STARRING: Thora Birch, Desmond Harrington, Daniel Brocklebank, Keira Knightley, Laurence Fox, Embeth Davidtz

LINE ON THE POSTER: Desperate to get in, Dying to get out

WHAT HAPPENS: In a deserted British private school plastered with posters of four missing students, a dirty and deranged girl wanders looking for help until she fines a telephone and lets outs a piercing scream. This is Lizzie (Birch) one of the four students to have gone missing and it is through her story-telling that the nightmare incident that has gone before is put together. Wanting to skive a Geography field trip the four of them lock themselves away in a disused War bunker, but soon reality and fiction become blurred and trust doesn't exist ,as what begins as fun descends into something far more horrifying.

ANY GOOD?: Yeah, it's definitely worth a watch especially if you like your movies with a dark edge and full of confusing twists and turns. The film succeeds in conveying a very strong sense of claustrophobia, which makes you more enthralled and entwined in the predicament of the characters. It's also good to see a British film not being about 'mockney' idiots thinking they're Reggie Kray and the style and the themes of the film are refreshingly original. Thora Birch, best known as the daughter in American Beauty, just about pulls off a British accent but newcomers Laurence Fox and Keira Knightley are 'hot ones to watch'. Th Hole is a great low-key thriller with a disturbing edge, like Shallow Grave, that will make you think about how close you 'really are' to your friends.

BEST BIT: The grim realisation that they may not get out of 'The Hole' for quite some time...a scary thought.

INTERESTING FACT: 'The Hole' is based on the best selling cult novel by Guy Burt

LIKED IT, TRY: The Blair Witch Project, Event Horizon or Shallow Grave

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