A group of private school teens arrange for a secret party in an underground bunker. They get locked in, and their three day romp turns into a two-and-a-half week nightmare. The Hole opens with one disheveled and traumatized girl making it back to the school. The rest of the film follows the authorities’ attempts to dig up what happened underground, and why. The first half of the story seems like we’re in for standard teen horror fare, and I wasn’t entirely convinced that a bunch of snooty, clean-cut, rich kids would be so eager to spend their vacation in a filthy, dimly-lit shaft. The rest of the film really takes off by following a Rashomon path, unveiling clues in flashbacks from different characters’ viewpoints. Parts of The Hole reminded me of Cabin Fever; in both the audience can be sure anything that could go wrong for the characters most likely will…it’s just a matter of when and how badly. The two films are also similar in that the horror comes not from supernatural elements, but from the tension built by the dire situation, and tenuous friendships turning ugly under pressure. This is a dark story with twisted characters and genuine surprises.

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