Ash Hamilton has come a long way since his previous film Play With Me. Coinciding with a horror board game, the film was more of a short clip that gave some insight into what the game’s ethos was and how it could be imagined in your mind’s eye. Now, writer-director Ash Hamilton has a new venture. A fully-fledged feature horror film called Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story.
Holes in the Sky
Whether you like found footage as a medium for making films, there is a vast degree of difference between one that passes muster and one that does not. The evidence amassed by film fans who have been burned too many times by a POV shaky cam as well as, monotonous and dark screens is certainly where a lot of the complaints come from. And how does “Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Stroy” fare, I bet you’re asking? Surprisingly well. And it’s no surprise it’s picked up the awards it’s been given.
The story takes on the persona of a paranormal enthusiast, his wife, and a lifelong friend who reopen a query concerning the disappearance of Sean Miller. Sean disappeared for a few days before reappearing and simply going on with his life. Unknown to the filmmakers, Sean’s life was anything but normal. He had simply learned to live the life he’d been given. As Ash and his small crew start digging around, they soon discover there is more to the story. The local legends floating around about lights in the sky alongside Sean’s account of his version of events grow suspiciously creepy.
How Small Was the Budget? Pretty Small
What I liked about the documentary was the thought that went into the storyline. It’s easy to see where budget restraints jammed them up and where editing could be a little tighter. But that hasn’t ruined the pacing too much. There is a 911 call played on screen later in the piece that goes on for some time for example. Another point was sections of dialogue sound improvised and stand out alongside obvious careful scripting. The performances are really good though for almost all of the cast. The filmmakers bring in witnesses and expert opinions and compared with other films like Holes in the Sky, they are convincing in the roles they take on.
Like any investigation into the paranormal, even well-known filmmakers rely on the gullibility of their audience to fact find evidence and make it convincing. I’ve seen photos in magazines as well as made-for-TV documentaries that utilize the red line around a dark shadow to show us what we should see. Whether you’ve bought into any of this type of thing before is on you, but I liked how this trope was used here.
Is Holes in the Sky a True Story?
To sum up, there is a lot to like about Holes in the Sky and the film is highly entertaining with likable characters. There are some creepy ideas backed up with official-sounding information. Despite going into the film with the view of nothing in the film being based on real events, I still found myself googling a few things afterward to check. I even found a Reddit thread where users commented on the real footage being included in this film. A good film makes you doubt yourself. Mission accomplished.
Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story is rated
3.5 alien abductions out of 5
Winner of “Best”
So far the film has been doing the film festival circuit playing at a total of 13 festivals. It won 9 awards too which were tallied from the following categories:
- Reality Horror, Best Sc-Fi Feature, Best Feature Director – Fright Night Film Fest
- Feature Film – ScareFest
- Horror Film, Best Science Fiction Film – Multi Dimension Film Festival
- Film – Dark History and Horror Con’s Screaming Mad Film Festival
- Documentary – Kaiju Film Festival
- Audience Favorite – Rt 66 Film Festival
Looking for other movies that use found footage? Watch The Life of Belle | Creep 1 and 2 |VHYes | Little Horror Movie or Char Man
Looking for other movies about aliens and abductions? Watch Breach | Sputnik | Toxic Alien Babes | Short Film Sci-Fi Show Case
- Writer-Director Ash Hamilton
- Stars: Sean Ed, Ash Hamilton, and Chanell Hamilton.
- Production by Horror-Fix Films
- Release details to be confirmed. Stay tuned to Mother of Movies for more details.
Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story Trailer
“… and that was the very first few hours that we started experiencing what they had obviously been going through for years. At first, it was… well, it was fascinating… later, that would change to something… far more terrifying.”
Ash Hamilton for the film Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story.
Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story, Find Out What Happened 7 Years After The Disappearance - Mother of Movies
Director: Ash Hamilton
Date Created: 2021-10-01 12:05
3.5
Pros
- Excellent cinematography and solid performances.
- Interesting sotry and some believable moments.
Cons
- Some of the dialogue sounds improvised,
- Filler that goes a little too long.
