Out of the gate, The Hatred sets up solid ground work. Part Apt Pupil, part The Conjuring, a decent backstory opens up the first act. As opposed to relying on flashbacks, this film plays out the horrific history of the locale and story. Post-Nazi America in a small town and the secrets that ensue.
The second Act only exists to guide us into the present day. Sassy, texting, little to say to each other modern day females visiting the haunted house in question. While trying to create strong, independent women, the script merely calls out the older male sensibility of what we think young adult women talk like. Merely hamstringing our female cast to become stereotypes trying to be more than what was written for them. Which is sad, because the actresses really try to create a sense of friendship, love and trust. However, the groundwork is downtrodden and stale.
The last act finally brings the scares and suspense. While unapologetically and rituallistacly off camera, killing off the cast; the final moments with our lead and the child are decently executed. The moment perpetuated in the films trailer is very effective and inventive for an otherwise stale and often imitated genre.
Overall, the film had a decent cast and a solid plot. The downside was the lacking second act and lowly accommodating budget. If that third act, trailer based twist on the supernatural played throughout this film, it would've been one for the books.
