Director Babak Anvari, answerable for Beneath The Shadow and Wounds, is understood for his darkish examinations of the human psyche with nightmarish imagery and complex characters who’re, typically, onerous to like. Together with his newest movie Hallow Highway, which had its world premiere at SXSW 2025, Anvari hones that focus to craft probably the most upsetting movie of 2025 to date, fueled by spine-tingling sound design, unbelievable central performances, and artistic use of a single, cramped location.
The movie opens with photos of a home not too long ago in turmoil, proof of a battle nonetheless hanging within the air. Glimpses of spooky decorations trace that it’s Halloween, however for whoever lives right here, it was something however a enjoyable night time. Then, a smoke detector begins to beep, loudly alerting the home that its batteries are low. Rosamund Pike’s Maddie—or Mads as her husband Frank (Matthew Rhys) calls her—wakes as much as the sound, begrudgingly and responsibly modifications the batteries, then runs to her telephone because it begins to ring. It’s her 18-year-old daughter (and solely youngster) Alice (Megan McDonnell), who we shortly study sped off that night time after a battle along with her dad and mom. She’s sobbing as she reveals she hit somebody along with her automotive. And the particular person isn’t respiratory.
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From there, Hallow Highway is off to the race and doesn’t decelerate for a minute of its 80-minute runtime. Maddie and Frank run to their automotive, speaking Alice by way of learn how to do CPR whereas rushing to her location (the titular Hallow Highway). The movie is shot in actual time, so we’re compelled to stay by way of the agonizing seconds of Alice sobbing on the telephone as she tries to resuscitate the sufferer. The digicam lingers on the horror etched into every dad or mum’s face as they internally grapple with what’s unfolding in entrance of them.
In fact, there are many twists and turns that maintain Hallow Highway participating, thrilling, and a little bit bizarre. William Gillies’ script is an intricate puzzle the place info is revealed at exactly the fitting moments to maintain this claustrophobic, single-location horror present attention-grabbing. Plus it strikes alongside at a quick sufficient tempo that every minute is used economically in the case of constructing this household dynamic and revealing its many mysterious layers.
Artistic cinematography and skillful sound design elevate the movie into extra than simply two individuals speaking in a automotive. Alice’s sobs and the sounds of no matter she’s going by way of on the opposite finish emanate by way of the automotive, however we’re by no means explicitly proven something. It’s an train within the energy of creativeness and the way sounds might be extra disgusting than any excruciatingly detailed loss of life sequence.
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However most of all, Pike and Rhys flip in two performances that anchor Hallow Highway within the very actual horror of realizing that your youngster has finished one thing horrible that can irreparably change the remainder of their lives. Pike is, unsurprisingly, excellent. She performs paramedic Maddie with a cool detachment much like Pike’s iconic Amy from Gone Woman. However in contrast to Amy, Maddie is able to love and tries to stay calm as a coping mechanism, at all times affordable and pragmatic. Then there’s Rhys’ Frank, an anxious, jumpy one who will do something to guard his daughter regardless of how illogical. He screams and calls for obedience, a person who’s making an attempt his greatest however actually simply comes off as spineless.
And McDonnell additionally deserves credit score for crafting a personality the viewers by no means sees outdoors of a single contact picture, taken throughout a lot happier instances. With simply her voice, she sells Alice’s panic and absolute concern on the prospect of taking accountability for her actions. Her remorse is sufficient to deliver you to tears and her desperation is enraging. Nevertheless it’s because of McDonnell that we’ve such a visceral response to a personality’s motion that exists purely inside our minds.
Pike and Rhys spar and argue their method by way of the worst night time of their lives as secrets and techniques are revealed and extra fantastical components come up, taking Hallow Highway straight into conventional horror territory. These components are built-in by way of clunky exposition dumps that really feel shoehorned in to make sure viewers understanding. These moments, whereas temporary, decelerate a script that strikes alongside briskly and confidently.
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The late introduction of a brand new character is the most important instance. Whereas a vital and welcome complication, this character’s function is convoluted and threatens to derail a deeply harrowing story about two dad and mom making an attempt to do the fitting factor. And but, in Anvari’s succesful arms, all of it comes collectively right into a nightmarish bundle that’ll maintain you from driving by way of the woods on Halloween night time ever once more.
Mother and father, beware: this can be a horror film particularly handcrafted to destroy your night time. There’s no graphic imagery right here, however the scenario itself is horrific, even earlier than something spooky begins occurring. Anvari is firing on all cylinders right here, channeling his greatest creative impulses to craft a deeply upsetting and unrelenting style expertise that’ll hang-out you for days to return.
Abstract
Together with his newest movie Hallow Highway, Anvari crafts probably the most upsetting movie of 2025 to date, fueled by spine-tingling sound design, unbelievable central performances, and artistic use of a single, cramped location.
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