🎬 The Badger's Horror Film Review — Hallow Road (2025)
Clare's pick this week, starring Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys.
Alan's Verdict
So Sunday evenings are for horror here at the Badger Den — and this week Clare opted for Hallow Road.
Sitting down thinking I'm watching a horror movie definitely negatively affected my experience with this film, so maybe don't do that. If it's a horror — and there's a debate to be had there — then it's in the loosest of terms. It's a tense, mostly single-location experience that doesn't overstay its welcome with a runtime of 80 minutes.
Having received bad news in the early hours of the morning, a couple drive to the location of the problem involving their daughter. The script is tight, the characters believable, and it's well acted. I found myself intrigued, trying to second-guess what awaits our protagonists when they arrive.
The ending is ambiguous and thought-provoking — but I did find myself on YouTube listening to an explanation afterwards. Ambiguity can be a great way to end a story, but it comes at the risk of leaving you unsatisfied. I was a tad unsatisfied with how it ended, but rather than that being a negative, it only highlighted how drawn into this world I had become — unaware of at which point my internal monologue of 'this isn't a horror, this isn't scary' had stopped.
Clare's Verdict
I'd agree with the 6/10. It was a slow burn and not what I would call a horror, but it kept you interested enough to want to find out how it ended. The acting was good, but it's not one I'd revisit. More atmospheric mystery than horror — but worth a watch if you go in with the right expectations.
The Scores
⭐ The Badger: 6/10 — "Stop expecting horror and just enjoy the ride."
⭐ Clare: 6/10 — "Good, but not one I'd watch again."
🩸 Gore Score: 0/5
😱 Jump Scares: 0/5
🎭 Vibe: Atmospheric mystery thriller
Love horror? Browse our gothic horror gift collection — from mystery film boxes to dark homeware — over at Fat Badger Designs. 🦡
