"it's still a smooth, smart, and likeable story with a decent pop-psychology twist"

Joe Dante is back with a feature film after a very long break only interrupted by the occasional American TV work. From the poster and trailer I expected a predictable tween adventure with a supernatural twist, a bit like the old school Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark". To my delight, this was far more enjoyable than just a silly kids' film.

The nightmare begins when a single sprightly mother, her angst-ridden adolescent son Dane and nervous pre-teen Lucas move into a new house in a strange neighbourhood, only to discover a seemingly bottomless pit locked away under a trapdoor in the basement. Curiosity gets the better of the boys and it is not long before they lower a camera into the mysterious hole in an attempt to film the unknown, but, as video footage shows in one of the films eeriest moments, some things are better left undisturbed. The idea is pretty neat in itself, because what could scare you more than your greatest fear?

The 80's gave us kids' adventures that dripped with real danger like "The Goonies" or "Labyrinth", and of course Joe Dante's "Gremlins". These are considered menacing classics unlike most of the sugary rubbish kids are dealt these days and "The Hole" is a worthy successor to these films and isn't afraid to push your nerves just that little bit further than you might expect.

I'm on the fence with the novelty of 3D, in this instance it lasts for roughly the first ten minutes of a film. Afterwards it simply distracts from whats going on and tends to blur any action above a certain speed. Unfortunately Chris Massoglia makes a rather flat male lead, and is consistently outshone by offbeat looker Hayley Bennett and sparky 11-year-old Nathan Gamble while Bruce Dern is great in his cameo.

Director, Joe Dante successfully keeps you on the edge of your seat with constantly mounting tension and silly jumps that make the audience giggle as much as scream. The Hole is isn't likely to give anyone outside of toddler range any nightmares, but it's still a smooth, smart, and likeable story with a decent pop-psychology twist.