{"id":3683,"date":"2015-11-26T16:57:14","date_gmt":"2015-11-26T16:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=3683"},"modified":"2015-11-26T16:57:14","modified_gmt":"2015-11-26T16:57:14","slug":"the-hallow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/thriller\/the-hallow\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hallow **"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The-Hallow\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Things go bump in the night \u2013 and all that horror jazz. However, filmmaker Corin Hardy\u2019s new Irish chiller, The Hallow<\/em> is more stylised than scary, and pretty much of a muchness as a haunting goes.<\/p>\n

\u2018Outsiders\u2019, husband and wife, Adam (Joseph Mawle) and Clare (Bojana Novakovic) Hitchens have moved from the big smoke to forest-strewn Ireland because scientist Adam studies trees. They have also brought along their baby boy to these idyllic, green surroundings. But things are far from \u2018idyllic\u2019 in their rustic home when they ignore local folklore and advice, and their old digs comes under threat from a supernatural force.<\/p>\n

The actual horror story follows all the usual tropes, right down to the Hitchens checking out the attic space. The addition of the baby only ramps up the chill factor \u2013 he\u2019s in virtually every scene, implying he\u2019s vulnerable and prey to the \u2018dark force\u2019 trying to break in.<\/p>\n

The Hallow<\/em> bucks the trend a little by having the attack on the couple coming from the outside, rather than from within \u2013 to begin with. The trouble is, it\u2019s like Hardy and his creative team are so proud of their animatronics ghouls that they show them off a little too soon. Something needs to be left to the imagination here, or proceedings become mundane.<\/p>\n

In fact, the film\u2019s only real positive is its organic production design. It\u2019s rich in earthy substance that\u2019s literally oozing menace. Even the subsequent \u2018The Fly<\/em>\u2019 transformation is pretty impressive for a film on a limited budget. It is highly imaginative in this sense.<\/p>\n

Aside from that, there is nothing very remarkable about The Hallow<\/em> \u2013 it makes no real mark, even though it leaves matters open to a possible sequel. Still, you could argue Hardy is merely flexing his creative muscles before working on the reboot of The Crow<\/em>. The Hallow<\/em> is certainly a place to start.<\/p>\n

2\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

Follow on Twitter<\/a>
\n