hardly there, and nothing is too scary that a little kid wouldn't handle it. At the same time, there is this family adventure tone throughout with no sense of dread or even a sense of true danger; even the music has a certain childish vibe. The decision to make this kind of film really had me scratching my head. This oddity to the film world is probably why this movie was sitting on the production shelves for a few years and never got a proper release. But besides this unusual genre attempt, the movie is just loaded with cliches, contrivances, and probably a few plot holes. First, the "hole" itself makes absolutely no sense. It only appears if someone has a fear it can manifest, and when it cannot do this it is just piping and dirt inside. So where does it go the rest of the time? Why it exists, why at that particular house, how it works, what is the point, and any other lingering questions go completely ignored. This is especially frustrating considering the kids talk to the original owner of the home, and he is conveniently crazy and doesn't say anything! In fact, the entire scene with the house owner makes no sense and is absurdly stupid. The fears that the hole manifests are weak and highly uncreative; basically, all we get is a fear of an abusive dad, clowns, and a dead friend. There was a lot of potential here to create some awesome fears and bring them to life, but nope, and even the fears we see are pathetically toned down. There was also a plot element that almost implied the hole wants you get over your fears? Oh that's a relief, because I just want some weird portal into a hellish world to help me get over the loss of my dead, childhood friend! Thanks creepy hole! From beginning to end, this film just does it's best to waste its potential and feel like a ripoff of various sources like an "Are You Afraid of the Dark" episode (called "Tale of the Dark Music" if interested). The ending is especially stupid and contrived beyond measure to end on a zinger as the younger brother (idiotically) asks the mom what's her worst fear immediately after they all just overcame their fears! Oh yes, let's taunt the hole to hell in our basement! Overall, this is a rare, yet mediocre, trip into the family horror genre while offering up nothing but cliches and uninspired, childish scares. Don't go into this expecting much or, better yet, know fully ahead of time what it is exactly and maybe you will enjoy it more than I.

Notable Moment: When Julie hears someone crying in the bathroom and the lights go out. It was probably the best attempt at a scare but was still wasted.

Final Rating: 5/10