Patty Fitzgerald surely wasn’t the first black-haired girl I
encountered, but my memories of her are strong, probably because we started a
new school together in the sixth grade. It wasn’t that she was drop-dead
gorgeous or anything like that, just that her height, grace, fair skin and
raven locks made for a striking combination — something that just held one’s
attention in a way that Mrs. Cooke’s science class couldn’t. I say this because
Hallowed Ground hangs its fortunes totally on up-and-comer Jaimie Alexander (Kyle
XY), who is able to spellbind to a now lesser degree for me certainly, but perhaps still quite a bit for 12- to 17-year-old guys out there.
Alexander,
who cut her genre teeth on the thriller Rest Stop,
featuring the obligatory moment of lingerie-clad imperilment, is otherwise, from
the right angle, a decent look-alike for Sophia Bush, but it’s her ability to conjure both repulsion and fear in equal measure that definitely bumps this otherwise somewhat rigidly plotted tale up a half notch or two.
town of
preacher Jonas Hathaway (Nick Chinlund). To protect the harvest and livelihood
of his new burgh from Satan’s evil reach, the preacher sacrificed the town’s
sinners — a plot device somewhat similar to The Reaping, albeit
done more imaginatively than any stone altar (Jonas dresses them up as
scarecrows, crucifies them on crosses, and lets the birds do the rest of the
work). When the town ultimately turns against Jonas, it leads to his ultimate
demise.
A century later, Liz Chambers (Alexander) finds herself
stranded in Hope when her car breaks down. She meets up with tabloid reporter Sarah
(Xena: Warrior Princess’ Hudson
Leick), who’s in town to do a profile on the community’s history (or maybe just
search down a lead on Bat Boy). Jonas’ vengeful spirit returns, however, and Liz
soon discovers that her arrival was foretold by the town’s founding preacher a
century ago, and is eagerly awaited by a bloodthirsty townspeople who view her
sacrifice as the first, necessary step in a planned rebirth and sanctification
of their community.
Helmed by debut director David Benullo, the writer of Frank
Coraci’s Around the World in 80 Days remake,
Hallowed Ground is a movie very much
in the vein of rural-set stories of limited scope like Children of the Corn, The Hitcher as and Jeepers
Creepers. While its production means are at times evident and its CGI
effects work only fair by most horror buffs’ standards, Benullo for the most
part keeps things moving forward in a solid fashion, and doesn’t over-rely on
the desultory smash-cut jump scare, as with many first-time genre directors. He’s
aided by his cast, certainly: square-jawed Chinlund (Tears of the Sun) is effectively loathsome, and Alexander, as
mentioned, holds your attention, even if it’s not always in character.
Housed in a regular Amray case, Hallowed Ground comes presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen,
free from grain or problems with edge enhancement; a Dolby digital 5.1 sound
track anchors the aural presentation. Apart from a collection of trailers for like-minded
genre flicks, there are no supplemental features. C+ (Movie) C- (Disc)