Post by Rictras Shard on Jun 26, 2015 18:42:55 GMT -4
Welcome to Friday Fright. I am Rictras Shard, and I'll be your host. Tonight we're looking at a little tale called The Hole.
Susan Thompson has just moved to Bentonville with her two sons. The younger, Lucas, seems happy with the relocation. Dane... not so much. He makes no secret of the fact that he is unimpressed with podunkville, angry at his mother for taking them there, and annoyed with his sibling for being enthusiastic about it.
At this point, I was rather apprehensive about my viewing choice of the week. How many times have I seen this premise, just in the past couple of years. It seems that half of North American cinema is filled with teenaged malcontents who have just moved somewhere, and boy, are they pissed about it. However, the movie didn't gloss on this for long, and actually started to get better.
Dane's attitude is much improved when he sees the girl next door, Julie. Soon after Dane and Lucas are in the basement of their new house doing what young brothers do, causing trouble for each other. It is there that they find a hatch leading to a seemingly bottomless hole. The good citizens of Bentonville are apparently fairly lax on private property etiquette, as at this point Julie walks into the basement to see what they are up to. I guess my fear of heights is getting worse these days, as instead of worrying about what may come out of the hole, I was mentally yelling at them to stop standing at the edge of it before one of them falls in.
And boy howdy, do things ever come out of that hole. Those things aren't just limited to the house either, as one person discovers while using a public washroom. The three are soon being deluged with creepy little girls, clown puppets, sinister family members who should definitely be somewhere else, and Pauly Shore. Okay, maybe not Pauly Shore, that's my own personal nightmare. The hatch is unwilling to stay closed. Heavy objects don't stymie it, and nailing it shut just gives it momentary pause.
Julie suggests they go see Creepy Carl, the former resident of the Thompson's home. He now lives in, guess where, an abandoned warehouse. They make their way there to question the man of somewhat questionable mentality. Wait a minute, he looks kind of familiar. Surely it can't be... yes, it is! Bruce Dern!
Will Carl be able to help them with their predicament? Will the hole be explained? Will the yappy little dog have a sudden descent? You'll have to watch the movie to find out.
The Hole isn't really very scary, but it is a little creepy at times. It reminds me a lot of The Gate. The younger brother isn't as annoying as I find so many child characters. The actors won't win Oscars, but they do a more than adequate job. Susan, the mother, doesn't have nearly enough screen time, but that is just my particular bias, as she isn't really necessary for most of what happens. Overall, it was a good use of ninety minutes, and it gets the Shard seal of approval.