Written and directed by Lee Cronin, and co-written by Stephen Shields, The Hole in the Ground tells of lone parent Sarah (Seána Kerslake), who, after relocating with her young son Chris (James Quinn Markey) to an isolated house beside a vast forest in rural Ireland, begins to suspect he has been abducted and replaced by an otherworldly imposter: a faerie changeling.
While Cronin’s film begins as so many horror films do, with a family moving into an old, creaky house beside a deep, dark forest, it soon becomes apparent that his studied approach, attention to characterisation and mining of creepy Irish folklore will take us deeper into the dark than most. Cronin draws us slowly into the story: Sarah and Chris struggling to settle in their new home; Sarah taking medication for anxiety, and the suggestion she’s escaped from an abusive relationship; the discovery of a massive sink hole in the forest beside the house; an older neighbour who claims faeries abducted her own son years before. When Chris goes missing in the forest one night, a cuckoo-in-the-nest narrative begins to unfurl as Sarah gradually begins to suspect the boy in her house is not actually her son…
By deftly fleshing out the characters, which are bolstered by very strong performances from Kerslake and Markey, Cronin ensures we come to care about them, and as Sarah’s predicament becomes more fraught, the tension becomes ceaseless in its onslaught. Like several other Irish horror titles, including The Daisy Chain and You Are Not My Mother, The Hole in the Ground utilises the figure of the faerie changeling to immensely unsettling effect, and to explore themes of familial discord and psychological trauma. Changelings – which are emerging as a dominant figure in Irish horror cinema - are folkloric beings, malevolent faeries left in place of abducted humans, usually children. Scholars believe the origins of changelings lie in historical attempts to understand or explain changes or differences in individuals: autism, physical or mental disabilities, complex learning needs, postpartum depression, PTSD etc. A belief in fairies and old superstitions still prevail in parts of Ireland, particularly in smaller, rural communities. Mirrors in the homes of the recently deceased are covered over so they won’t catch any reflections. Certain places or objects, particularly lone hawthorn or blackthorn bushes, are regarded as sacred, and misfortune will befall anyone who harms them. The shot of Chris running into the vast forest as an aeroplane soars overhead perfectly encapsulates these ideas of Ireland as a place where the modern intersects with ancient beliefs and traditions of the Old Ways. Autumnal hues enhance the weird, melancholy atmosphere, as the threat of the supernatural encroaches upon the everyday, while the score by Stephen McKeon (The Cellar) ensures a chilliness throughout proceedings. There’s also effective use of old folksy schoolyard songs, including 'The Rattlin’ Bog' and 'Weile Waile', which is based on an old murder ballad called 'The Cruel Mother.'
Events are initially ambiguous enough to cast doubt on Sarah’s suspicions. Is there any truth to her neighbour’s claims? Or are they just the sad rantings of an old, senile woman? Is Chris really acting strangely? We only really see him in the context of reacting to Sarah, who is going through her own struggles - the scar on her forehead suggests she’s a survivor of violent abuse - and has been prescribed medication, which could be altering her perception. The third act dispenses with ambiguity and delves into outright terror as Sarah descends into the sink hole to search for Chris in a uterine, subterranean labyrinth. The design of the creatures she encounters there is hauntingly effective – it makes sense for creatures who impersonate others to have no face of their own…
The Hole in the Ground is an immensely compelling, creepy film, grounded by powerful performances and strewn with striking imagery. The moments of ferocity that puncture the narrative, and the powerful depiction of a family unit in crisis, would return with a vengeance in Cronin’s next film, Evil Dead Rise (2023).