The Hole in the Ground ★★★

IN their own small way the Irish have successfully tackled most film genres.

Horror is probably one that has largely eluded them until recently with releases like The Hallow from 2015, The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016), The Lodgers (2017) and 2019‘s The Hole in the Ground.

The latter film mines a couple of familiar tropes – the evil child, the evil forest – but does so in a very atmospheric and quietly suspenseful way in a wonderfully creepy location.

If you are going to steal from The Shining you should add your own twist which debut writerdirector Lee Cronin definitely does.

As his film progresses it also brings to mind the sense of dread and unease in another recent horror film, Hereditary.

It’s also a viewing that benefits greatly from little prior knowledge of the story.

Single mother Sarah O’Neill (Seana Kerslake) and her son Chris (James Quinn Markey) have arrived in a small village where she will be teaching.

Their home lies on the edge of a forest and it doesn’t take them long to discover what seems to be a massive sinkhole at the centre.

At the same time they comes across an old woman wandering along the road, seemingly suffering from some form of dementia. The woman screams to Susan that Chris is not her son.

That’s all you need to know. It’s a strong set-up and the script, editing, photography and music score combine well to create a suspenseful and dynamic watch with a couple of good surprises.