Director – John Law
Starring – Zelda Adams (The Deeper You Dig, The Ascent), John Law, and Lulu Adams (The Shoot, Halfway to Zen)
Release Date – 2018
Rating – 2/5
After spending almost an entire month watching all things Friday the 13th I ventured to a recent Arrow Video release of The Deeper You Dig. This 2019 drama/horror hybrid was a very visually stunning delight that I really enjoyed. There was a few things I would have liked to see done differently but I enjoyed it for what it is.
When I was getting ready to check it out I noticed that the released had a second film which was 2018’s The Hatred. I was very curious to see what kind of movie this was sneaking into my collection. I want to once again thank MVD and Arrow Video for sending this one my way to review.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a family living in an isolated farmhouse during the winter when a group of American soldiers happen upon them. They kill everyone except one of the teenage girls along with one of their own before taking what they need and moving on. The daughter returns to find her family slaughtered. Heartbroken, she resurrects the soldier that was slain and the two set out to get revenge on the soldiers. **Spoiler Alert**
I was looking forward to checking this one out after seeing The Deeper You Dig. I knew it wasn’t directed by the same filmmakers but it did star Zelda Adams who appeared in the latter. Sadly, it was a beautifully shot period piece but the story and narrative just didn’t work for me. I wanted to like it because it really was aesthetically pleasing but it was a rough one to finish.
The acting in this one is pretty solid. The characters all fit the film very well and they work for the story. However, watching a movie with a broken narration like this has does makes it a little difficult to sit through. I don’t want to say the acting is bad, because it wasn’t, but the unenthused narration during the film does make it feel rather goofy.
The story for this one runs around 50 some minutes but for the story we get it’s about 30 minutes too long. I really liked the story and how it was approached but there was no need at stretching it to 50 minutes. It would have been a lot tighter with more impact if it was shortened and the fat was trimmed. A supernatural thriller set during the American Civil War is extremely appealing but not properly approached.
Finally, the film has plenty of blood but if you are looking for graphic death scenes you will be very disappointed. The effects are minimal but there is plenty of blood. Overall, The Hatred is visually appealing but those looking for more than just visuals will be very disappointed. If the narration and about 30 minutes was cut from the film we would have one hell of a short. However, the movie itself is just drawn out and unappealing. Skip it.
