The Hollow Child (2017) User Reviews

A competantly done film, just flawed in execution and suspense.

[cmharelson-92486 · 5/10 · 21 May 2018]

Pros: Cinematography is well done Acting is exceptional at moments Practical effects were decent

Cons: The soundtrack of the film is a bit overbearing and often leads to more of a sensation of melodrama rather than suspense The feeling of dread and suspense doesn't really kick in until the later half of the film The film relies on multiple occurrences of look in direction, nothing there, look away, look back, somethings there. This happens to end up flawed since suspense is not built up enough for these moments to pay off

Overall, a good watch but I wouldn't suggest paying a full price of admission to a theater. The film feels more at home on a movie streaming service.

Good idea, bad movie

[sjalkarjadottir · 4/10 · 20 May 2018]

In a way .. this movie reminded me on "Changeling" .. which had a similar premise .. as in .. an imposter child (but without any demonic or supernatural context)

Now .. about the movie, why would i say it is "bad"?

The story itself is quite traditional, and a classic tale of replacing a loved one with a malicious imposter .. kind of a tale to explain changes in character, estranged friends or family members etc. ... but the movie falls into so many tropes and pitfalls.

The main one is .. as in sooo many suspense and horror movies .. the bad communication between the characters. We are to believe that the only exchange of information is the one we see .. when the story jumps over several days, if not weeks. So either the family really doesn t talk much at all, or they manage to avoid any deeper topics completely.

The time we do see them communicate, they do their very best to NOT tell each other anything informative about something very important that had just happened in their life. I find such behaviour too much to believe in most horror movies, hence ... lazy; - because it makes the story avoid more complex and intelligent ways to still put the protagonists in danger.

Instead we get a very stereotypical .. very 101 story without surprises.

Its a shame .. all in all, i found the "Changeling" more disturbing and in a way .. suspenseful than "The hollow child" .. considering that Changeling is a crime/drama .. and Hollow Child is suspense/horror .. this is not a very good thing.

The acting was OK, but the characters were way too one dimensional and stereotypical.

I am afraid to say that i would rate this movie below average for utmost laziness. It is one among thousands .. without any outstanding quality.

It's not the child that's hollow

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 7 June 2018]

Saw 'The Hollow Child', being fond of horror/thriller regardless of budget (even if not my favourite genre) and being intrigued somewhat by the idea. Being behind on my film watching and reviewing, with a long to watch and review list that keeps getting longer, it took me a while to get round to watching and reviewing it.

Giving 'The Hollow Child' a fair chance with being interest and apprehension, it turned out to be far better than expected. Won't say that 'The Hollow Child' is a great film because it isn't and the potential, while not wasted, is not fully lived up to. Considering the large number of films seen recently being mediocre and less and wasting potential, was expecting worse and was relieved that while wanting in a fair few areas it was actually one of my better recent low-budget viewings.

'The Hollow Child' started off quite well, the first twenty minutes or so starting the film off on a promising, unsettling and atmospheric note that really does intrigue.

Production values did have some eeriness and nowhere near as cheap as expected, and the music, which not the most memorable in the world, didn't detract from the atmosphere.

The setting is effectively spooky. There are spooky and suspenseful moments and it isn't dull. The direction doesn't feel phoned in and the storytelling in some of the first half does intrigue.

However, the story was severely wanting in the second half after starting off promisingly. It is very disjointed and after the promising start the final third especially loses atmosphere, one loses interest and things start to not make sense and gets increasingly jumbled. Too much of the film is vague and doesn't explore some elements and story strands enough, some dropped soon after being introduced, go nowhere or serve much point.

Ending is unsatisfying, on top of feeling hasty there are too many loose ends hanging in the air. Got the sense that the writers didn't know how to end the film. Would have liked much more tension and suspense, scares could have been more consistent and some weren't surprising enough.

Found too the script to lack natural flow and with a bit of cheese going on, and the characters bland with some adopting some annoying and not always logical decision making. The support acting especially (the leads had their moments) is even more problematic than the second half's storytelling, at best it was poor and too often terrible.

Overall, lacklustre but not a waste. 4/10 Bethany Cox

The Hollow Plot

[aldiboronti · 2/10 · 19 May 2018]

Remember those painting kits where you filled in the colors by the numbers? This is the film equivalent. All the stock conventions are used, there's not an ounce of originality in the whole movie. No surprises,no shocks, from the very beginning it follows its predictable course until the very last moment when we get the usual cheap horror film trope of the 'shock' ending.

