The Hole in the Ground ending explained: What happens at the end of the horror movie?

The Irish movie, The Hole in the Ground, joined the HBO Max library of horror movies. If you missed this one in theaters, now is the perfect time to stream it! Once you check it out, come back here to break down the ending of the movie with us.

Spoiler alert! Major spoilers ahead if you have not watched The Hole in the Ground on HBO Max. Go stream the movie and rush back!

The Lee Cronin directed feature premiered in 2019 and was recently added to HBO Max. Though it takes a while for the movie to pick up, the wait is worth it! The movie follows Sarah (Seana Kerslake) and her young son Chris (James Quinn Markey) as they move to an isolated home in the woods for a fresh start.

Though we never get any details about what happened to cause this move, there are enough clues for audiences to conclude that Sarah escaped from an abusive relationship. One night, Chris takes off running into the woods after an argument with his mom. And the boy who returns is not Chris, but an imposter — or so says Sarah.

What happens at the end of The Hole in the Ground?

Assuming you’ve seen the movie, let’s dive right in! Final spoiler warning.

After confirming that the person in her home is definitely not her son. Sarah goes down a giant hole in the ground in the middle of the woods. She believes her son is there and, sure enough, she quickly finds Chris’ body. But they are not alone. Sarah and Chris are able to escape, but not before seeing one of the creatures there transform into Sarah’s doppelgänger.

We don’t learn exactly what or who these creatures are, but the hole looks like something crashed there from space. Perhaps, aliens? Your guess is as good as mine.

Is that the real Chris at the end of The Hole in the Ground?

In the final scene, Sarah is back in college and living with a happy Chris. But Sarah continues to be paranoid after the haunting experience. She takes pictures of Chris from the window and one picture does appear blurry, but the rest come out just fine. As the camera zooms out, we see that Sarah’s new home is covered in mirrors, so she will likely be paranoid for the rest of her life.

As for the Chris she brought out of the hole being the real Chris, my guess is that he is. The blurry picture is common when a subject is photographed in motion, and Chris was riding his bike. What do you think?