The Hole (2010)

Review: written March 2011

Family friendly spine tingler

How satisfying... clearly, the film has a younger generation in mind, with the main protagonists being of teen and pre-teen age.. and yet, this is a film that has appeal for all ages. Indeed, as it says on the tin, a family movie. One would almost be tempted to say that this has an old fashioned appeal to it, a pre-torture porn innocence in its horror motifs.. a “Gremlins” for a new generation. How fitting that this is the return of Joe Dante to the big screen.

It's a deceptively slender tale - the titular hole is discovered, suitable padlocked and sinister, in the basement of the house our young heroes have just moved to. Along with the (literal and figurative) girl next door, the hole is unlocked - and darkness enters their lives, as they start to face their inner fears. This leads to some genuinely spine tingling moments, and occasional spooky scares. Creepy limping girls and manic puppet clowns are just the start...

The final act has few surprises in store, and does not entirely live up to the nicely paced and tension-generating build up, but still manages some intriguing and expressionistic ideas which presumably made the 3D worthwhile in the cinema. On the smaller screen however, these tend to stand out as "oh, that must have been the 3D moment" moments, in a slightly distracting way.

Were it not for the age of the actors on screen, I would be surprised to hear this was skewed at younger demographics.. it was satisfying enough for me as an adult, and spooky enough to appease my need for thrills. But as I look back on it, it had none of the gore that seems so de rigeur these days, and clean language as well as a surprisingly positive theme about facing fears, making it suitable for those that might otherwise blanche at the excesses of most `scary' movies. If I had kids that were getting tired of Disney and keen to sample something `more adult', they could do a lot worse than this. But don't feel you need kids to give this a whirl.. stick it on, turn it up, turn the lights down, and lose yourself in some old fashioned movie making - in a good way. I for one am glad to see Joe Dante back doing what he does best....