Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story

source: Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story

Have now seen this twice. Second time was VOD, first was Macabre Film Festival 2022. Having actively researched the abduction phenomena myself I can say this is one of the closest representations that I have seen. From the trauma the central couple experience to the experiences of the crew, these are events that could have easily been related by a real experiencer. As far as the film's production is concerned there is never a point where it feels like an indie or "small" film. The acting is executed perfectly and even when at times it might feel the movie has over-extended itself with f/x or scenes outside of its budget it reigns itself in just in time to retain an element of plausibility. Well worth its second viewing and still managed to get under my skin. Highly Recommend!!!

I'm beginning to think that many of the negative reviews on here are simply from people that either have no clue what the subgenre of found footage actually is or simply dislike it, but continue to watch films that fall into the category nevertheless, and then hate them. I watch a LOT of independent films... A LOT and I really can't understand most of the complaints here. For an hour and a half film it had a nice buildup with well executed exposition, GREAT acting for a film of its scale and good direction. I feel like complaints about the handheld footage etc are simply complaints about the nature of found footage. Again, if found footage isn't your bag, quite simply stop watching it. As a UFO researcher and someone that has spent a lot of time in those trenches, this film really does do something different and examines the actual WEIRDNESS that quite often occurs but is rarely talked about. It also does it convincingly without undermining the emotions of the experiencers. Well done on all accounts in my opinion. Conversational moments in the film are just that and manage to come across as extremely organic. A great addition to found footage and the examination of the alien abduction phenomena.

I had been waiting to see this film for over a year, since I had first heard about its award wins on the festival circuit. I had heard the film was a slow burn, but a gratifying one and that was all that I needed to hear. As a UFOlogist and paranormal researcher I was told this one didn't denigrate the subject matter, but instead took a look at the weirder side of the studies, all in a fictional framework that consistently maintained a creepy, unsettling tone. I was not disappointed. The film, first of all does a remarkable job of suspending the audience's disbelief. For a cast of relative unknowns the acting is not only convincing, but so organic that it actually had me researching several elements of the story just to see if ANY of it actually counted as evidence. That part, I will not give away. Let me make something absolutely clear though... this is not a traditional narrative. Told more as a documentary (mockumentary) the film jumps from interview to recovered footage to other styles of filmmaking frequently. In other words, if you're looking for a sci-fi movie of the week, keep looking as this one requires a little more brainpower than most and some will simply not have for the patience for it. For those that do, however, it is an EXTREMELY rewarding look at what happens when normal people are forced to see the world through an abnormal, unnatural lens. My only complaint would be the running time. The film, had it been only 10 minutes longer might have answered more questions as the movie in its entirely is fairly open-ended. I didn't mind, but some might.

I feel like a fool for paying to watch this. When I think of the time I invested searching for a good movie to watch, and fell for the reviews on this one, it chaps my ... I'm sorry, but you have a responsibility to provide a modicum of entertainment when you require someone to pay for entertainment. There were so many twists and turns and strange events - that in no way tied together or even made sense on their own - that it was impossible to stay focused and maintain interest. Unbelievable, unrelatable, nonsensical, no discernible plot, no answers to any questions. Certainly not the slightest bit scary. Zero value for investment.

