Writer-director Lee Cronin takes us on a dark, paranoia-filled journey in The Hole in the Ground, starring Seána Kerslake (TV’s “Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope).
Kerslake stars as Sarah, a mother moving into a new home with her young son, Chris (James Quinn Markey). As Sarah makes her way to the new house she nearly hits an old woman in the road. As she passes she notices the woman’s haggard appearance but shakes off the experience, which is the first in a series of terrifying events.
It’s not long after they move in that Chris runs off into the woods behind their home. As Sarah gives chase she stumbles upon a huge sinkhole. When she looks up she sees her son at the edge. When they return home the old woman stops her and tells her that the boy is not her son. This is where things begin to go poorly for the family. Sarah is in for the fight of her life.
The Hole in the Ground delivers a creepy, intense tale about a creature we don’t hear about often anymore, a changeling. The thought of anything happening to a child is terrifying, but when you swap out a loved one for a devious creature that mimics an innocent child, well, that’s downright diabolical.
Paranoia plays a huge part in this film. Sarah seems to second guess every moment of her day, from the decisions she makes to questioning if Chris is really her son and it adds an extra layer of panic to the movie that will get your heart racing.
Cronin used the centuries-old mythology of changelings brilliantly. The difference between the creature and the real child can sometimes be hard to see, making you second guess Sarah. Young actor James Quinn Markey did a fantastic job with the subtle and drastic changes with his character and his doppelganger and dealing with the sometimes dark subject matter.
The film feels and looks as if it is covered by a shadow, dark lit. The cinematography is rich and beautiful, yet has a seriously ominous feel, almost becoming a character itself.
The entire cast, Kerslake, Markey, James Cosmo, Simone Kirby, Steve Wall, all did an amazing job. Everyone nailed it when it comes to turning The Hole in the Ground into a thrill ride.
And that ending (won’t spoil it for you)? All I can say is bravo! Five stars, no question. Discover The Hole in the Ground on DVD April 30, 2019, from Lionsgate.
Pre-Christian tales of Changelings, found in European countries, tell of a creature swapped with stolen human children. While at a glance they appear to be the children, they have superior knowledge, a huge hunger, and refuse to be separated from the parent, they have also been connected to bad luck, illness, and death.
According to legend, there are ways to tell the difference between the creature and the real child. If seen in a mirror their true face will be revealed. In Germany, it’s believed that cooking egg shells will confuse a changeling. Through the centuries each area has called the being by a different name. In Germany, they are called a Wechselbalg.
