Search
Search results
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Hole in the Ground (2019) in Movies
Dec 1, 2019
Verdict: Suspenseful
Story: The Hole in the Ground starts as Sarah (Kerslake) and her son Chris (Markey) are getting used to their new home in the Irish countryside, they learn they have a disturbed neighbour Noreen Brady (Outinen) and a giant hole in the middle of a woodland area surrounding the house.
After losing her son in the woods one night, Sarah is trying to be more protective, but the disturbed neighbour Noreen, doesn’t believe that is her son anymore, similar to what she experienced herself, years before.
Thoughts on The Hole in the Ground
Characters – Sarah is the single mother who has moved away from her previous life, which does have hints of abuse, she has started a simpler life in a small village with her son and soon starts to learn about something strange that has happened to her son, with her needing to figure out the truth before it is too late. Chris is the son who isn’t happy trying to make new friends, he is terrified of spiders and after he goes missing one night, when he returns something has changed in him. Noreen Brady went through a similar experience to Sarah, which has seen her branded crazy by the locals, she can sense more being wrong, though it has haunted her whole life.
Performances – Seana Kerslake in the leading role adds so much to this film, her performance shows the pain her character has been through, despite showing the strength she is carrying on with. James Quinn Markey is great for a young actor, showing the innocent side to his character and the change he has been through. The supporting cast don’t get many scenes but do a good job when called up.
Story – The story here follows a single mother who starts to see a strange change in her son and must decide what has caused this and what she is going to do about it. The story does dive into one of the most famous horror myths, which is clear to see early on, though never directly uses the name, we won’t say just to stop any spoilers. We have the themes of an abuse victim trying to rebuild their own life, while remaining strong for her child. We only focus on the two characters, with any others only offer hints to what is happening. What the story offers, would be the slowly building moments that Sarah is going through, where she is torn about the truth, we focus on dread feeling over any shock value.
Horror – The horror in this film does give us a clear look at dread and gloom, instead of playing of the jump scares, it so easily could have turned too.
Settings – The film takes us to a small Irish countryside village, the house is outside the village surrounded by woodland, which only adds to the unknown coming from inside the woods.
Special Effects – The effects being used in the film are kept to a minimum, which does help when we need to see them happening.
Scene of the Movie – What is Chris up to.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We only get the hints of the former life they lived.
Final Thoughts – This is a dread filled horror that will keep us wondering what is happening, with strong performances from the lead actors.
Overall: Dread Filled Horror.
Story: The Hole in the Ground starts as Sarah (Kerslake) and her son Chris (Markey) are getting used to their new home in the Irish countryside, they learn they have a disturbed neighbour Noreen Brady (Outinen) and a giant hole in the middle of a woodland area surrounding the house.
After losing her son in the woods one night, Sarah is trying to be more protective, but the disturbed neighbour Noreen, doesn’t believe that is her son anymore, similar to what she experienced herself, years before.
Thoughts on The Hole in the Ground
Characters – Sarah is the single mother who has moved away from her previous life, which does have hints of abuse, she has started a simpler life in a small village with her son and soon starts to learn about something strange that has happened to her son, with her needing to figure out the truth before it is too late. Chris is the son who isn’t happy trying to make new friends, he is terrified of spiders and after he goes missing one night, when he returns something has changed in him. Noreen Brady went through a similar experience to Sarah, which has seen her branded crazy by the locals, she can sense more being wrong, though it has haunted her whole life.
Performances – Seana Kerslake in the leading role adds so much to this film, her performance shows the pain her character has been through, despite showing the strength she is carrying on with. James Quinn Markey is great for a young actor, showing the innocent side to his character and the change he has been through. The supporting cast don’t get many scenes but do a good job when called up.
Story – The story here follows a single mother who starts to see a strange change in her son and must decide what has caused this and what she is going to do about it. The story does dive into one of the most famous horror myths, which is clear to see early on, though never directly uses the name, we won’t say just to stop any spoilers. We have the themes of an abuse victim trying to rebuild their own life, while remaining strong for her child. We only focus on the two characters, with any others only offer hints to what is happening. What the story offers, would be the slowly building moments that Sarah is going through, where she is torn about the truth, we focus on dread feeling over any shock value.
Horror – The horror in this film does give us a clear look at dread and gloom, instead of playing of the jump scares, it so easily could have turned too.
Settings – The film takes us to a small Irish countryside village, the house is outside the village surrounded by woodland, which only adds to the unknown coming from inside the woods.