The story is the age-old myth of the changeling. Children are vanishing into the woods and being replaced by the creatures that dwell there, goblins, fairy-folk, Hollow Ones, call them what you will.

The actors do their best with the material but it's beyond help, lazy writing and bad directing. The final shot is laughable. (I'd have given the film a 4 but for the idiotic ending. Avoid if you value your time.

Done before many times with no entertaining suprises

[tkaine3 · 3/10 · 18 May 2018]

This international folk lore tale has been told in many variations but with the same basic emphasis on a child kidnapped then returning and being different. This film however may be the worst rendition to date. Very slow through out and highly predictable. The main characters acting wasn't too bad but the performance of the cast as a whole was subpar. The special effects were not too cheesy but were virtually non-existent albeit a scene or two. This movie wasn't the worst film to watch for an hour and a half but it definitely is a movie you should avoid if possible. I would give this a poor movie rating.

It's not just the child that's hollow.

[peterp-450-298716 · 4/10 · 17 August 2018]

"Run before it turns everyone against you."

The reason why I try to avoid seeing trailers is twofold. Or they are so revealing that you actually saw the film in advance. Either the trailer is inviting and arouses your curiosity, but afterward, you come to the conclusion they better limited themselves to making this trailer alone. Better yet. Perhaps they could have made an extended version of it because the film really doesn't have more to offer. "The hollow child" belongs to this last category. The initial idea had potential. The end result was disappointing again. Or maybe the subject was a little too limited to make a full film of it.

I think it's a bit exaggerated to call "The hollow child" a horror. It was never really scary. And the revelation of what's hiding in the dark, murky forest was so momentary and so late, that it seemed completely irrelevant. To be honest, I thought the main theme was the daily struggle of Samantha (Jessica McLeod) against the lack of understanding and the desperation about where she could feel at home. It felt as if the disappearing and reappearing of Olivia (Hanna Cheramy), daughter of the foster family where Samantha stays, was just a secondary subject. Although her personality changed. I got more shivers from what Samantha was doing to herself with scissors than from Olivia's behavior.

But no worries. There are also some positive aspects. The beginning certainly isn't bad and shows some atmospheric images of the notorious forest where the youngsters walk through after school. Apparently, it's also an enchanted forest, because after 30 years it still looks the same. Then there's the acting part. First of all, Hanna Cheramy delivers an admirable performance. For children of that age, a leading role is certainly not self-evident. But it's Jessica McLeod who deserves appreciation. Her acting never felt forced. The way she evolves from a rebellious teenager to a responsible daughter who sincerely regrets her mistake looked credible. On the other hand, there's also the irritating acting of John Emmet Tracy, the unsympathetic stepfather and Johannah Newmarch (A ravishing beauty by the way). The latter is portrayed as the crazy woman who burned down her parental home in the past because she claimed her returned sister was an imposter. To be honest, she didn't look that crazy.

"The hollow child" has its good and bad sides. But what it fails to do, is to create a creepy or frightening atmosphere. It's far from horror and will certainly not stand out among all other releases. Don't be misled by the movie poster. This radiates more horror than the film itself. You can call "The hollow child" a drama with some horror elements. And unfortunately, the end was too predictable. So if you have too much free time and you don't know how to fill it, you could give this average horror a chance. However, I'm sure that afterward, you'll use a statement that sounds like: "Maybe I should have spent my spare time doing ....".

This world is no place for broken things

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 3 July 2018]

Samantha (Jessica McLeod ) is a foster teen who lives in a home loved by her foster mom (Jana Mitsoula)...foster dad (John Emmet Tracy) not so much. She is tasked with watching her 10 year old sister Olivia (Hannah Cheramy) and walking her home from school through the forest. Instead Samantha goes and burns one with her doobie sister (Genevieve Buechner) and Olivia becomes lost in the woods. When Olivia returns, she is not the same and creates issues.

It was an interesting plot, one that is similar to some other films. I didn't like how they made Samantha using her arm as a cutting board. Seems more like they found how to create a special effect and needed to use it somewhere. May have worked better in a colonial time period. The explanation for the forest creatures was pretty quick and I felt incomplete.

Guide: No swearing as I recall. No sex, or nudity

Loveable characters in a stupid story (only mild spoilers)

[phenomynouss · 4/10 · 6 December 2020]

Within like the first 10-15 minutes of the film, it's hard not to like the main characters here, particularly Sam and Olivia and Emily. All throughout the film, the actors do a spectacular job with each of them, doing much better than "avoid being annoying" and becoming genuinely endearing.

Unfortunately they are about the only strong point of the film, which decides to play itself safe, take no risks, and essentially retread and rehash everything done before in countless other, better horror films.

