The Hallow

The Hallow (2015)

Runtime: 97 minutes

Directed by: Corin Hardy

Starring: Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley, Gary Lydon

From: Several different companies across Ireland, the UK and the US

I created my own double bill at home via Netflix Instant. I saw this movie and another Irish one, the review of which I'll post late tonight after the Super Bowl. What I thought of this first film is below: 

Last night via Netflix Instant I saw a pair of Irish horror movies. I created my own double feature. The second review will go up soon after the Super Bowl is over with.

This movie is all about Irish folklore; I don't know too much about the topic so I will presume that the movie doesn't take too many creative liberties with the topic. The plot: a scientist, his wife, infant child and dog move to a small house in rural Ireland; he happens to be doing work on a section of forest a logging company is about to cut down. Things start to go wrong... that folklore apparently says that you shouldn't mess around in forests, lest you piss off some spooky creatures.

Sure, the film is kind of ridiculous and it requires the characters to be pretty dumb at times and the homages can be rather obvious. It also tips its hand real early; all that said, this was an entertaining horror film. The two leads do a swell job which is good as most of the movie is spent with them. There are plenty of chilling moments and I appreciated how it wasn't all CG and there were plenty of practical effects. For those that are not fans of graphically gory horror, then this is something for you.

Overall, the movie was well-made and I appreciated how it was different via the Irish setting and usage of folktales from that country. I say this is something worth watching on Netflix Instant; there are plenty of pretty bad horror films on that platform so you are better off giving this a shot.