Customer Reviews

The Hole [VHS]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

As THE HOLE opens, a dirty, dissheveled girl stumbles into town, looking with every step as if she won't make it much further. By the time she finally reaches a phone and dials emergency, she is so traumatized that all she can do is scream.

What we know is this: over holiday, four prep school students decided to have a very private party in an abandoned underground shelter out in the woods. They were down there for eighteen days. But what really happened to them will be revealed gradually over the course of the film as Liz (Thora Birch), the girl from the opening scenes, plays cat and mouse with a psychiatrist (Embeth Davidtz) who is trying to get her to tell her story.

This is a twisty thriller with great acting on all parts. Thora Birch's fake English accent grated on me at first, probably just because I know she's not English, but as the film progressed I didn't notice it so much. It also becomes clear that she was the right choice for this particular role.

The DVD includes director's commentary, in which he talks about sets, censorship, the psychological motivations of the main character, and uses the word "oblique" a lot. It was not exactly lively, but it was moderately interesting. There are also some deleted scenes and an alternate ending. The corpselike image of Keira Knightly on the cover of this release is misleading, as she's hardly the star, though her fans will definitely want to check the film out. (I have seen much more appropriate in-store copies that have Keira and Thora sharing cover space.)

Four English prep school students decide to skip a weekend field trip and hide out in an abandoned bomb shelter where they can hang out and party all night long. Sure, this sounds sort of stupid, but these teenagers see it as the best private party of their life, "absolutely extra curricular" as one of them puts it. However, when the weekend is over and the door is supposed to open it does not, and the four find out that they are locked in. Who locked them in? Will they be discovered? Can they find another way out? What will happen when they run out of food and water? How long before they start to turn on each other?

Since the film opens with one of the four stumbling into the deserted school we know that they were down in that hole for eighteen days. However, the expectation that this 2001 film will take us back through those 18 days from start to finish quickly turns out to be a false one. "The Hole" is more of a mystery than a survival drama. The teenager who stumbled into the school, Liz Dunn (Thora Birch), is seeing a psychologist, Dr. Philippa Horwood (Embeth Davidtz), who is trying to find out what happened. Liz tells the story of what happened, but Horwood knows that it is not the truth and that the girl has sanitized it as a way of preserving her sanity. We know the story is not the truth because when the group descends into the bomb shelter director Nick Hamm keeps focusing on a part of the chain ladder that is obviously dangerously week. It plays not part in Liz's story, so we will just have to keep revisiting the story until it does.

In addition to Liz the others in the hole are Mike Steel (Desmond Harrington), the spoiled son of an American rock star whom Liz has a crush on, Frankie Smith (Keira Knightley), Liz's best friend, and Geoff Bingham (Laurence Fox), who really more of Frankie's potential boy toy than actual boyfriend. The quartet are brought to the bomb shelter by Martyn Taylor (Daniel Brocklebank), the male friend of Liz's who wants to be more than a friend. He is the obvious suspect for why the four kids are locked in the hole, especially for DCS Tom Howard (Steven Waddington), but obvious means little in this film.

While the mystery of "what really happened" gets in the way from time to time because since we know Liz's first story is not the truth we have to question everything that comes after that point, there are some horrific moments in this film having to do with being locked in a hole to die. In that regard "The Hole" has a couple of gruesome moments that are going to stick with you, having more of a visceral effect than the blood and gore associated with all the slick money-making Hollywood horror movies (I also have to comment that all the adolescent males who check out this film because they heard Keira Knightley does nudity are going to be disappointed twice, the first time because of brevity and the second because of context). There are also moments of how horrible human beings can be, such as when Liz talks while Frankie is puking her guts out.

"The Hole" makes excellent use of the simple but ominous music by Clint Mansell even before the company credit fades to black and the opening credits are revealed by the trembling, searching beam of a flashlight. I think this film certainly gets you hooked, and how much you like it in the end will depend entirely on your satisfaction with the explanation for why this happened. For me it was just a bit too cute and undercut the horror show aspects, taking us back to an area that has been overdone in such films. But it certainly does have its moments, all of them being in the hole and not back in the real world, and avoids the rampant stupidity that afflicts so many movies in this genre. The result is not great, but it is well above average and for anybody looking for something new to watch to creep them out on Halloween night this year, "The Hole" should not disappoint.

Caution: Spoilers Ahead!!

I have to credit IMDB for my discovery of this fascinating film, as the number of comments posted about "The Saw" proclaiming it a poor imitation of "The Hole" convinced me to purchase the DVD. Not a particularly hard sell because Thora Birch is rapidly climbing to the top of my most talented actress list; so watch out Mia Kirshner and Sarah Polley.