Sam is the "troubled child" adopted by a family in which the mother is apparently an empty-headed flake and the dad is almost comically hostile towards her. The only comfort in her home life is their natural daughter Olivia, whom she genuinely loves and cares for.

Then comes the horror part where Sam ditches Olivia a second time, making Olivia walk home through the woods while Sam hangs out somewhere. This time Olivia doesn't come home, and the family is traumatized. Days later, Olivia suddenly shows up in their backyard, seemingly confused by completely unaffected.

Almost immediately it's obvious that Olivia is behaving erratically, and all the cliche' horror movie tropes start playing out, with the Disbelieving Parents ("She's just acting strange because of the trauma she's been through"), the Town Nut who makes a scene in public ("Something's wrong with that girl, she's evil"), the Disbelieving But Supportive Boyfriend Logan who tags along with Sam in her quest to gather information, and the Hardnosed Cop who suspects Sam of committing atrocities done by Hollowed-out Olivia because Sam is the "bad girl" type who cuts herself and listens to heavy metal.

No one in this film is even remotely "genre savvy", stuck in a sort of hackneyed cliche' horror movie mindset of "There's no possible way there's anything remotely strange about this situation, obviously the Troubled Girl is just being a b***", to a point where it almost becomes a plothole in itself.

It's facepalmingly stupid when Sam tells her almost boyfriend Logan that Town Nut Alison's sister Janie disappeared years ago in the woods, returned mysteriously days later, started acting strange and now the exact same thing has happened with Olivia, and Logan says that's not at all suspicious. Not only is this EXTREMELY suspicious in such a way that should warrant actual police attention (even on the grounds of something non-supernatural, like a child-predator who's been abducting children for years), but later on Sam discovers this exact same cycle has been going on for literal decades, and absolutely no one in the town notices, cares, or sees any connection with what is happening now with Olivia.

Naturally, everyone just sticks to "Troubled girl is a b****, just ignore her" while evil Hollowed-out Olivia continues to escalate her mischief and carnage, terrorizing Sam all throughout.

This bland story setup alone isn't interesting enough to stand on its own, but it feels even further dragged down by just how absolutely certain and absolutely furious everyone is at the thought that Sam would have any problem with Olivia disappearing for a few days and returning unexpectedly and unharmed. We literally don't even see the cops show up after Olivia's return until it's time to harass Sam for something unrelated.

It's not just the fact that no one seems to care about Olivia once she returns, but it's the absurd lack of any sort of follow-up by anyone. Her parents literally don't even flinch when Olivia tauntingly kicks Sam under the dinner table, then grabs a handful of macaroni and chomps on it like a nutcase, but start getting agitated and hostile when Sam even mentions Olivia's disappearance. It's supposed to make the protagonist feel frustrated and crazy and it ends up making the audience feel like they're going crazy.

The ending, once it comes, is a bumbling mess that happily ignores the mess made beforehand by Evil Olivia, and seems confused and undecided as to having a pointless twist ending, with the twist suddenly happening after the initial credits roll, in such a way that fails so miserably to shock that it's almost laughable. The entire scene leading up to the end is filled with a low, unsettling expectation of the coming twist, then suddenly it cuts to black, "Directed by" and "Written by" credits, then suddenly the twist comes crashing back in with loud sound effects, too soon to give us time to wonder, and too late to feel like an actual part of the film rather than a quick edit made after the film was done because someone forgot to put it in.

This was surprisingly good

[tyasteele · 7/10 · 20 December 2020]

The haters will hate. As a film lover and director myself, the script was good, directing was good, story was executed well. It was suspenseful and the editor gets props from me.

A good start..

[Nadia_22 · 4/10 · 5 January 2019]

It started off well but the last 30 minutes just ruined the whole movie. The computer-generated imagery is pretty bad , it looks cheap and someone who has very little knowledge in creating CGI was hired for these effects in this particular movie, don't get me wrong, it's not the first and probably not the last horror movie with bad effects , we've seen it in many new horror movies, poor CGI makes movies less real and barely watchable, this movie is no exception. The movie plot is just okay, we've seen it already, don't expect something new, don't expect something extraordinary, watch it if you're an horror enthusiast, but if you're someone who can't stand poorly made horrors, just skip this movie and find another one to watch.

Olivia isn't herself

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 17 June 2020]

Troubled foster teen Samantha (a fine and appealing portrayal by Jessica McLeod) has difficulty adjusting to her new family. Further complications ensue after her stepsister Olivia (an excellent performance by Hannah Cheramy) mysteriously disappears in the nearby woods, only to return a few days later. However, Samantha immediately senses that something is now seriously off about Olivia.

