Rating: 3/5
Hooptober 2.0 | 6/31 | Countries 1/5 | Ireland
Hallow be their name, And blessed be their claim. If you who trespass put down roots, Then Hallow be your name. — The Book of Invasions C.1150
An unusual glow permeates through the Irish forest. Adam is a conservationist from England who specializes in trees and fungi. He takes his wife, Claire, and their baby son, Finn, across the Irish Sea to a village surrounded by this forest. There, Adam discovers an unusual fungus growing on the trees. He marks dozens to bring down.
While exploring the woods, they find an abandoned house that the forest has reclaimed in parts. Their dog, Iggy, barks when he spots a dead fawn. Cavities have burst open along the animal where the same fungus has protruded. Adam takes a sample home to study further.
Back home, Claire pulls iron bars off the windows. Colm Donnelly, a local wary of Adam, warns Claire that the forest is dangerous. That night, a window breaks in the baby’s room. Adam assumes Colm, but the police suggest a bird. More pointedly, he reminds Adam that folks are superstitious around here. They believe the forest Adam tramples on belongs to the Hallow: baby-stealing fae.
The film follows Adam and his family as they learn the forest’s secrets. Will they heed the village’s many warnings?
The filmmaking here is excellent, especially for a first-time director. The lighting doesn’t rely on darkness to set the mood — a brightly lit night shot can have just as much creepy atmosphere. The practical effects are crucial in selling creatures integrated with their surroundings.
The movie has more than a few nods to Alien, The Thing, and the like. I’m not mad about it.
The film’s greatest foil is that it reveals everything early into the movie, so it becomes more of a survival film than anything. Also, this isn’t a big-budget flick, so CGI is inevitable for some more ambitious scenes.
While not a great film, it is a promising one. Director Corin Hardy’s follow-up to this was The Nun, which received pretty negative reviews, so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I want that tome on fae — it looks sick as hell.