One night, Sarah’s young son disappears into the woods behind their rural home. When he returns, he looks the same, but his behavior grows increasingly disturbing. Sarah begins to believe that the boy who returned may not be her son at all.

[su_dropcap]T[/su_dropcap]he trailer for Lee Cronin’s supernatural horror ‘The Hole in The Ground’ has hit just before it makes its World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival in their Midnight showcase at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on January 25th, just as the North American distribution rights have been sold  to A24 and DirecTV. A24’s purchased comes on the heels of its highly successful horror hit ‘Hereditary.’

With The Witch, Slice, The Monster, and Green Room in their portfolio, A24 is betting that lightning will strike twice in the same place—which is almost assured given the buzz spreading throughout the fanboy/fangirl base and genre blogasphere universe, who are making comparisons to ‘The Babadook.’

“a remarkable debut film, weaving suspense, terror, and supernatural folklore into a richly evocative story about the primal fears of motherhood.” —A24

‘The Hole in The Ground’ represent Cronin’s feature directing debut. Cronin’s collateral emerged with the release of his much talked about short film ‘Ghost Train’ (2013) that was later included in the ‘Minutes Past Midnight’ anthology (2016). You can watch ‘Ghost Train’ on YouTube.

A screen-capture from Lee Cronin’s 2013 career-forging short film ‘Ghost Train.’

‘The Hole in The Ground’ is expected to hit theaters in a limited run on March 1, 2019, followed its streaming service engagement after the Sundance premiere on DirectTV.

The Hole in the Ground

From Sundance Film Festival:

Sarah moves her precocious son, Chris, to a secluded new home in a rural town, trying to ease his apprehensions as they hope for a fresh start after a difficult past. But after a startling encounter with a mysterious new neighbor, Sarah’s nerves are set on edge. Chris disappears in the night into the forest behind their house, and Sarah discovers an ominous, gaping sinkhole while searching for him. Though he returns, some disturbing behavioral changes emerge, and Sarah begins to worry that the boy who came back is not her son.

Lee Cronin’s exquisitely crafted and sublimely atmospheric feature debut pairs unsettling camera work with a deeply ominous score, casting even such innocuous images as a row of toys or a children’s recital in markedly sinister light. Seána Kerslake delivers an impressively controlled performance as a mother who has centered her strength around protecting her child but finds her devotion overcome by a terrified feeling—that there’s an impostor in her house, and he’s watching her as closely as she’s watching him.

The Hole in the Ground – Poster