I try to not be a "the grass is always greener..." type of person. I don't tend to covet what other's have (unless another website is reviewing a movie I don't have) and I find jealousy to be a useless feeling. But, at times, this is unavoidable. I hate it when others can see a an interesting sounding movie when I can't. The latest feature film from Joe Dante, The Hole, opened in multiple European countries in 2010 and then played in some others in 2011. The film was shot in 2008 and took four years to receive a release in the U.S. This typically indicates that a movie is terrible. Is that the case with The Hole?

As The Hole opens (?!), Susan (Teri Polo) and her two sons, Dane (Chris Massoglia) and Lucas (Nathan Gamble), move to a small town. Dane is not happy with the move and he sulks as they move into their rental house -- although, he does enjoy looking at Julie (Haley Bennett), the girl next door. While Susan is at work, Dane and Lucas are horsing around in the basement when they find a trap door in the floor. Despite the fact that the door is padlocked, they search for the keys and open it. Once the door is open, a seemingly bottomless hole is revealed. The boys are baffled by this, as is Julie, who gets to see the hole. The mystery deepens when Lucas and Julie begin to see mysterious and scary things. As these sightings intensify, it becomes clear that an evil force has escaped the hole and taken over their lives.

However, some of the things which make The Hole work are also its primary problems as well. It's nice that the movie plays as a homage to some classic films, but this means that the movie feels very unoriginal at times. (And one of the plot twists is going to be obvious to fans of The X-Files.) The story is also a bit too simple for its own good. Dane is meant to be a sullen teen, but that also means that he's unlikable at times. Dante has given one of the visions a creepy look, but the special effects fail him with another, as something which is certainly eerie loses its menace once it moves. The finale is ambitious, but it doesn't gel with the rest of the movie and creates more questions than answers.

Some, including those involved with the film, have called The Hole a family film. I certainly wouldn't go that far. While this is a relatively tame horror movie, it's still a horror movie and it contains some creepy visuals which could easily induce nightmares in younger viewers. For everyone else, you'll find a movie which is a bit pedestrian at times, but it also shows a lot of affection for horror movies of the 80s and has enough monsters and action to keep you interested.

The Hole made me wonder how much stuff is left behind in the typical rental property on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Big Air Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 25 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing on defects from the source material. There are a handful of shots which are notably grainy, but for the most part, the picture is crystal clear. The daytime shots look fantastic, and I really appreciate a horror movie which has bright and colorful scenes to juxtapose with the darker ones. The colors look very good, and the image is never overly dark or clear. The film was shown 3D in theaters, and this 2D version still shows a nice amount of depth. The level of detail is good as well. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 3.8 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The track revels in showing off sounds coming from all over the house and thus we are treated to a nice amount of stereo and surround effects. These effects are nicely detailed and there are a few times where sounds are isolated in the speakers. The subwoofer effects work well, most notably when the trapdoor is slammed shut.

The Hole Blu-ray Disc contains a few extras...which have an odd amount of parentheses. "The Keyholder (Keeper of The Hole)" (3 minutes) examines Bruce Dern's involvement in the film through on-set footage and comments Dante and others, but not Dern. This short segment is made up mostly of film clips. "Relationships (Family Matters)" (4 minutes) looks at how Dane and Lucas interact. Massoglia and Gamble discuss their characters and we see them goofing around on-set. "Making of The Hole" (12 minutes) (the on-screen title is "Gateway to Hell") brings us further comments from Dante, writer Mark L. Smith and the cast, who talk about the various elements of the story. The actors discuss their characters and there's talk of making a "traditional scary movie". "A Peek Inside The Hole" (5 minutes) is the most interesting extra here, as it examine the practical effects and special effects makeup. The final extra is a series of "Movie Stills".