Entertainment
Unsettling, R-Rated Psychological Thriller Takes You Underground And Doesn’t Let You Out
By Robert Scucci
| Published
As a father of young children, I want my kids to strive to be the best versions of themselves that they could possibly be. I’m also worried about pushing them hard enough to shatter their confidence and make them hate me for trying to give them opportunities to grow that I wish I had when I was younger. 2021’s John and the Hole pushes these parental fears to their most extreme end because we bear witness to a 13-year-old boy finally snapping under the pressure and taking it out on his family in the worst way possible.
A slow burning psychological thriller, John and the Hole breaks down a family dynamic after its protagonist holds his parents and sister hostage in an underground bunker and proceeds to act like a complete psychopath. The most unsettling sequences in the film actually take place during the setup rather than the second and third act escalations, which left me wishing there was a more satisfying resolution.
John Is Scary
The setup for John and the Hole is as simple as it needs to be to get things moving. John (Charlie Shotwell) comes from an affluent family, but he’s constantly pressured by his parents, Brad (Michael C. Hall) and Anna (Jennifer Ehle). He’s drilled relentlessly on math and pushed athletically through grueling tennis lessons so he can qualify for competition circuits. He’s also forced to take piano lessons when all he really wants to do is play video games. By all measures, John’s family means well, but they push him just a little too hard in an effort to make sure his potential isn’t wasted.
After discovering an incomplete bomb shelter on his family’s sprawling property, John devises a plan. He drugs Brad, Anna, and his older sister Laurie (Taissa Farmiga), drags them out to the concrete hole, and only returns to feed them just enough food and water to keep them barely alive. With the house to himself and access to the family bank account and car, John picks up his friend Pete so they can enjoy their newfound freedom by playing video games and attempting to drown each other for fun.
Charlie Shotwell’s portrayal of John is the main reason you’ll want to watch John and the Hole, largely because of how convincingly he plays a young psychopath. My favorite early sequence involves John listening to his family’s voicemail greetings for research purposes, then calling the people who might be concerned by their sudden lack of communication. He mimics their voices with near-perfect pitch and cadence, which is deeply unsettling.
It’s never entirely clear what John’s endgame is, or if he even knows whether he plans to let his family out of the hole. What he does do is buy himself time so he can figure that out. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t take long for people to start snooping around and asking questions about where his family might be.
Loses The Plot In The Worst Kind Of Way
I’m not going to spoil John and the Hole for you, but one major element I’ve intentionally avoided mentioning is the framing device that opens the film. This framework pops up intermittently through brief sequences, and I really wish there was a cut of the movie that removed them entirely. These moments soften the emotional impact of the story and undercut the tension rather than adding to it.
The real story here is John and his family, the animosity he feels toward them, and the growing fear of being caught after he realizes he may have made a mistake trying to bury them alive. Every time the film drifts away from that core conflict, the stakes feel diminished instead of heightened.
After all is said and done, I thoroughly enjoyed John and the Hole, but I could have done without the narrative detours that wipe out what little margin for error the story had. If you’re looking for a frightening character study that doesn’t quite stick the landing, and you’re willing to value the journey more than the destination, you can stream John and the Hole for free on Tubi as of this writing.