Midwest horror core: ‘Holland’ gives Michigan the Hollywood treatment

By Row Light, Good Info News Wire

Holland, Michigan—famous for its Dutch heritage and Tulip Time Festival—takes center stage in the new thriller “Holland,” just in time for spring.

Nicole Kidman and Matthew McFayden star as a married couple in the new film “Holland,” a psychological thriller that takes place in none other than the storybook town of Holland, Michigan. The town serves as a major character in the film, providing a cheery backdrop for the family drama-turned-thriller. Released on Amazon Prime Video in March, the film follows the Vandergroot family as suspicions arise in a picture-perfect marriage.

While secrets and twisted affairs lurk under the surface, their son Harry prepares to perform the traditional Dutch Klompen Dance at the Tulip Time parade. Leading into the 10-day festival, the thriller raises the stakes as the family tries to keep up appearances in their close-knit community. Here’s how the fictional “Holland” lives up to the real town and its legendary tulip festival.

The real-life “Wilkom to Downtown Holland” sign. (BazookaJoe/Wikimedia Commons)

Holland’s main-character energy

The 100-year-old Tulip Time Festival has been voted “America’s Best Small Town Festival” and “Best Flower Festival,” and its representation in “Holland” certainly lives up to the hype. Though scenes of the Tulip Time parade were actually filmed in Clarksville, Tennesee, the film features plenty of Michigan pride, with flags from Michigan State, the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, and Detroit Red Wings, plus “Future Farmers of America Holland Chapter” and “Rotary Club of Holland” parade floats. The parade also has traditional Dutch dancing and festive clothing, marking the importance of history and cultural heritage in the small town’s traditions.

The film also includes plenty of the real town of Holland, alongside the scale model Fred Vandergroot (McFayden) builds of its streets, houses, and the Amtrak station as it was in 2000 (the year the movie takes place). High school Life Management teacher Nancy Vandergroot (Kidman) and her mild-mannered colleague Dave (played to perfection by Gael García Bernal) go on a field trip to Windmill Island Gardens, scaling “DeZwaan,” the last working windmill to be transported out of the Netherlands back in 1964.

Admiring the formal gardens and fields of over 140,000 tulips, the characters discuss marriage, their childhood dreams, and the town’s stifling social scene. They also lead students through Dutch history exhibits, an influence echoed throughout the film. Besides Tulip Time’s Dutch traditions, the audience also sees the Vandergroot family say grace in Dutch at mealtimes, and several characters order Bitterballen—a kind of fried meatball dumpling—at a restaurant.

“De Zwann” windmill in Holland, Michigan. (Dorothy/Flickr)

A word of warning for the horror factor

This isn’t director Mimi Cave’s first stab at horror: She also directed the 2022 thriller “Fresh” starring Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar Jones. Unlike “Fresh,” however, there are no apparent themes of cannibalism in “Holland.” Still, this film’s perfectly sculpted miniature town and doll-like residents definitely stray into the uncanny valley, and third-act twists will keep viewers on edge until the credits roll. Though there aren’t too many jump scares, the Vandergroot family’s secrets playing out against the backdrop of Tulip Time festivities gives everything a sinister, technicolor tinge. As much fun as it might be to watch “Holland” with the kids, be warned that there is violence in the film’s latter half, plus enough creepy doll imagery to give viewers of all ages nightmares.

Easter eggs for Midwesterners

The movie has Australian actress Kidman (Nancy) and British actor McFayden (Fred) attempting Midwestern accents to some success, though they mostly provide comedic relief. Standout lines include “I’m just so cheesed off!” and Fred offering their son “pop and milk,” which Nancy calls “so unhealthy!” Michigan natives will get a special kick out of Nancy’s indignant declaration, “This isn’t Allegan, it’s Holland!” and feel the impulse to calculate the distance between Holland and Fred’s various dental conferences (search: ETA Holland to Greenville? To Frankenmuth? Do these trips necessitate staying overnight?).

Kidman’s character christens her own brand of Midwest horror when her polished “Stepford Wives” facade clashes with the messy realities of “Life Management” at home. When she puts too much ketchup on her freshly cooked meatloaf, she attempts to smear it off with her hands. Instead, it gets everywhere and splatters on her face, making her look like Lady Macbeth covered in blood.

Tulips in Downtown Holland. (BazookaJoe/Wikimedia Commons)

The real Tulip Time Festival

Though “Holland” might explore the dark side of small-town life and Tulip Time festivities, you can always reenact some of the sweeter moments in the film—try Bitterballen at a restaurant, visit Windmill Island Gardens, or see over six million tulips blooming at locations across the city. You can hit the motherload at Veldheer’s, a 40-acre farm featuring more than four million tulips, along with Deklomp Wooden Shoe & Delft Factory. It’s not too late to plan your trip to the real Tulip Time festival, May 2-11, 2025, and admission is free: Just make sure to check out the Tulip Time schedule on the event’s website. And, if you choose to stream “Holland” on Amazon Prime, remember that the real town of Holland is nothing to be afraid of. (Right?)

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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