The Hallow

I love Ireland , and the irish people are so friendly. When i travelled to Ireland in november 2014 , i remember how much i enjoyed the visit. Great food, lovely whisky and irish music of course. I am going back soon again, because once you have visited Ireland, you will always want to go back. But let´s look at something else, that i enjoy about Ireland. There are many great irish films made, and many great irish actors. For example, who can forget The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Frank, In The Name Of The Father and The Boxer ? There are other great titles worth mentioning, but one thing is clear. Ireland delivers, in many different ways. There are some good horror films out there also, where Irish Film Board have been involved in different films. One good example is the science fiction horror film The Last Days On Mars. Maybe not a classic in any way, or very original, but a nice surprise with classic elements. Unfortunately many people never even heard of this film, so i doubt many people have seen it. I suggest you go and rent it, if you enjoy the combination of sci fi horror. One of the performances in this film that really suprised me was actor Olivia Williams. She really is the strongest character in this film, tough as hell. By the way, if you have not seen her in An Education, i suggest you do. Since i always try and look for indepenent horror films, more than big budget releases, you never know what to expect. Every year, there are plenty of horror independent films released, so you simply have to pick some of them. To be honest, some look so terrible that i don´t even check out the trailer. At the Sundance Filmfestival 2015, i was hearing some positive feeback on the independent horror film called The Hallow. There was even one movie critic that called it one of the best films in the entire festival. That got me really excited, because usually you know good reviews will give you something in return. I managed to get myself a dvd from England, to make sure i could see it in, and support independent films at the same time. Is this a suprisingly good horror film, or is the positive feedback from Sundance Film Festival last year over hyped ?

Adam Hitchens ( Joseph Mawle ) is a british conservationist, who moves to the irish countryside with his wife Claire Hitchens ( Bojana Novakovic ), and their new born baby Finn. A remoted village is close by, so they have everything they need to live simple. Adam takes a walk into the forest with baby Finn, as he discover an abandoned house with a dead animal inside. He notice a strange substance, and decide to take a sample of it, just to see what it could be. Back in their house , Claire gets a visit from the village, Colm Donnelly ( Michael McElhatton ). He wants to talk to Adam, but since Adam is not home, he walks away mad. Not knowing why Colm would be upset, Adam and Claire continue their normal family life. But when strange things begin to happen, both inside their house and outside, their lives change completely. At first, it might seem harmless. Until Colm comes back again, warning them that they should leave their house. At first, Adam belive that Colm is behind all the strange events around the house, but once the truth is out, nothing will ever be the same again.

When you have seen so many horror films, you are no longer surprised on many releases. Many times you can have a feeling of what will happen, or at least have a pretty good guess on the plot. The Hallow may not be very original in some ways, but this film does manage to pick up some surprising nice turns along the way. The Hallow reminds me of classic 80 's horror films , with odd creatures. In some ways i can also see influences from John Carpenter´s The Thing, but without the gore. The story is pretty simple, and not original in any way. But what makes The Hallow feel interesting, is the creepy atmosphere that follows around the forest. We don´t know what is going on, and that is actually a solid start of the film. As the film goes on, and we get to see the creatures appear, i am actually pleased. They don´t attack too easy, it is more of they just appear, to sneak upon their victims. Director Corin Hardy have directed several short films over the years, but this is his first feature debut film, as an director. And i have to say, i enjoy his work. He manage to both mix creepy situations, and use monsters in an effective way. One of the important details, is that he does not like CGI. The creatures are made by hand, so you know that he likes old school horror films. So do we have something that could have been improved ? I actually would have liked if the film was a bit longer, at least 10 more minutes with the creepy atmosphere. And i suppose in some scenes it gets a bit predictable. Other than that, i enjoy The Hallow for what it is trying to do for the audience. Lead actor Joseph Mawle have been in different films over the years, you might remember his performance in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I feel that The Hallow might be his best performance so far, from an acting perspective. He gives us a natural feeling, of a father who is willing to do anything to protect his family. Bojana Novakovic have been in a lot of films, but i remember her mostly from Mel Gibson´s thriller Edge Of Darkness. She also manage to give us a good performance in The Hallow. Even if the story feels very simple, and some details could have been improved, i still enjoy what director Coring Hardy have managed to put together with this film. A solid horror film, with classic elements that old school fans will enjoy. Remember kids, never visit the irish forest, unless you are carrying a flame thrower, or an axe. You never know when the Jehovas Witnesses demons jumps out of the trees.

Rating: DDD