A family who moves into a remote house in Ireland must battle malicious spirits living in the ancient Irish wood that surrounds the new home.
The Hallow was at the top of my list when I wrote about the 10 Irish Horror Films to Watch on St. Patrick's Day last month, but it is an excellent horror film that can be relished any time of year! And now, it is streaming on Netflix for your enjoyment.
I love its unique story, which delves into the lore and legends of Ireland along with a healthy helping of Mother Nature's revenge against man for trespass. The ancient creatures in the film, including fairies and changelings, are menacing and creepy, but above all intriguing since they are so underrepresented in horror films. Many culture's histories and traditions are so rich with horrifying folktales that it truly baffles me that these stories are so underused in horror movies. In my opinion, there should be more horror films based on folktales.
Not only is The Hallow's story superb, but all the creatures were accomplished using practical FX and looked amazing! I wish more horror movies went the practical route instead of relying so much on CGI (a rather unfortunate but common element in most horror movies today, as I'm sure you are aware). It wasn't just the monsters that looked fantastic, the whole film was beautifully shot. The Irish location itself was lush and gorgeous, and the depths of the woods were eerie and sinister.
The film has a well-paced slow burn, with many creepy scenes that punctuate the storyline. It is also unbearably tense throughout its running time, and once it picks up speed towards the end it is unrelenting. There is also a neat end-credits sequence that will have you watching all the way to the very end.
All in all, The Hallow is an atmospheric creature-feature that is well worth a watch on Netflix instant, and if you don't have Netflix you can rent or purchase it via Amazon!
I really enjoyed this movie! I don't think I'd watch it a second time unless it was just a movie playing in the background while doing something else. But the creatures were really cool and the story was neat in my opinion!
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