Special Effects – The effects being used in the film are kept to a minimum, which does help when we need to see them happening.
Scene of the Movie – What is Chris up to.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We only get the hints of the former life they lived.
Final Thoughts – This is a dread filled horror that will keep us wondering what is happening, with strong performances from the lead actors.
Overall: Dread Filled Horror.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Blind in Books
Jun 6, 2019
^^ When Sam James, a highly regarded psychologist at a notorious psychological institute, meets disturbed patient Richard, their lives take an unexpected turn as the lines between sane and sanity blur between them.
^^ As a psychological thriller this story’s different. I’m not sure ANY book will beat ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, (which this one was compared to), but it’s still a terrific read in many ways.
^^ For a psychologist who is supposed to have her head screwed on right helping patients with their mental health problems, she has a hell of a lot of her own issues to deal with. Sam’s in an unhealthy, abusive relationship, had an unpleasant upbringing and is on the verge of becoming a full-blown alcoholic. On top of all that, she’s overloaded with cases, as all the staff are, underpaid and at risk of losing her job.
^^ Hang on! This sounds very much like the kind of things real healthcare professionals deal with! Especially when it comes to lack of funding, high staff turnover and a never-ending influx of new patients all suffering and needing help. (Can you tell I once worked in a similar healthcare environment?) It’s no wonder we can watch Sam’s health and mental stability decline before our very eyes. Not only that, she digs herself deeper into trouble making awful decisions, putting both herself and her patients at risk.
^^ What niggled me was I guessed what was going to happen quite early on. Is this only me? Or maybe, since I worked in a similar place, I saw the signs sooner? Who knows. Despite this, I still enjoyed the read, but found myself getting a little frustrated towards the end when neither Sam, nor her friend and coworker, David, could see what was happening. I guess you could say it really was ‘The blind leading the blind’.
^^ It’s a pity guessing what was about to happen, for ages, spoilt the shock ending of the last two sentences, which finally gave the game away to anyone who hadn’t already guessed. But hey, ho!
^^ I found this started off, slow, albeit in a curious way, like watching a candle burning at both ends. Then it hit the ground running midway, and by the last third I was staying up far too late at night wanting to read ‘just one more page’. Watching Sam’s life and sanity unravelling, was strangely intriguing.
Overall: For those with an interest in stories which openly talk about mental health issues, I think you’ll really enjoy this. The author shows a deep understanding of the healthcare industry and it’s clear she knows her stuff. She should do. A.F. Brady is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor/Psychotherapist. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brown University and two Masters degrees in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University. That’s why!
^^ As a psychological thriller this story’s different. I’m not sure ANY book will beat ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, (which this one was compared to), but it’s still a terrific read in many ways.
^^ For a psychologist who is supposed to have her head screwed on right helping patients with their mental health problems, she has a hell of a lot of her own issues to deal with. Sam’s in an unhealthy, abusive relationship, had an unpleasant upbringing and is on the verge of becoming a full-blown alcoholic. On top of all that, she’s overloaded with cases, as all the staff are, underpaid and at risk of losing her job.
^^ Hang on! This sounds very much like the kind of things real healthcare professionals deal with! Especially when it comes to lack of funding, high staff turnover and a never-ending influx of new patients all suffering and needing help. (Can you tell I once worked in a similar healthcare environment?) It’s no wonder we can watch Sam’s health and mental stability decline before our very eyes. Not only that, she digs herself deeper into trouble making awful decisions, putting both herself and her patients at risk.
^^ What niggled me was I guessed what was going to happen quite early on. Is this only me? Or maybe, since I worked in a similar place, I saw the signs sooner? Who knows. Despite this, I still enjoyed the read, but found myself getting a little frustrated towards the end when neither Sam, nor her friend and coworker, David, could see what was happening. I guess you could say it really was ‘The blind leading the blind’.
^^ It’s a pity guessing what was about to happen, for ages, spoilt the shock ending of the last two sentences, which finally gave the game away to anyone who hadn’t already guessed. But hey, ho!
^^ I found this started off, slow, albeit in a curious way, like watching a candle burning at both ends. Then it hit the ground running midway, and by the last third I was staying up far too late at night wanting to read ‘just one more page’. Watching Sam’s life and sanity unravelling, was strangely intriguing.
Overall: For those with an interest in stories which openly talk about mental health issues, I think you’ll really enjoy this. The author shows a deep understanding of the healthcare industry and it’s clear she knows her stuff. She should do. A.F. Brady is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor/Psychotherapist. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brown University and two Masters degrees in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University. That’s why!