Director Jeremy Lutter relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, ably crafts an eerie and unsettling atmosphere, and makes nicely evocative use of the mist-shrouded forest main location. Moreover, this movie earns extra points for putting a welcome and refreshing emphasis on mood and people over gore and cheap scares, with the underlying pathos pertaining to the vulnerable character of Samantha providing a surprisingly substantial amount of depth and poignancy. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps things humming: John Emmet Tracy as strict stepdad Garrett, Jana Mitsoula as sincere and well-meaning stepmom Liz, Genevieve Buechner as loyal gal pal Emily, Connor Stanhope as the smitten Logan, and Johannah Newmarch as local crazy lady Alison. A neat little fright film.

Going for old school horror

[daropaz · 7/10 · 21 April 2021]

This was a good movie for people in the age from 35-89:) Belive that is the reason the rateing are so low. Omnius, creepy setting. All god acting. A twist on an old folklore.

Basic and kinda boring

[kittycouture · 3/10 · 9 March 2020]

The movie has great potential until about midway through when you're left completely underwhelmed. The acting was fantastic but the movie itself left a lot to be desired.

Scary?

[yusufpiskin · 3/10 · 14 May 2020]

An actual decent creepy kid film....that's surprising! But seriously there's a lot of bad creepy kid films out there, it's refreshing to see one that least has decent stuff in it. The acting is surprisingly decent, the writing definitely could have used another look but for the most part it was fine enough. The plot isn't very original but at least it's done well and actually does have a few very good moments. However the movie suffers from a lack of substance, because all this movie is just a decent creepy kid film that's it. I would say it's good for a first time watch but I can't ever see myself watching this movie again..

Formulaic, by the book, nothing new

[killtastic-18829 · 1/10 · 6 November 2022]

Formulaic garbage right down to the "twist" ending. You can pretty much see everything coming a mile away. The film establishes specific rules for the monster and then blatantly violates them, basically laughing in the audiences face. The plot is incredibly basic, main character see's a monster, main character can't understand why the things she's saying are crazy. Etc etc. Please save yourself the time an do something else. Like watch paint dry, or spin in circles. Oh and it has the generic horror movie ending. You know the one. No matter what, even if the protagonist does everything right they lose. Doesn't matter if they grew as a character, or learned a lesson. It's always the same ending.

Cheese please

[armadilla17 · 2/10 · 27 November 2018]

Predictable, its movies like this that don't help Canadian movies break away from the stigma or stench of cheesey.

Slow But worth it

[greenbayjex · 7/10 · 19 August 2020]

Sam the main character is very misunderstood by some dumb parents. Olivia the little demon child gets away with everything. I enjoyed it. But kinda slow.

4.9

[pierceavalonhiggins · 5/10 · 13 May 2020]

It had one of my personal favorite aesthetics, and psycho aesthetics, I enjoyed the rate it was cooked, and the playfulness of heart chakras, felt very embodied

I did not feel any overly discomfort between the 2 girls, they didn't breakout of character at the risk of breaking the whole plot, understanding film through chakras (which is the ultimate spoiler alert) will help the audience truly understand what is going on plot wise.

Wasnt as bad as I expected, but also wasnt as scary as I'd hope for.

[ScottDWhalen · 7/10 · 5 October 2018]

Wasnt as bad as I expected, but also wasnt as scary as I'd hope for. The young actresses did a great job a long with the rest of the characters. I dont wanna give anything away, but I dont I'm not sure if the thing(s) is dead. Alison...... Where r u lmao PS that teacher had one heck of a hair do lol.

One of Demon Child story But Enjoyable

[clawfinger00 · 8/10 · 20 May 2018]

This film is based on very common folk tale. I saw many demon child movies. Children of the Corn, Pet Cemetery etc. It means many movie genre fan are still love this kind movie. I expect baby face killer. And there is but this is not that much brutal and doesn't have much gore scenes. So, I think The Hollow Child is fully enjoyable for fun and mid horror.

Enjoyable enough if somewhat flawed supernatural effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 20 October 2018]

Following her reappearance after an accident, a troubled teen finds that her foster stepsister has become a violent, secret sociopath that no one else believes stories, and when the time comes for her to finally get the proof puts her and the rest of the family in danger of the vicious being.

