The Hole (2009) **1/2 out of *****

Director:  Joe Dante
Writer:  Mark L. Smith
Cast:  Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble, w/ Teri Polo & Bruce Dern

When a teen male, his younger brother, and their single mother move into a new house in Small Town Anywhere, USA, it seems as if boredom is the only local pastime.  With the aid of the neighboring adolescent female love interest, the 3 youths inadvertently unleash an evil presence in the basement of their new home, through a hole that physically manifests your deepest and darkest fears. 
Joe Dante's ("Gremlins" "Innerspace") latest effort suffers from two immediate issues; an obviously low budget, and a running theme of failing to achieve anything great.  Had this flick been given more green to spend (and perhaps a 1980's release), it could have fleshed out the moments in the film that really called for a grandiose scale, filling the thin and tired plot with some substantial style and flashy effects.
Instead we get what feels like a made for TV movie, albeit a decent one.  Everything is painfully average here, from the acting and cinematography, to the story and direction.
As far as the 3-D element is concerned, it outright fails.  The current Hollywood trend of adding another supposed dimension (one that allows them to reach deeper into your pocket) still usually has obvious gags in its 2-D counterpart.  Those moments when you think "oh, so I would've paid $5 more for that?  Lame."  With this feature however, outside of the opening credit sequence there were maybe 2 or 3 bits, a formatting decision that clearly began with "pro" and ended with "fit."
This is more of a family affair at it's core though,  as it's interesting enough to keep adults watching, and tame enough to keep the kids from sleeping with the lights on...like an extended episode of "Goosebumps" or "Are You Afraid of the Dark."