The Hole (1997 film)

The Hole (literally "The Trap") is a 1997 South Korean film directed by Kim Sung-hong.

Plot
Jin-sook has a close relationship with her son, Don-woo, and is surprised when he announces his engagement to Su-jin. After the wedding, the three end up living together, with a nervous Su-jin keen to impress her new mother-in-law. But Jin-sook is determined to sabotage her son's marriage.

Cast

 * Yoon So-jeong ... Jin-sook
 * Choi Ji-woo ... Su-jin
 * Park Yong-woo ... Dong-woo
 * Mun Su-jin
 * Lee Seung-woo
 * Jeon Hong-ryeol
 * Koo Hye-ryung
 * Youn Sung-hun
 * Tae Yu-rim
 * Kim Gye-pae
 * Seo Eun-sun
 * Kim Tae-beom
 * Gang Gyeong-ja
 * Lee Seok-hwan
 * O Hyo-seok

Release
The Hole was released in South Korea on 1 November 1997 and received a total of 141,717 admissions in Seoul, making it the tenth biggest selling Korean film of that year.

Critical response
David Cornelius of DVD Talk found the film somewhat limited in scope, saying, "The limitations placed upon the story prevent any broadening of ideas, leaving us only with a clichéd chunk of domestic thriller that plays out by the numbers". However, he also acknowledged that such limitations also helped the film in other areas, saying, "The Hole becomes very claustrophobic, with a tension that never lets up for the last forty-some minutes. It's grandiose and outrageous, yes, but it's also highly effective in building the right kind of scares".