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

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

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.