Hollow (2011)

The Worst Film Ever

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

I won't pretend this film doesn't have its problems. The acting isn't amazing and I really didn't think it was paced very well. But it really did scare me, which is essentially what I wanted from it. I can see how the focus on the relationships which occupies most of the film might detract from this for some, but it has its moments even early on. I am a big FF horror fan, gradually watching my way through all I can find. This one is in the upper third of the list for me so far. Fellow fans of the genre, I would definitely recommend giving it a chance.Oh and by the way I'm writing this mostly because of the huge swathe of terrible reviews of the film I've just seen, which claim the only reason it's rated as it is (6.5 currently) is owing to fake reviews. I disagree, I actually think 6.5 is pretty accurate based on other movies I've seen. You may apply the "how many other films has this person reviewed" test if you wish, you'll find I haven't reviewed any others (I think. Maybe one). And yet here we are.

As my previous reviewers already said, the main issue with this movie isn't the story but the characters itself. None of them is likable, starting from a hysterical whiny woman who seems to be the main character but you want her dead so badly, to her douche boyfriend, her somewhat acceptable friend and his absolutely plane blonde girlfriend. All of them screaming around and running into circles just by hearing a bird. The story could have been really interesting if they would focus on that, but they chose to give us a glimpse of the personal issues of the characters, but not that much so we could possibly care about. Overall nice to watch once, but there are definitely better mockumentaries out there.

Four twenty-somethings—Emma (Emily Plumtree), her fiancé Scott (Matt Stokoe), her best friend James (Sam Stockman), and his girlfriend Lynne (Jessica Ellerby)—take a holiday in the countryside where an evil presence lurks inside an ancient, hollow oak tree, preying on negative thoughts, causing relationships to crumble and ultimately driving victims to a terrible fate.Hollow has been described as the British Blair Witch Project, which is another way of saying that it is a complete and utter rip-off of the 1999 found footage 'classic', only set in rural Suffolk, England. And if, like me, you weren't all that impressed by Blair Witch, then I think it's highly unlikely that you'll enjoy this one either.With four characters experiencing relationships issues, it proves extremely tedious. What's more boring than watching people wander aimlessly round the countryside in the dark? Watching them doing it while bickering, that's what! After an hour-and-a-half of following the unlikeable quartet as they investigate the local legend of Greyfriar's Hollow (as the tree is known), snort coke, argue, get lost, and become scared of their own shadows, you'll be longing for them all to die. Which they do, of course.*2/10, plus one point for the gratuitous nudity from blonde hottie Ellerby (whose character is so dumb she doesn't think to wipe the tape when filmed in the bathroom), but minus one for for the contrived manner in which a good length of stout rope, so vital to the film's final scene, is shoe-horned into the script (really, who the hell uses rope for securing luggage to a roof-rack when bungee cords and tie down straps work so much better?).*NOT a spoiler, since we are told that they all die in the very first scene.

I have watched numerous amounts of "handy-cam" and "found footage" movies, and more keep returning to the big screen- ever since The Blair Witch Project became a big hit. Before watching I try to start with a fresh mind, hoping to find that diamond in the rough. Sadly- this movie did not make the cut. Per usual to this genre, you get a small background to both events and characters in blips of "film footage". The day filming is more coherent however, than the night filming- where you will only find ambiance in the camera light. The movie rarely picks up pace; and it seems only to do so when people are screaming and running away for no apparent reason- other than seeing mangled animal remains, complete darkness, or a man's jacket. (I also didn't appreciate how the last 25 minutes of the movie was filmed in a car... Main shots were knees in that great ambiance I spoke of.) There is also brief nudity (cute blonde takes her top off)- which seems to be found in most B-Horror these days. In conclusion, if you enjoy people yelling for missing company, noises you would never really hear in the dark, and a lot of shots of tree branches, then I would suggest this movie to you! However, I would use considerable hesitation in doing so.