Hallow, The (2015)
Ari Drew
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Starring Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton
Directed by Corin Hardy
Corin Hardy’s feature-length debut The Hallow has garnered quite the trail of buzz since its debut at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in January. While made available in October as a DIRECTV exclusive ahead of its November 6th Stateside release, The Hallow was also recently screened as part of the 2015 Toronto After Dark Film Festival to packed houses. Our consensus? In an age where die-hard horrors fans are clamoring for originality, The Hallow does not necessarily provide a markedly unique approach, but it proves to be a refreshingly enjoyable hybrid of horror subgenres.
The film follows an English conservationist named Adam Hitchens (Mawle, “Game of Thrones”), who, despite warnings from the locals, moves into a home adjacent to an Irish forest with his wife, Claire (Novakovic, Devil), and infant son, Finn. The superstitious townspeople believe that the forest is overrun with dangerous mythical creatures – fairies, banshees, and the like – and that this naturalistic balance should not be disrupted. Adam dismisses these outlandish admonitions initially, but after uncovering a black substance on the property, the family begins to experience mysterious – and increasingly threatening – occurrences that lead them to believe they are being stalked by these much feared dark forces of the forest.
The Hallow wastes no time establishing what we’re in for from the get-go. Soon after arriving to their new home, Adam and Claire are approached aggressively by their neighbor Colm Donnelly (McElhatton, also of “Game of Thrones” fame) with warnings of dangers from the hallowed grounds of the ancient forest. Soon after, we see Adam taking a sample of a mysterious black goo from a decayed animal carcass, our first glimpse of the impressively icky practical effects of which the film makes enthusiastic use. From this point on, the taut script from co-writers Hardy and Felipe Marino does not let up, as the family is faced with the grotesque creatures of the woods — malicious fairies who seek to take baby Finn as their own — in a number of terrifying and suspenseful sequences.
One of the more tension-laden scenes involves Adam being locked in the trunk of his car as the creatures attempt to pry open the back door to abduct Finn. They leave behind deep gashes and a trail of black slime when thwarted, imagery that proves unnerving even in the daylight. Moments like these are the highlight of The Hallow, embodying the gripping intensity of desperate attempts at survival. While the initial characterization of our family under siege is not particularly rich, once the action kicks in, viewers won’t mind one bit.
As a first-time director, Corin Hardy provides a fresh eye to what is really a by-the-numbers creature feature, making use of many varying horror influences in a way that causes for the subversion of some expectations here. The film wanders through multiple subgenres throughout, including dark fantasy, body horror, and family-under-siege films, but assisted by the skilled hand of cinematographer Martijn van Broekhuizen, Hardy retains a consistency in tone that works well amidst these shifts. With a notable technical adeptness, van Broekhuizen’s attentive manipulation of light and shadows on the family’s property develops a heavy air of tension that is palpable by the time the creatures fully descend to infect Adam (the black substance is revealed as a parasitic fungus of sorts) and carry Finn off into the forest. Hardy notably captures Mawle and Novakovic’s best performances in these heightened moments of terror when everything seems to ultimately break down and the threats multiply.
In the age of CGI overkill, The Hallow’s practical effects and makeup teams knock it out of the park here from a technical standpoint. The vile creatures are impressively threatening, whether they are stalking in the shadows or on an outright shrieking rampage amidst some very effective setpieces. Granted, a lot of what we ultimately see here is admittedly reminiscent of other films — including Alien, The Thing, and even more recent indie horror efforts like Splinter, the latter coming to mind most when the creatures’ signature black, gooey branches snake their way into a scene. The creatures themselves recall a hybrid of del Toro’s more demonic creations and ’80s-era Stan Winston, which are solid templates of tried-and-true familiarity, but very familiar ones nonetheless.
Therein lies the main issue with The Hallow, however. While it is on the whole a very fun ride, at its core it is quite a recognizable mélange of genre devices and tropes that we have in fact seen many times before. This is perhaps a result of Hardy’s own admirable desire to create a film that honored many of his favorites. As an end result, though, such core influences are too recognizable to elevate The Hallow to a completely unique or deeply affecting level all on its own when compared to the more significant horror entries of the last few years. While the film’s mythology is its strong suit, it would have helped to see this aspect more deeply mined, although it is set up for a sequel that would likely do so.
In any case, casual genre fans will likely not be bothered by this lack of stark originality, as the non-stop action is more than enough to keep the blood pumping, and a satisfyingly fantastical resolution upholds the film as a notable entry as far as twisted fairy tales go. While The Hallow is not necessarily the type of horror movie that will stay with you for days, it will certainly keep audiences at the edge of their seats. Hardy has turned in a refreshingly spirited debut of a film, and as an evident fan of practical effects, tension, and relentless suspense, he will have no problem garnering a loyal fan base that appreciates a director willing to put his lifelong education in horror to work. The genre — and Hollywood in general — would benefit from more inspired talent and projects of passion like this.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
