HALLOWED GROUND
(not rated)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5)
STARRING
Jaimie Alexander as LIZ CHAMBERS
Brian McNamara as SHERIFF
Chloe Moretz as SABRINA
Nick Chinlund as JONAS HATHAWAY
Hudson Leick as SARAH
Ethan Phillips as PREACHER
Directed by: David Benullo
Studio: Genius Entertainment
BY KEVIN CARR
I’ll have to admit that part of my interest in the film “Hallowed Ground” is its star Jaimie Alexander. This striking, husky-voiced brunette is getting her biggest exposure for her role as Jessi XX in the ABC Family series “Kyle XY.” I’ll admit, she works better as a bad girl than the hero, but she’s pleasant to watch either way. And to find out via IMDb that she used to be on her high school wrestling team makes things even better. (That would have been a fun match in high school, because when you went up against her on the mat, no matter if you won or lost, you still won.)
Okay, enough chauvinism. Let’s talk about “Hallowed Ground.” This direct-to-DVD horror film targets the Halloween movie market. Using autumn imagery of scarecrows, corn fields and a small town in the Midwest, “Hallowed Ground” has the makings of a fun feature.
The story follows a young drifter (Alexander) who finds herself stranded in the tiny town of Hope, USA. However, as she meets some of the locals and learns the legends of the preacher’s ghost that haunts the cornfields, she learns that her role is bigger in the grand scheme of things. The religious fanatic townspeople soon turn on her so she can fulfill her role in bringing back the soul of the preacher, which now inhabits a freaky scarecrow.
“Hallowed Ground” is thin on story and quite predictable. However, it still works as far as small-budget Halloween horror flicks go. Jaimie Alexander is likeable enough as the lead, and she has a strong attitude and fights back enough that she is far from being a damsel in distress.
Still, one of the best things about this film is the alarmingly creepy scarecrow monster, which you’ll see on the cover box if you go to rent this. The film uses the seasonal imagery to its advantage, which is the name of the game for this kind of movie.