What I especially like now about this former child actress is her ability to de-tune her sexiness. This allows her to believably-physically play the "plain Jane" to beauties like Scarlett Johansson and Kiera Knightley, while on another level actually being sexier. The appeal of this is that it allows you to imagine that you are the only one in the audience picking up on that other level, thereby making it seem like a exclusive connection.

As has already been much discussed, the trailer for "The Hole" is completely wrong for the movie, making it seem like a slasher film when it a subtle psychological thriller of obsession and misdirection. It illustrates what obsession can produce when taken a step too far. Probably the most chilling scene is the nightclub rest room parody where Liz (Birch) is gleefully prattling on about her seduction of Mike to her girlfriend Frankie (Knightley), utterly oblivious and unconcerned that Frankie is deathly ill.

Another great scene is the one used by the director to set up Liz's friend Martin for the blame, Liz is speaking to Martin about what it is like to love someone but not have them know you exist. Martin says everything with his face as he lets you know that this just how he feels about Liz.

Director Nick Hamm has pieced together a textbook example of misdirection and the ability of filmmakers to show you only what they want you to see. All the flashbacks (and there are a lot) are POV situations with varying degrees of truth. In this regard Hamm is quite respectful of the audience, manipulating the viewer up to a point but then allowing them free rein to invest each development with their own interpretation. Some have found the ending too predictable because it does not have a twist. But twists have become so obligatory that no twist is a twist. Having Liz win in the end and then going out on her eye contact is simply perfect. Not only does this parallel her claim to have finally picked the lock and escaped, it gives the kind off kilter resolution that the film needs for structural unity. If Peyton had won in "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", that film would have been a classic instead of just another example of a thriller than ultimately falls short.

"The Hole" is really more character study than thriller, and the character of Liz with her obsession and evolving motivations is as compelling as Hitchcock's "Marnie". Liz does not plan the deaths of her schoolmates, she is just desperately going after something and things happen. She gets herself trapped in the situation and just goes with it because after a point she has no way out. The two scenes where Mike cruelly rejects her are riveting as Birch artfully starts to show us that Liz is wrapped a little too tight-something no one expected until that point. After that her character's issues are slowly revealed layer by layer.

It is interesting that even after those rejections, if Mike had just agreed to go with her for pizza, she would not have locked the exit. Ironically, a bit later his tender support of her causes her to postpone unlocking the exit. This kind of on-the-fence waiting to topple structure makes this a cerebral film viewing exercise.

While not normal, Liz is believable. Mike's death disturbs her but on reflection she realizes that it is actually for the best. She was able to get him to fall in love with her but is realistic enough even in her madness to realize that they had no future together. She is pretty much insane after leaving the hole but as she recovers her memory the instinct for self-preservation kicks in.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

While it has just recently been released on our shores, "The Hole" is actually a British film dating from 2001. I'm not sure why it took so long for this to be released here since it's actually quite an accessible picture and resembles many American suspense films in terms of its look and formula. One thing that might have to do with its sudden US release is due to the emergence of rising star Keira Knightley, who has appeared in such films as "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "King Arthur". While having her face exclusively featured on the cover might be a bit misleading (her screen time clocks in at about 20 mns and Thora Birch is clearly the focus of the film) her fans will not be disappointed. She looks stunning of course and it's hard to believe she was only 16 when she appeared in this film.

"The Hole" starts off with a teenager named Liz (Thora Birch) limping her way back into civilization after having spent the last 18 days in an underground bunker. Liz is assigned to a doctor/sociologist and recounts the events that led to her and 3 of her friends being trapped into the bunker. As Liz's story unfolds, it becomes apparent to the doctor that certain things are being left out and that unmasking the identity of the person responsible for locking the kids in the bunker is more complex than originally thought...

More a thriller than a horror film, "The Hole" is loaded with twists and turns and red herrings. It has a non-linear structure and much of it takes place after the climactic events of the teenagers being trapped in the hole. What makes it an intriguing watch is that you never know who to trust as you're watching, and keep wondering whether Liz is a victim or a psychotic. Also, since it involves events being recalled in the past about a police case not yet closed, the film benefits of a double-mystery where the viewer is wondering what really happened in that bunker and what is about to happen next (who will get arrested, who died, etc.). The acting is excellent and the film does a great job of freaking out the viewer by creating a rising dread of claustrophobia and rapidly deteriorating living conditions.

So for the most part this film is very effective and highly watcheable. What bothered me a little bit was how dumb the concept really was: how stupid do you have to be to go down into a bunker and have someone close the lid on you and keep the key? And while this film is very entertaining upon first viewing, it pretty much dooms itself of any repeat value once the mystery is unveiled. So although "The Hole" is an entertaining film I would really consider it more as a rental due to the fact it won't likely stand well to repeat viewings. Unless you're a drooling Keira Knightley fan of course.

