“The Hallow” is 97 minutes that feels like 97 years.
This 2015 Irish horror film was written by Hardy and Felipe Marino. And directed by Corin Hardy – Ireland’s answer to Ari Aster. It has marginal visual appeal. The acting is fine, but the story is far too simple. A family resides at a remote woodland cabin. There are supernatural entities in the forest that don’t want them there. The end.
Adam (Joseph Mawle) is a conservationist. A plant loving hippie that takes his wife (Bojana Novakovic) and their baby to a cabin in the woods. Adam is studying something, but the film never reveals much, other than he’s saving nature.
A seemingly sinister neighbor (Michael McElhatton) wants Adam and his family to vacate. They begin seeing creepy creatures in the shadows. Scary Irish folklore. The forest belongs to the Hallow, didn’t you know?
Game of Thrones
Joseph Mawle and Michael McElhatton are quite recognizable from Game of Thrones. The acting is fine. It’s just the lack of anything to the characters that makes the film suffer. Yes there are evil creatures that reside in the forest. Yes they attack. But that’s pretty much it. There’s no growth of overall arc to the story. Adam loves his family. Colm (McElhatton) wants them to leave. That’s all folks.
I did like a horror foreign film without subtitles. And there are some great lines. My favorite being the sheriff explaining to Adam “This isn’t London. Things here go bump in the night.” That’s gold.
The design of the creatures isn’t terrible. They’re spooky to say the least. A bit gross, but there’s a genesis for something good. The story dives down two fronts. The creatures and the monstrous plants. Ultimately its one big WTF moment after another.
I would skip “The Hallow.” I heard it praised on one of the numerous horror podcasts I listen to. Not sure why. It sucks, or, as they say in Ireland, she’s a real sickner.
“The Hallow” can be rented on Amazon.
