New horror movie The Hole in the Ground was inspired by a horrifying real-life tragedy

The Hole in the Ground is set to be one of the year's stand-out horrors, but the real-life story that partly inspired it was even more horrifying.

Talking to Digital Spy, writer/director Lee Cronin explained that he was developing a story about the "mistrust" between a mother and son, before that idea began to "slowly merge together" with something different.

"There was a particular news story I saw about – this was a long time ago – a man in Florida was watching TV in his armchair in his sitting room and a small sinkhole opened up beneath him," he recalled.

"He was unable to be rescued, he fell down into the earth and I thought that was horrific. If someone has a heart attack, it’s very sudden, but this was crazily fantastical. It got me thinking and researching sinkholes and what they were."

The Hole in the Ground centres on single-mother Sarah (Seána Kerslake) who begins to suspect that her son Chris (James Quinn Markey) is definitely not her son anymore.

For Kerslake, the movie was a chance to get to do something different to her usual roles as it felt "like a huge challenge that [she] was afraid to do".

She also understands why 'creepy kid' horrors remain so effective. "I think there’s something terrifying, somebody that you think you know so well and is almost a part of you, not being who you think they are anymore," she noted.

"You’re not in everybody’s heads and you don’t know what they’re thinking, so do you really ever know anybody and what they’re capable of?"

Cronin added: "I wonder, for a lot of people and having children, their presence is a huge part of their legacy moving forward in life.

"As grim as this sounds, leaving a piece of them behind. I’m not saying that’s the only reason people have children, but I do wonder if challenging that legacy or darkening that or disturbing it really unnerves people."

Whatever it is that's scary about kids, it certainly works in The Hole in the Ground which is now out in UK and US cinemas.

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Ian Sandwell

Movies Editor, Digital Spy 

Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards.   He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.