THE HALLOW
The Boys With The Black Stuff
released OUT NOW! 2015 | 15 | DVD
Director Corin Hardy
Cast Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic,
Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley
The last thing horror fans need right now, surely, is another film set in the woods? But this Irish effort manages to overcome your initial kneejerk eye- roll.
When forestry expert Adam ( Joseph Mawle) moves his family to a remote community to commence preparations for logging, he gets a decidedly frosty reception. “The Forest belongs to the Hallow,” he’s told – and as events spiral out of control and the house is besieged by these folkloric faeries, there’s a danger that soon so will his baby son…
From the wild- eyed neighbour with his Illustrated Big Book Of Lore to the use of a camera flash to scare off encroaching beasties, it all feels rather familiar. But it’s also done rather well. Mixing monster movie with body horror, it’s atmospheric, sufficiently tense to keep you hooked, with strong performances. The shrieking Hallow, generally only half-glimpsed, are effective monsters. Their habit of leaving weird piles of slimy black matter – like gnarled roots doused in Castrol GTX – is satisfyingly shuddersome, while their penchant for poking people in the eye will keep Lucio Fulci fans happy.
Extras A Making Of ( 49 minutes); three brief behind- thescenes featurettes; four galleries of stuff like storyboards and concept sketches; trailer. Ian Berriman
Keep your eyes peeled in the final scene ( where you see workers at a logging site) for a cameo by director Corin Hardy.