Le sanctuaire

Despite the baby being a bit of an annoyance throughout the movie, it's not a bad one.

This is mainly a horror movie, by far, but it has a cool twist to it.

There aren't many actors in The Hallow, but I think they ones in it are pretty good and makes the movie what it is - which is a pretty good one. The actors makes the story of the movie more believable even.

The story is very different, the visual effects are nice, and said actors are good too.

I always comment that non-Hollywood are non-Hollywood. This is one of those, and as always it's refreshing to have some original characters in a setting that isn't a standard.

The sad but honest truth is that I already have trouble remembering what exactly happened in "The Hallow", and yet it's only been 2 or 3 days since I watched it. I certainly don't want to sound too harsh because this little Irish horror tale benefices from an admirably dark & sinister atmosphere, fantastically horrific filming locations, and strong performances by unknown but devoted cast members. I guess the familiar plot outline and the almost complete lack of shocking highlights causes for "The Hallow" to remain unmemorable, but it's nevertheless worth checking out for fans of obscure indie-horror.

The description of the plot probably won't persuade anyone to immediately put "The Hallow" on top of his/her must-see list. A young couple and their newborn baby move from Belfast to a ramshackle old cabin at the edge of a remote forest, where the husband is assigned to mark trees for logging. Of course, they aren't heartly welcomed by the conservative locals. Of course, rocks are flying through the windows as a warning shortly after their arrival. Of course, the family dog quickly starts barking at "something" sinisterly moving between the trees in the backyard. I can list another handful of similar clichés if you want. What writer/director Corin Hardy admirably accomplishes, however, is that he remains fixated on bringing the Irish folklore legend accurately rather than reverting to a gory horror flick with hideous woods-demons and a high body-count. Throughout the entire running time, "The Hallow" remains a sober and atmosphere-driven fright tale with a few unusual and courageous plot twists. You have to at least respect that.

One thing is for certain after watching The Hallow, Corin Hardy is a great new director. He achieves a dark, creepy and supernatural tone effortlessly. He avoids the mistake horrors commit far to often in modern times, and that is trying to achieve a general mood far to hard, to many films nowadays, especially in the horror genre, try and be something they're not by forcing tones and characters that just seem all to out of place. The Hallow doesn't do this, it doesn't forcefully shove dark tones down your throat, it simply sticks to the story and in due to course you are made fully aware of its existence.

The film itself is enjoyable, starts off slow and gradually builds speed like every other horror movie there ever has been. I tend to avoid the topic of predictability in my reviews, for many horrors it's hard not to avoid it. The Hallow however can't have any excuses, it's a completely unique concept which shouldn't succumb to being predictable, but oh how it does. It's unfortunate, it's one of a few flaws in a far from flawless movie.

The movie does however achieve a great deal of success in a number of areas, it's practical effects are incredible, even though it's CGI is...forgettable, the film overall stills looks tremendous, the cinematography in this film is honestly next to flawless, in fact it reminds me a great deal of the cinematography in 'The Grey' 2011.

The underlying message in The Hallow, I'm led to believe, is that deforestation will only lead to consequences on our selves as humanity. I'd like to think this film is smart enough to portray a metaphor amongst it's story. What I take from its message is that we are unable to control nature, and no matter how hard we try to avoid this fact, one day we will have to come to this realization.

The Hallow is a solid movie, the acting performances are solid, the direction is outstanding and the cinematography is beautiful, this movie is a lot smarter than most of the generic horrors that are forced upon us nowadays, it deserves recognition for this.

7.4/10

The premise of "The Hallow" is nothing new: a family in an isolated house in the woods. Strange things start to happen. Is there a logical explanation (unfriendly neighbors who want the family away) or is there something supernatural in the forest?

Unoriginal concepts in the horror genre are not a problem per se; old stories can always be told in new, refreshing ways (see "Insidious" or "The Conjuring", for example). But "The Hallow" doesn't have the energy to keep things interesting until the end, despite a strong middle act and good performances from the cast.

The film starts OK, then it gets better and more tense. Some sequences in the second act - when it's fully revealed the cause of the disturbances - are genuinely frightening (plus, that poor baby suffers a lot). But then the script gets lazier and lazier, unfortunately. Inconsistencies abound, jump scares replace real tension, and by the end I was just bored. It's a pity. It could've been a small horror gem.

In Ireland, the botanist Adam (Joseph Mawle) moves with his wife Clare (Bojana Novakovic) and their baby son Finn to a remote house in the backwoods to study the local forest. He is warned to leave the place by his neighbor Colm Donnelly (Michael McElhatton), but Adam does not give attention to the man´s words. But soon he learns that there is something evil in the forest that wants Finn.

"The Hallow" is a horror film with great potential and promising story wasted by the terrible conclusion. The screenplay builds the tension perfectly, using few special effects. The climax is when Adam´s house is attacked by the evil creatures from the forest. But the writer did not know how to give explanations and conclude the film that becomes a lame mess. Somehow the conclusion gives the idea of being ecological but indeed it is terrible. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Maldição da Floresta" ("The Curse of the Forest")