The Hole (2001)

Director:

Nick Hamm

Writers:

Guy Burt (novel)
Ben Court (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 April 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Desperate To Get In. Dying To Get Out.

Plot:

Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.

Plot Keywords:

School | Psychologist | Wales | Scream | Private School

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Thora Birch	...	Liz Dunn
Desmond Harrington	...	Mike Steel
Daniel Brocklebank	...	Martyn Taylor
Laurence Fox	...	Geoff Bingham
Keira Knightley	...	Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith
Embeth Davidtz	...	Dr. Philippa Horwood
Steven Waddington	...	DCS Tom Howard
Emma Griffiths Malin	...	Daisy
Jemma Powell	...	Minnie (as Gemma Powell)
Gemma Craven	...	Mrs. Dunn
Anastasia Hille	...	Gillian
Kelly Hunter	...	DI Chapman
Maria Pastel	...	Policewoman
Celia Montague	...	Solicitor
Kevin Trainor	...	Boy in school

Also Known As:

After the Hole (USA)
Secluded Empty Space (South Africa: English title) (trailer title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality/nudity and drug use.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Benenden Girls' School, Cranbrook, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Canal+

Goofs:

Continuity: When the doctor drops Liz off at her house the top of the car is up, when she pulls up however the roof is down.

Quotes:

Martyn: No, no, no, no, no - you love me! It's a Martyn Taylor fact. Has there been a day in the last five years that we haven't talked?
Elizabeth Dunn: But you're more like a gay friend than a boyfriend.
Martyn: But I'm not gay!
Jogging Rugby Players: Yeah, right!

Movie Connections:

References Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Soundtrack:

Show Me The Money

Above Average Teen Thriller with Genuine Horror

The Hole begins slowly and very standardly, but unlike most genre films, it picks up pace after 40 minutes then accelerates towards a smashing ending. Well okay, the ending itself wasn't a great surprise, but I found it satisfying in a B-grade kind of way.

The premise of Hole is pretty mundane. The idea of a group of teenagers going into an old abandoned building or structure for a lark is a stock standard story opener for hundreds of B-grade horror flicks. But then Hole becomes interesting by the re-telling of events from different characters' individual points of view in a manner reminiscent of the 1950 British gem ‘The Woman in Question'. Just who is telling the truth?

The final third of Hole rockets along and the film becomes genuinely frightening. I was especially impressed with the way repercussion of actions and in-actions are graphically shown and not glossed over as so many genre films have a habit of doing.

Hole is not a great film. The acting from the five teenagers is a cut above average, but the direction is pretty heavy handed and not very imaginative. Overall I found Hole a nicely satisfying and genuinely frightening B-grade experience which proves the old adage that says the worst monsters are human beings. It also shows that modern thriller/horror genre films doesn't always have to rely on lashings of special effects and supernaturalism to tell a story effectively.

6/10