(dir. Corin Hardy)
 |
| Entertainment One |
* First time viewing
A family moves to a small Irish village surrounded by a
forest with creatures from folklore that have their eyes set on taking away
that which they love most.
While The Hallow primarily borrows from Irish Folklore, it
blends horror subgenres in surprising ways while never losing sight of the
logic of its own piecemeal mythology. What begins as a home invasion movie
turns to a the supernatural, to body horror, and finally to a twisted fairy
tale. Director, Corin Hardy moves through each of these tonal shifts an ease,
but stalls when it comes to character logic and developing lasting empathy for them. The performances from
Joseph Mawle and Bojana Novakovic are good, filled with genuine terror, but
their characterizations are too sparely written with much of their personality
defined by fulfilling the duties of husband/father and wife/mother. Typical of
folklore, these characters don’t exist for the audience’s care or concern, but
to deliver a message. In this film, the message is clear: the untouched
wilderness of Ireland should remain untouched.
The practical effects creatures that comes of the woods are
wonderfully crafted, with each one having a unique design. The lighting plays a
large part in making these creatures feel tangible while mysterious, but the
cut quick cut editing (no doubt a tool to mask the film’s budget) sometimes
takes away from the clarity of what we and the characters are looking at. What
is clear is that Hardy knows how to shoot a film. The Hallow is a lush
production, filled with frames both rich in atmosphere and intrigue. Hardy is a
welcome presence to the genre, and despite the film’s faults it’s certain that
he’ll only become a stronger filmmaker from here.
* Available to watch on Netflix Instant
No comments:
Post a Comment