Ash and Chanell (his wife) portray the events in this "documentary" as a true story based in reality. This could not be further from the truth. The thinly veiled lie Ash is telling on film, in tears no less, doesn't make him a "great director", it makes him just another fraud within a community already rife with frauds attempting to capitalize off of "believers". There's a scene where Sean Miller and his wife are outside their house at night, approaching a side door, and you can hear a few knocks at the door. There's a painfully obvious CGI version of a ghost edited into the movie, that knocks on the door and then runs off into the back yard. It's incredibly cheesy. Sean Miller's sister & her husband (Drew) show up for a bbq, and there's a scene where Drew approaches a figure standing still out in the middle of a corn field. The whole scene is a crock of baloney, 1) Drew is a horrible, disaster of an actor, 2) Drew gets impregnated by the 'figure' in the cornfield, 3) Drew starts acting like a feral animal, spewing up warm dark chocolate all over Ash, 4) they couldn't call an ambulance because "Drew has a warrant", 5) Drew and his wife just vanish out of the plotline, no follow up to an obvious "alien encounter", no further discussion about it, etc. If this really happened, it would've been National News. There's a scene where Ash is awoken in the middle of the night by 'strange noises', he gets up, starts recording and looks out the window - he sees an obvious person standing in the middle of the yard, arms outstretched like a zombie, and immediately starts running at the camera. Ash turns away and you hear stomping on the roof. Not once did Ash call 911, wake anyone up, or do anything about it. The whole event goes by and absolutely nothing is done about it. It's such bs. There's a scene towards the end of the movie where Ash and Channell are about to leave Sean Miller's house, but woops they stayed too late and it's nighttime now. They see a light out in the middle of the corn field, so they run back inside....except Ash has to go outside and inspect. Ash grabs a camera and approaches the cornfield, to find a face-shaped light with a CGI face on it hiding behind a tree, sticking its head out from both sides...like a child would do. Ash freaks out, runs back inside, and no footage of what Ash captured is ever discussed or shown on film. This is where they just shove the film over the cliff of BS mountain - Ash goes to extreme lengths to make himself look like an honest, generous and very humble person, he talks about "writing checks to people" to the people/families he's hurt but no one is accepting his money or taking his calls, he talks about how he can't tell people what truly happened because they wouldn't believe it, he even outright contradicts himself (Rick James' style) by talking how he couldn't release the documentary while at the same the only people taking his calls are people that want his documentary and he's constantly taking the blame for every little bad manufactured event. The whole film just screams thirsty for attention with insulting undertones for making a "documentary" in the hopes people will buy it, and when called out on their BS, they simply point to the fact the movie is listed as a "horror movie". This is the most slimy type of film making, it's not entertaining and the whole premise is based on the hope the audience buys a seemingly delicious fruit, with an absolutely rotten & disgusting center. In other words, what we have here is regurgitated bait and switch on the community of "believers" - it will not stand.

For those of you looking for a bombastic aliens vs. Humans shoot-em-up... just keep moving. We have those films already and they're not difficult to find. The abduction phenomena is a multi-faceted puzzle where the media rarely shows more than ones side. It is a complicated and often frustrating side of UFOlogy that often leaves researchers scratching their heads. It is full of poltergeist like activity, dopplegangers and, for the experiencers, a lot of PTSD. Director Ash Hamilton has chosen not only to show that side of the phenomena, but in a way that conveys that same sense of dread and unease that the subject often evokes. Everything from the interviews to the supposed "found" footage gives us an air of not only plausibility, but one that rings of years of research and the painstaking attempt to characterize it in a way that feels more like documentary reporting and less like parody. In other words, this film shoots straight. The scares, when they do come are jarring and hold an unsettling otherworldly quality that films of this budget often fail to realize. For all that is shows us, Holes really succeeds in what it implies; glimpses of a story too bizarre to really discern and that is where the film truly gets under your skin. A slow burn that often tries to work outside of its budget, Holes in the Sky is a perfect example of a filmmaker doing their homework.

The biggest fault of this movie is that it focuses way too much on the filmmakers, which really skews the focus of this movie. The part where they talk about sad songs is super cringe, and it feels like a vanity project. They don't even describe what the original Sean Miller story was until like a third of the way in. It feels like a student film, not in a good way. The audio is not good. I feel like we saw way too much of the filmmakers for this to be a believable found footage "documentary" film. The video quality is also pretty poor. The acting is poor. The most common voice and face is Ash, who's supposed to be a professional filmmaker/documentarian, which goes against how you make a documentary. This definitely feels like the filmmakers had friends left positive reviews, so the IMBD score is egregiously skewed.

The first 10-15mins or so i had to pause and check if this was a real documentary or not, but i decided against it and carried on watching.. I must say from the start, Ash and Channell's 'acting' was so real it unnerved me a bit, so much so that after 25 mins in i had to stop and tell myself : "this is just a story, everyone is fine.." (I hope..) Sean also played exceptionally well, if this was acting it was the most fluid form I've ever seen.. This to me is not horror of course, it is a drama/paranormal documentary style film.. But oh my word did it leave an impact.. I must commend all the people who worked on this, all actors and crew did a phenomenal job Will I watch it again?....not a chance....lol.

Despite the niche of filmmakers with tight budgets to tend to rely on this type of movie, Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story is a well thought out and entertaining film. What stood out the most was the solid performances of the cast. Convincing portrayals of witness and experts really help the narrative along when you're trying to convince an audience the fictional story you're telling is based on fact. I loved the nods to other dissapearance related documentary shows as well as the commentary. Like any film with a small allowance, it's east to see where cuts were made. But these were done with care. Really great work. Watch it, don't skip it.