Written by guest contributor Cameron Gallagher

Fantasy Horror is a failing genre recently that was in need of a true flagship film. The Hallow is the closest it has come so far. The Hallow is about a couple and their new born who move to a rural Ireland town, due to the husbands work with trees and nature. Some weird neighbors warn them of The Hallow, and things get out of hand as The Hallow comes for them.

This film did a lot of things right for me. It was incredibly suspenseful. There were scenes in this film that had my heart POUNDING, and when I mean scenes, I mean like 20 minutes! The actors and location really help push this feeling. They truly make you feel like there are stakes. The location is not only beautiful, but very antique and original, which I found really pleasing.

I love the concept of a Fantasy driven horror/suspense film. I love that The Hallow is a creature that lives in the woods and steals babies. It felt so fun, but I was a little disappointed at how they went about The Hallow.

One of the things that makes films like Jaws and The Babadook so scary, is the lack of knowing what is out there. You don’t actually SEE the “Villain” or “Creature” until you are fully ready for it. Building suspense is all about what we don’t know and know. I felt like this film showed The Hallow WAY too fast in the film. Also the CGI of The Hallow was a little bit dated looking.

My biggest issue with this film is it happens SO FAST! This was a real disappointment to me, because the film really built a suspenseful story and interesting new feeling plot, but then rushed right through it. This entire movie happens within like 2 days, and the climax seems to stretch over an hour. It felt so unbalanced to me, that I couldn’t feel “Oh, this is important” or if it was just another action scene.

The Hallow is honestly a great film though, that is very creepy and will be sure to scare people. Just the lack of pacing of bad CGI creature seen to early keep this from amazing so I’ll give it a 3/5. Definitely something to watch. Go check it out and tell me what you thought of it!

Score: 3/5

The Hallow Director: Corin Hardy Writers: Corin Hardy and Felipe Marino Studio: Entertainment One Running Time: 97 Minutes Release Date: 1/25/15