The Hallow

A visual Blu-ray treat for horror fans comes courtesy of IFC Midnight and Scream Factory.

"The Hallow" was shot entirely in Ireland and it shows; the vivid green landscape of the Ides comes to life in high-definition. And while the film is short on scares, it makes up for it with an atmospheric presentation and good performances from the lead actors.

Director Corin Hardy helms his debut feature in "The Hallow," or the hallowed grounds in a section of Ireland where Adam (Joseph Mawle) and his wife Clare (Bojana Novakovic) move to with their newborn son. The townsfolk treat the couple with aloofness and soon Adam and Clare learn why: there's a section of woods near their house where creatures lurk and loom.

Adam and Clare must fight for their lives to survive the onslaught of attacks from the demonic beasts.

Along with the feature film on Scream Factory's generous Blu-ray come a slew of extras. The 50-minute documentary "Surviving the Fairytale: The Making of The Hallow" is the perfect companion piece after viewing the film. A brief behind-the-scenes gets split into three segments: "The Story," "Influence," and "Practical F/X," proving that you don't need a huge budget to show good special effects.

Numerous galleries can be viewed, and the theatrical trailer plus a separate audio commentary from director Corin Hardy round out this latest Shout! release.

Quite reminiscent of "Pan's Labyrinth," "The Hallow" forges its own artistic path regardless and is worth checking out.

"The Hallow"
Blu-ray
$22.97
www.shoutfactory.com