Definitely worth watching once, perhaps owning if you are a fan of Keira or Thora. Put a few teenagers underground, lock 'em in, and watch the madness that ensues. I found myself rewinding to watch certain scenes over. Acting not bad, some funny parts. And yes, a dead, naked Kiera (in autopsy room). You may find yourself asking what you would have done differently in the same situation... and hoping you don't have to find out. I give it 3.5 stars, rounded to 3 for Amazon. Recommended for fans of dark cinema.

I went into this not knowing what to expect. I didn't remember it released in theaters and hadn't heard a thing about it. While in a local shop though I saw the grim cover and read the back to see what it was about. The way the description made it sound was as though 4 prep school students skipped the scheduled school field trip and went to an abandoned hole where they were locked in and murdered, but no. What happens is far from that. Although I was somewhat disappointed of how the story was portrayed, 20 minutes into the film, I forgot all about it. I don't think this film is outright scary, it's more of a subtle horror. It's a horror that stays with you because of how it could really happen. Films like this are much scarier than the slasher films that are so popular in the horror genre.

The story follows Liz and three of her friends. They decide to ditch a school field trip they are convinced will be boring. Liz remembers an abandoned bomb shelter she once was taken to so she thinks this is the best place to hide out and party. Her motive behind this pick is as devilish as her story is.

With great acting all around, there's really no reason why this movie won't please people. Keira Knightley springs to mind as one of the most powerful characters in this movie simply because it's such a sinister role for her. Thora Birch from Ghost World fame, did an admirable job as well. She carried the movie much better than I anticipated she would so I was pleased with that aspect. While the guys featured did a good job, I can't help but think they could've casted those particular roles better. Overall though, a nice job.

This movie is well worth the price to see it simply because it showed how far one girl will go to be loved. The way Liz went about her obsession with this man is what makes this film frightening. There's no jump out of your seat moments, the tension is what gets you. You never know which direction the story will go next. And I like how they left questions lingering in the end. It's not a Hollywood ending by any means.

THE HOLE is a highly original, moody, mesmerizing thriller where the viewer is forced to ask themselves, what really went on in the hole? Thora Birch is Liz, a somewhat eccentric teenager, who opens the movie stumbling through town and screaming into a telephone for help. What happened? According to Liz, a friend of hers had agreed to lock Liz and three of her friends in an old abandoned military bunker so that Liz could get the hunky American student to fall in love with her. However, the friend never shows up to let them out and they are imprisoned in the hole for two weeks. A concerned psychiatrist tries to get the truth out of Liz, and as the movie descends into its maelstrom of obsessive love and hidden secrets, THE HOLE becomes a gripping exercise in terror. Birch is brilliant as Liz, and she is ably supported by Keira Knightly as the lovely Frankie; Desmond Harrington as shallow Mike; Laurence Fox as egocentric Jessie; Embeth Davidtz as the shrink and Stephen Waddington as the beefy detective. A dark disturbing look at a deviant mind.

Liz Dunn (the magnificent Thora Birch!) is the only survivor of a group of prep-school kids' secret gone horribly wrong. The four (including the delectible Keira Knightly!) decide to spend their time partying in a long-forgotten, underground bomb shelter rather than go to Wales w/ the rest of the students. It was supposed to be a fun way to get out of a class trip, but it turned into a lethal dungeon of suffocating madness. Liz and her friends are changed from free-sprited youths into starving, thirsty, utterly desperate prisoners. A police psychologist (Embeth Davidtz) attempts to unravel the mystery behind what actually happened in THE HOLE, only to find out that some things are better left buried. Ms. Birch is as understated as ever, carrying most of the movie herself. Some of her character's words are chilling, not so much for what she says, but for what's going on around her when she says them! Buy immediately...

This ia a great movie and I would definetly recommend that you go out and buy it! Keira is hot, and even though she is not the main character you see enough of her. A mind trip, but not a horror. Buy it today!

This is a really neat, dark movie. The acting is great as well as the makeup. The cinematography is sooooooo amazing. It creates an atmosphere that has yet to be matched in cinema today...alright maybe not but it's is still pretty spiffy. The twists and turns are fun and the scenes between the teenagers are interesting to watch as you laugh and cry and become terrified. As I said before, the acting is great. Thora Birch is one of the brightest stars right now and this movie doesn't take anything away from her resume. Keira Knightly is gorgeous and this is a fairly shallow role for her but it got her noticed.
It's a complex plot, with three or four sides of the story leaving the audience to decide for themselves before their own theories are blown out of the water. I'd highly recommend this if you are a fan of, especially Thora Birch, any of the cast members or if you like psychological thrillers that are geared towards a younger audience. It's slick and fun.