A boy and a his small brother with their single mom shift to a small town named Bensonville from Brooklyn. They are living a nomadic life and always moving. Do you ever unpack the boxes? asks the gorgeous Julie from next door. Apparently they are running from something. And this new house has a big bottomless hole which is accidentally discovered by the brothers. What are they running from? And whats the secret behind the bottomless hole in their house? This movie answers these questions albeit a tad slowly.
This movie isn't listed as horror on IMDb. But it is on wikipedia. But with a tagline that says "What are you so afraid of" its gotta be on the horror list. And that hole looks creepy. And I must say it has some very creepy moments for a non horror movie. But its in the middle where not much happens and it turns into a drama unable to up the creep factor. Maybe it wasn't meant to be a horror movie afterall. But it had a great premise to show more than it actually did. PG 13 sucks.
Joe Dante (Gremlins n Gremlins2) directs this fantasy horror. As his film repertoire suggests he is no stranger to horror. Especially comedic horror. And in this he uses his expertise to great advantage. He creates situations which looks creepy on the outset but makes you laugh by the time the scene ends. And writer Mark Smith helps him in a creating a movie with so much meaning and depth. It hit home for me. And even a killer clown makes an appearance. Which makes it even better. Well done Joe n Mark.
The young cast is extremely talented. Especially the two boys who have the most work to do. Chris Massoglia(Dane) n his small brother played by Nathan Gamble(Lucas) do excellent work. As does their mom played by Teri Polo(Susan). They all are running away from their fight and nobody is happy about it. And all the moving is straining the relations between Susan and Dane. And then arrives the girl next door Haley Bennett(Julie). And more importantly the hole is discovered. We should count the hole as an actor in this one cos its the epicentre on which the whole movie revolves. A symbol of loss and hope. Of courage and fear. So well done cast.
One thing which caught my eye was cinematography. Excellent work by Theo Sande. He has Cruel Intentions and Blade on his resume. So no surprises there. The music score isn't as good. While editing is decent.
HighTension Verdict: As a movie on high on symbolism it interests me. But as a horror it doesn't cos its too damn slow. But a couple of scary scenes with great chemistry between the actors and a very good ending that hit home for me it isn't a bad proposition. SO....
HighTension Meter: 6.5/10.
Best Quote: Julie: I know what you've got. You've got a gateway to hell under your house. And that is really cool
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