For the most part, this one was a lot of fun. One of the more enjoyable aspects of the film is the rather engrossing and chilling concept of the young children being specifically targeted. Starting with the opening showing the sister being targeted in the gloomy section of the forest and being dragged away, while the opening consisting of the race to find her after the disappearance of her sister which causes plenty of chaos around the household is wholly believable due to the early instances being around them. When she's returned, it starts off a rather fun thread of the girl being just off enough that something is obviously wrong with her but is completely overlooked because of the situation so that her antics of ripping off doll eyes, the night-time visits to the forest outside their house that nobody ever sees or the killing of others that nobody ever finds or believes can be blamed on the girl. As the longer she interacts with the imposter and becomes far more away of what's going on, there's a more distinct and pronounced sense of her evil tendencies as the various attacks and outspoken threats that are quite well realized and generate some thrilling elements with the violent outbursts against the friends as she races to unravel the truth about the mysterious beings around her. This finale gives the film a lot of nice bloodshed in the various kills and some creepy imagery to finish it off, really helping to hold this one up over it's few minor problems. The main issue here is the fact that there's just nothing really at stake here for so much of the film that it feels like a drama more than anything else with the way her family treats her instead of looking into what she's talking about. The fact that she tends to shift from going to her long-time girlfriend or the guy who has a crush on her for help makes it seem like it's flipping between different storylines and neither of them are all that concerned with playing up the horror of the situation as they focus more on the disbelieving sister storyline than anything else. As well, the fact that this one never really goes into detail about what's going on with the creature at the center of the story, as we get only one mention of what they are or how they keep everybody alive for as long as they do, much less the little girl who was able to wander through the woods leading them into the discovery of what's going on. These here are what somewhat hold it back overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and themes of children-in-jeopardy.

Solid but Flawed

[mayakothegreat · 7/10 · 2 January 2019]

A well done film that excelled on so many levels but fell short of being great. It had plenty of tense moments, beautiful cinematography, and a suitably atmospheric soundtrack. The best aspect of the film was it's very damaged, but lovable main character who was also terrifically acted. Her entire story arc drew me in and made my sympathize with her early on. There are a lot of hurting children in the foster system who are in need of love and support from a stable family. I love horror movies that have some elements of real life problems. This one falls short, however, because ultimately the main girl's struggle has almost no relevance in the end. Unlike in Split where the protagonists' brokenness ended up being her salvation. Here it's all throne out the window by a lazily written ending and for a cheap scare post credits.

cover looks scary, but the flick isn't

[trashgang · 6/10 · 30 January 2019]

But not that bad as you should think after seen my headline. A bit of fantasy and ghost story mixed. Starts off great and with an atmosphere that immediately got me attached to the screen. But when the movie moves a few years further that particular atmosphere is gone never to return.

Not scary at all, let me say that teh cover shown is the scariest thing you will see. Sure, some blood here and there on faces but no gore whatsoever to see. One moment you think okay here we are going to see something sadly, off-camera and no result what the stone did (avoiding spoilers).

Story is okay but with the fantasy part makes it a bit weird. Rebel teens in it, lesbian of course, troubles at home,...so youth will pick this up and will like it for sure but for me as an old geek, naah



Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

Great

[ajmcguire-33719 · 8/10 · 16 October 2018]

I thought this movie was great. I like cheesy horror films so i got it but it wasnt cheesy. It surprised me how good it was!

Promising start, then the movies falls off

[sebasdvp · 6/10 · 21 February 2020]

This movie represents everything a horror / terror film should aspire and should not.

First off, let us talk about what a horror film should aspire to. This film has astonishing cinematography and production design. The scenes in the woods are perfect for the genre. Creepy, gray, cold, mysteriously. Something similar to what the Netflix Series Dark does. And this aspect is what most horror films lack. A perfect environment to set up a scary story. A perfect production design to scare people off simply by looking at it. That's what this film is so good at, and what every horror film should aspire to.

Now, let us talk about what a horror film should not aspire to. A perfect cinematography and a perfect production design, as described above, does not imply a perfect story. And that is where this movie falls off. The story starts promising, a good scenario in which kids disappear out of a sudden. And the film builds this story quite good at the begging. But then; way too much mysticism. The story reaches a point where it becomes cliché, and it stops scaring. And it stops scaring because it is simply too surreal. It goes out of boundaries in the surreal matter. And instead of producing terror, it produces laughter. Also, stories that involve "duplicates", which means, two copies of the same person: one is demonic and the other is not, are hard to develop. If you constantly use it, it will become boring. The movie-goer does not care about a horror film character, and if you create several personas of the same character, then in becomes quite boring and cliché. That is why the ending is horrible. An unnecessary cliff-hanger. An unnecessary cliché. An unnecessary "duplicate".