The Hole (2009)

Director: Joe Dante

Starring: Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble

A pair of brothers stumble upon a mysterious hole in their basement that leads to the darkest corridors of their fears and nightmares.

Not to be confused with 2001’s ‘The Hole’ starring Thora Birch.

Soon after moving into a new home, things start going wrong. Smell the cliche? Yeah, well, it’s always fun and exciting when people move into a new home and there’s sinister goings on in the house. ‘The Hole’ is different, though, as it has a fresh feel to it. Having said this, the film also reminded me of 1987’s ‘The Gate’ (one of my favourite 80s horror movies). ‘The Hole’ itself had an 80s feel to it, and I really liked it.

Brothers Dane and Lucas discover a trap door in their basement with a few locks on it, with mystery surrounding its origins and where it leads to. Oh, look, there’s the classic ‘girl next door’ scenario. In this case, Julie, who tries to unravel the mystery together with the brothers. The performances in general were good, but I did find Haley Benett was not serious enough in the role of Julie. Although she is by no means a comic relief character, I didn’t find her all that convincing considering their circumstances. Regardless, it was still good.

I liked the characters; the two brothers especially. I also rooted for the mother, Susan (Teri Polo), and sympathized with her all the way.

‘The Hole’ really delivers. It is scary, suspenseful, unpredictable, and even funny. The visual effects are also good. Ultimately, the film is about facing your fears, and I enjoyed the metaphors in the film. This is an exciting film, and very well directed by Joe Dante.

Would I watch it again? Yes.