The Hallow

Although the horror film recently went digital with the myriad found-footage offerings inspired by the Paranormal Activity and [Rec] franchises, this Irish-set creepshow is a cheerfully old-fashioned reminder of the macabre beauty of practical, in-camera special effects. With a conscious bow to 1980s genre classic The Evil Dead, The Hallow unfolds in the deep, dark woods, as tree doctor Adam (Joseph Mawle) settles into a new post as a conservationist in a remote rural area, taking his wife (Bojana Novakovic) and their newborn baby with him.His first discovery is a weird parasitic fungus that turns insects into zombies, but things take a turn for the more clearly supernatural when a neighbouring farmer warns the couple that they have upset the spirits of the forest, putting their baby at risk. Both referential and reverential, first-time director Corin Hardy perfectly rations the in-jokes and suspense, building to a gooey and unnerving crescendo that recalls the heyday of the fright-flick.