Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story (2021) Review

Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story begins with the audio of a panicked call to 911 before doubling back to introduce us to director Ash Hamilton who, like most of the cast, plays himself. We learn a bit about Hamilton and his filmmaking credentials, directing the short Play with Me and producer credits on the likes of Slice & Dice as well as Camp Death III in 2D! which coincidentally enough I do as well, before getting into the actual story.

Hamilton tells us about becoming interested in Miller’s case when it made the news in 2013 and following it over the years before getting a message from somebody claiming to have Sean’s email address. This is intercut with footage of Chanell Hamilton, Ash’s wife and producer as well as Brett Peterson, the cameraman as they get ready to meet the Millers. There are also the first hints of what’s to come via what seems almost like persistent pocket calls from Sean’s phone.

Hamilton, who also wrote the script from a story by Andrew J. Peevler (David’s Demon) does a convincing job of setting the stage and hitting all the required notes for this kind of film. The occasional snippets of interviews of the Hamiltons by Douglas McDonald are our cue that this a mockumentary and not simply a found footage film, we know that at least some of the people involved survived to be interviewed.

Once we meet Sean (Sean Ed) and his wife Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story starts to resemble a haunted house film as an unseen force throws things around, the batteries in the filmmaker’s equipment die, footage of ghostly figures, etc. It might not be what we were expecting from a UFO abduction film, but it is creepy. It also raises curiosity about how the two will tie into each other.

Like many films of this kind Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story had a very low budget, IMDB says $1,000US, so there isn’t much in the way of effects. Instead, Hamilton frequently uses sound to help create a sense of unease. Characters are woken by loud noises at other times we hear odd things in the background during some scenes. There’s also a two or three-note piano piece that recurs throughout the film in interview scenes that got under my skin and helped maintain the film’s sense of unease.

Similarly, things that could be normal but seem just a bit off, such as a figure in a field staring at Sean’s house. Is it the farmer that owns it, or something more sinister? This leads to one of the few funny moments in the film when Sean’s brother-in-law begins to act oddly and somebody suggests calling the cops only to be reminded “You can’t, you know he has warrants out on him”.

If you don’t like mockumentaries and/or microbudget films, Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story isn’t likely to change your opinion. The lack of effects and reliance on sounds and quick glimpses will turn off those viewers off. Others should get pulled in by the film’s convincing characters and creepy atmosphere. Hamilton really does a good job of using suggestion to build the film’s atmosphere and a sense of tension as we wait for the aliens to show themselves. And when they eventually do it’s a frantic and well-edited sequence with some genuinely frightening moments.

Deskpop Entertainment has released Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story on VOD and Digital platforms in the US. It will be available in Canada on December 6th. You can check Deskpop’s website or the film’s Facebook page for more details. And if you’re looking for more films like this, FilmTagger can suggest some titles.

Where to watch Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story