There may be a gaping hole in the ground of director Lee Cronin and co-writer Stephen Shields’ debut feature, but there are no holes in the thrilling plot which grips from the opening frame to the final cut to black.

Nor are there holes in the casting and performances, with Seána Kerslake and James Quinn Markey in terrific form as mother and son Sarah and Chris O’Neill.

The former on the verge of a nervous breakdown as she is tormented by the thought that her lonely but loving boy may have been possessed by an evil spirit, which legend has it wreaked havoc on a local family headed by the taciturn Des (an excellent James Cosmo) whose rugged demeanour like that of the land hides a secret.

With a jarring score by Stephen McKeon and bleak cinematography by Tom Comerfeld, the focus is more on the unspoken as mother and son trade wary glances and blank stares. A charged silence which erupts into a thrilling finale where their fate remains shrouded in mystery.

It may contain many of the tropes associated with the genre – a house in a forest, a cellar with a blinking light, a disturbed child – but with the action rooted in character and the screenplay like the direction a masterclass in restraint, it contains none of the flaws. A terrific debut which grips from start to finish.

Director: Lee Cronin
Writers: Lee Cronin, Stephen Shields
Stars: Seána Kerslake, James Quinn Markey, Simone Kirby
Peter Callaghan
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