Frightfest Film Festival 2020: THE HALL

The word incredible comes to mind when thinking about Francesco Giannini’s The Hall. The relevancy of the film and the parallels it contains will hit hard. It is important to note that the version of the film I had the opportunity of seeing was not yet complete, the current pandemic delaying post-production. Though this did nothing to take away from the film’s impact or relevancy, delivering an already solid induction to the horror genre.

Surviving The Hall

The Hall starts at the beginning, not at the beginning of the story, but rather the beginning of the pandemic, the mystery, and terror of the disease put into sharp focus as the hallway it begins in swiftly closes in. In this moment, a feeling of claustrophobia instantly sets in, gripping your attention. Accompanying this feeling is the ever-present resonating sound and feeling of the film’s heartbeat, a count down pulsating through the tension of the film and the fear of its victims. In this moment, anything can happen.

With the stage set, The Hall takes you back a bit, four hours earlier, giving its viewers a moment of reprieve, yet still maintaining our attention. Where the film presented a disease in the beginning, it is not until we trace back to the opening moments that The Hall’s relevancy to present-day events truly takes hold. As radio broadcasters discuss death tolls surpassing H1N1, residents of the hotel claiming “it’s just the flu”, and symptoms varying from person to person, The Hall transforms from a directorial debut in the horror genre to an almost prophetic account of what we have all seen progress over the last year.

The weight of the film’s success is in the mirroring of the pandemic that is sweeping the globe this year, but it also manages to hold water, delivering homages to films of the past while creating its own in doctrine into the genre. Even more so when you learn the film was created with the idea of a franchise in mind. And believe me, you will find yourself wanting to know more.

Creating the Horror

The one location approach with The Hall works well to contain not only the characters but the hysteria and tension that the film creates, and not only contains, but enhances. As characters struggle to make their escape, to reach the end of the hallway, the terror only builds, the uncertainty of who lives or who dies a seemingly unpredictable venture. Even with the limited cast, the film still manages to surprise along the way.

Interjecting the timeline leading up to the pandemic also works well for the film, to break up the struggle, avoiding the mundanity that a one-location could have provided. You not only have the terror at hand, but also the who, what, how, and when it leads up to.

In any horror film, violence always has its moment in the spotlight and The Hall is no exception. Yet, where many deliver through psychology and serial killers, The Hall manages to layer and intertwine its varieties of violence. From domestic violence to terrorism to even natural disasters, each stands on its own while complementing the other. And sadly, within each of these examples, viewers will find too that they mirror much of what the real pandemic has brought out into the light this past year.

Where The Hall finds success and relevancy in its parallel to the present, it also finds it in the homages from the past. The hallway carpeting will have many thinking back to The Shining. Kelly, the young girl in the film played by Bailey Thain, looks awful like Carol from The Poltergeist. Even visual and verbal aspects of the film will have many thinking this could be a potential close relative to Train to Busan. There are clear influences that scream throughout the film, many aha moments coupled with ones that linger in the subconscious. The homages are present yet never drowning out the ingenuity and real-life terror the film presents.

Conclusion

The Hall is an exhilarating ride, heightened by its mirroring of current events. And best of all – I want more. There are various avenues that the film leaves to discover and to unravel, the confusing moments of the beginning launching into action, a perspective world-building venture built on these strong foundations. Where Contagion found renewed success at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, The Hall is poised to find a deeper reach and meaning with its audience, guaranteeing success and a future fan base.

Do you agree with this article’s take on The Hall? Are there other films from Frightfest that you prefer? Please let us know in the comments below!

Watch The Hall