Summary
- The Hole In The Ground's ending leaves viewers questioning what they just saw, with a mix of satisfaction and doubt.
- Sarah saves Chris and destroys the evil version of him, but it's unclear if they truly escaped the supernatural creatures.
- The open-ended finale suggests a possible sequel, as the lingering paranoia and presence of other creatures leave room for more story.
The Hole In The Ground ending explained that sometimes a happy ending can also have a dark side that leaves viewers questioning what they just saw. The Hole In The Ground was an Irish movie from 2019, which sees a young mother named Sarah (Seána Kerslake) move herself and her young son Chris (James Quinn Markey) to an isolated house that happens to be located near a huge sinkhole. Over time, Sarah begins to suspect there is something wrong with Chris, and as in any movie where someone moves to an isolated location, bad things start to happen and Sarah ends up fighting for her life.
Lee Cronin (Evil Dead Rise) directed The Hole In The Ground for A24, alongside co-writing the script with Stephen Shields. Shortly after moving in Sarah notices Chris' personality changes one night after he disappears for a time. She suspects he fell into the hole and was replaced by an impostor. She also hears the story of a "crazy" local woman who thought her own child was replaced by a doppelganger and later killed him in an accident. The movie mines Sarah's paranoia as she picks up on subtle changes in Chris, including him not remembering a game they used to play and suddenly not being afraid of spiders.
What Happens In The Hole In The Ground Ending
The Hole In The Ground is subtle in its approach for the first hour or so, making it feel like Sarah's fears could be unfounded. That changes during a key scene where she confronts the boy and states definitively he isn't Chris. The mask finally falls away and "Chris" attacks hers with supernatural strength and tries to smother her by burying her head in the ground. She escapes and uses a piece of mirror to reveal his monstrous true form. The finale of The Hole In The Ground sees Sarah making a Descent-style journey into the massive sinkhole, and coming across the creature's den. Chris is buried in a pile of dirt, and she digs him out, with the creatures in pursuit.
As they retreat down a tunnel one of them grabs her arm and assumes her form, but they both escape. Sarah burns down the house with the fake "Chris" inside and she and her son drive away. The Hole In The Ground's final scenes pick up with the pair sometime later, with Sarah at university. They seem happy, but Sarah takes pictures of Chris while he plays on his bike and his face looks blurry, which could just be a trick of the camera. It's also shown their apartment is covered in mirrors, suggesting that while they might have escaped Sarah's paranoia will never fully go away. The Hole in the Ground ending explained it's probably the real Chris, but the ambiguous ending sews doubt.
The Hole In The Ground Ending Is Divisive
The Hole in the Ground ending explained that Sarah saved Chris, but there was still doubt that it was as happy of an ending as many had hoped. When it comes to horror movies, there are just as many dark endings as there are happy ones, and in the case of this movie, it supplied a satisfying ending but planted the seeds of doubt that made people think when they finished watching it. It seemed like a good ending because Sarah was able to go back to school after destroying the evil version of Chris. There was also a perfect horror ending where she turned into Noreen Brady, a woman who would never completely believe Chris was real.
However, at the same time, there were areas of The Hole in the Ground ending that felt like a letdown. By burning the house down, Sarah did something very heroic and killed the demonic child inside. However, there was never any evidence that fire could destroy these creatures, so it might only be a temporary victory for Sarah and Chris. There is also the fact that there were so many more creatures in that hole, including one that took Sarah's form. This movie left such an open-ended finale, that there is no way people can come away without wondering when the other shoe will drop. It was almost like it was forcing the idea of a sequel into viewers' minds.