Hallowed

Okay, so there are more than a few reasons to hate this film. The main reason would be that the film single-handedly copies "Halloween" which is the genre's classic masterpiece. But do the filmmakers actually copy it like other teen-slashers such as "Scream" or even worse "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Urban Legend" No, they really don't. The villain in "Hallowed" is definitely a unique character who doesn't hide behind an overused mask. In fact, his appearance isn't even intimidating. One look at him and you'll say; "I'd kill that religious idiot." But the fact that the filmmakers created Gabriel to go after vulnerable victims was genius... yeah I said it.

Let's face it, Halloween is still arguably the best slasher film of all time and has influenced a lot of other horror films... some good, some bad. "Hallowed" can't be faulted for paying homage to this great film and personally, I think the filmmakers did a great job at doing it in good taste rather than another comical spoof. It's well worth watching.

A little different horror movie than the in-your-face brutal slashers as Saw & Hostel (which doesn't do it for me) Hallowed delivered what it promised... a retrospect horror film. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this film was released back in the 80's. The story was simple; there was suspense, some scares and even a little blood. No heads were ripped off and no flesh-eating zombies. Just a scary tale about a disturbed man terrorizing a small California city.

Of course the film isn't perfect. I rated it a solid "8" because it held my attention with great camera movement, awesome lighting and an eerie soundtrack, but some of the performances were less than perfect but you could tell the director did a good job despite the obvious lack of $$$.

I caught this film in New York and have to say that for what I was expecting I was pleasantly surprised.

As with any slasher, the story isn't overly complicated, although it does make you (the audience) ask a few questions, and unfortunately (or fortunately however you look at it) some of those questions aren't revealed. My guess is that the director did it that way on purpose and maybe the DVD will have all the answers.

Most of the actors were believable, with the exception of the dude playing Gabriel who was stale and weak, but the picture/audio/lighting and music were all very pro. There are some creepy moments in the film and a few classic pop out scenes as well. It's definitely worth checking out.

What sets hallowed apart from other films I have seen that could be considered a "B" movie? Well for starters, it overuses every cliché in the book, and does it with class. The killings? they're cheesy beyond belief, and the ending? WOW is all I can say. I laughed, I jumped, I thought, and I trembled. The film was shot on digital, which worked perfect for the film because of the flexibility it offers. Deep down I know it wanted to be serious, but it was so hard to do so. The dialogue invoked chuckles, the acting was stiff, and the plot, well lets say you could eliminate some walking for some solid prologue and epilogue space. BUT. That said, I enjoyed watching this film from start to finish because I expected nothing and received a pure gem. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes horror or "B" movies.

I thought for sure I was going to regret buying this film after the DVD caught my eye on the shelf of my video store, but I took the gamble anyway being the horror fanatic that I am. First of all, I recently bought Harvest of Fear and Heebie Jeebies (other indie horror films at the same level) and hated both of them. Hallowed, although I didn't love or anything, did hold my interest and by the end of the film I found myself thinking it wasn't that bad. The acting needed to be better, but I thought the filmmakers did a decent job and the music was great in my opinion. So all in all Hallowed is a decent horror film and I'm glad I got a copy.