Award-winning filmmaker and music video director Corin Hardy has always loved monsters – it’s why his feature debut is dedicated to special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. “As a child I fell in love with those monster movies with pure effects; that, combined with then getting into Horror – and seeing Alien, The Thing, and Jaws – meant I wanted to be a monster maker. I made short horror movies with as many elaborate effects, and make-ups, as possible. So, although I definitely have a wide appreciation of all kinds of movies, I did want to make a ‘Creature Movie’.
Hardy’s feature debut, The Hallow, is set in an Irish forest which isn’t as empty as it first appears. “My idea was to do a fairy tale, but played straight – in the sense that the story was grounded in reality to make it truly scary. I wanted to make it gritty. Also, I think it’s great when movies do have a grounding and are relevant; I always love George Romero movies because they have this underlying connection to what was going on at the time. Mine came from talking with the Irish location scout manager, who was telling me about the history of the rise and fall of Ireland’s ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy, and my story came together with the idea of this forest being sold.”
While trying to fit in as much time as possible to promote The Hallow – it’s “sort of my firstborn child, and I love it” – Hardy is already aware how it’s being somewhat overshadowed by his next project: The Crow. “It’s very exciting, like a dream come true,” he says. “I was an absolute obsessed fan of the original graphic novel, and the film. I dressed up as The Crow many times – and will continue to do so!”
First published in SFX.
