Babak Anvari’s Hallow Road

Gen X did a lot of things right, but our record raising Millennial and Gen Z kids has been admittedly dismal. The job Maddie and Frank did with Alice is a case in point. She has always been an irresponsible basket-case, but she might have to find some sudden maturity when she takes a detour through the Twilight Zone (so to speak) in Babak Anvari’s Hallow Road, which opens today as part of a special AMC horror double feature.

After arguing with her parents (yet again), Alice drove off angry into the night, where she slammed into an unsuspecting girl her age. Of course, she calls her parents hoping they can fix her mess (yet again). Maddie, a burned out EMT wants her to call back emergency services, so she can follow their directions, but the even more-coddling Frank insists she keep them on speaker phone as they race to meet her along a lonely stretch of Hallow Road.

Apparently, that titular road has a bit of a folky horror reputation. Not surprisingly, the vibe feels off. (Coincidentally, the GPS display says its 10/31, but maybe its always Halloween on Hallow Road.) Regardless, Maddie has more pressing concerns, like trying to save the poor girl’s life. To make matters worse, Frank constantly contradicts her with his responsibility-averse advice. Then a mystery couple arrives on the scene.

To a great extent, Hallow Road is like the genre take on Locke—and it works surprisingly well as such. Anvari’s execution is tense, moody, and claustrophobic. It literally incorporates several of parents’ worst fears, so it is easy to relate to Maddie and Frank, despite (or even because of) their shortcomings.

The terrific Rosamunde Pike also really draws in viewers. Her portrayal of Maddie is enormously complex and compellingly messy. Several times, she truly smacks down the audience. In contrast, Matthew Rhys’s performance as Frank is much louder, but also more simplistic. However, they both do some incredibly effective voiceover work that would be spoilery to explain.

The ambiguous ending somewhat frustrates, but it is not out of place for a Serling-esque story. Indeed, the film arguably play like a better than average Twilight Zone episode, which is a good thing. The manageable eighty-minute running-time certainly helps in that respect. Altogether, it represents a solid exercise in eeriness. Recommended for fans of darkly ironic thrillers, Hallow Road opens today (10/31) as part of the AMC Halloween double-feature.