The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow (2008) User Reviews

How terribly fascinating

[zuhairvazir · 8/10 · 21 May 2015]

Combing of a crime scene in less than six minutes and that too with a completely outlandish and strange approach at creating film. A film that manages to task out most of the intricacies or disciplines within the large spectrum of the craft itself.

Directed by Rodrigo Gudiño and Vincent Marcone, the film also manages to create conflict within the atmosphere with the help of a brilliant score.

A viewing experience that I cannot stop going back to, in my head, to relish in joining the puzzle, trying to fit pieces together just to rearrange them when I return to that spot in the woods.

The film is about a crime scene investigation of sorts. However nobody knows what the crime is even after watching some highly revelatory frames.

My brain is still processing the levels on the 'intrigued to loved' emotions.

Not like anything else

[jfgibson73 · 7/10 · 22 February 2010]

Total spoilers in this review.

This is a short film that centers entirely on examining a still photograph. Except that it is animated and the photo has layers of depth. It's difficult to describe, but the photo looks like it is from the early 1900's with the amber tinting. We get a wide shot of the entire photo, then the camera moves in fluidly and zooms through layers of trees and around the dimensions of the photo to reveal details that are visually exciting, but also add layers of mystery as to what is going on.

The photo is fairly simple at first glance--it seems to be several family members posing outside near their car. One man is kneeling down with a box of matches, ready to strike one. A couple poses with the bride holding what appears to be a newborn baby. One of the more ominous features of the photo is the look on the woman's face--confusion mixed with terror. The ending shows a close-up of the reflection in one character's sunglasses. Again, big spoiler here: it appears to be a witch/demon-like figure removing a hood to show her sinister face.

I'm not sure it all adds up, but it is an interesting excercise. The director had done an earlier short called "The Eyes of Edward James," which also utilizes an unusual storytelling device. However, by the end of that piece, I felt like I had an idea of what might have happened. If there is an actual back-story to "Mr. Hollow," I can't piece it together or find any information on it. But the visuals are memorable and amazing.

Explantion of film: very original concept, good execution

[Armin_Nikkhah_Shirazi · 8/10 · 25 May 2024]

THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF MISTER HOLLOW is a creepy horror short that takes an altogether novel approach to storytelling. After a brief scan of what appears to be a desk, which, among other things, reveals an article that states that child abductions have soared recently, the camera focuses on a photograph of what turns out to be a key moment in a crime scene. Lingering over different parts of it, it progressively reveals more aspects of what is happening in that scene.

It is a little like a puzzle, and for those who did not quite follow, here is the spoiler: followers of the cult of the ancient Greek death spirits Keres (marked by their wrist tattoos) are in the process of abducting yet another baby from her mother. The father was shot in the car, the kneeling accomplice is preparing an unholy fire (recall the cross in the firewood) and what we are witnessing is an impending child sacrifice ritual. A man in the bushes in the background with a shotgun is about to attempt to stop it, and the priest beside him is trying to protect him. The child sacrifice is for the devil, shown in the very last shot.

The idea is executed well, and I loved the idea of being able to "go into the picture" to glean more details. My only criticisms are that details of the picture change over time, as for example the expression of the mother and the fingernails of the man having his arm around her, and that the film has a little too much of a "video game look".

To me, the first point amounts to deceiving the audience, which in my mind cheapens the horror. Why not have the same details in there from the beginning, but underemphasize them, either by passing over them very quickly or showing them in an unfocused or blurry manner?

At any rate, this is still a highly original and well-executed piece of horror in the short film format well worth a watch.

Beyond pictures

[Rectangular_businessman · 9/10 · 1 June 2013]

This is a clever short animation.

I liked the way in which "The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow" slowly reveals the many sinister details hidden in a apparently simple photography, showing how even the most innocuous elements could actually have a dark connotation on them.

I liked a lot the atmosphere and the music from "The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow", which gave it an appropriate eerie feeling from beginning to end. And the "twist ending", despite being a bit predictable, worked very well in my opinion.

8.5/10

Amazing!

[larley · 10/10 · 1 March 2009]

I saw this tonight, during Nuit Blanche in Montreal at the Fantasia/DJ XL5 show at Place des Arts, and it just blew me away. I wanted to find it on YouTube, or even for sale, but no such luck. Now I want all of my film-fanatic friends to see it.

I very much enjoyed the way it was shot, and the general feel of it all. The music was just plain awesome, and really worked well with the general aesthetic.

Hopefully it will be made available in some way or another in the near future, as I'd love to watch it again.

And congrats on the Genie nomination!

You haven't seen anything like this

[Holt-2 · 10/10 · 2 May 2010]

I can't describe this movie too much, because anything will give it away. It's a very short film, but there's ridiculous amounts of depth to it.

The entire movie is an exercise in interpretation and inference. I saw it this weekend at Texas Frightmare Weekend and got to talk to the director one on one after. The DVD contains two other shorts, and they are solid, but nothing like this movie that forces you to tell the story to yourself spark your imagination.

I could never have guessed what I was getting into when my buddy insisted we go see his screening, but I am still totally excited that we did.

If Rodrigo Gudino has this kind of vision and creativity, he'll soon be listed as one of the greats. Whether or not you like this or his other two movies is completely your opinion, but give it a shot, because I guarantee that it will be different. This day and age, that is hard to come by.

Well imagined short film which builds well with tension and creepiness

[bob the moo · 26 April 2015]

Newspaper cuttings of child disappearances, suggestions of a cult being involved, a photograph sent to an investigator from someone called Johnny Hollow – all of the things are connected, and the photograph holds the answers if we can only look closely enough.

I am not really sure what to call this film; for sure it is a type of animation but then we also have real elements, although technically none of it "moves" since the majority of the film is spent with the virtual camera moving in and around the photograph, providing information behind the image of 4 people and a baby seemingly smiling for the camera. Much like the "enhance" feature in shows like CSI, the movement of the camera into and around the photograph goes far beyond what "looking closely" could provide, and it really opens up the image. It is surprisingly compelling, and I did find myself leaning a bit closer to see everything as the camera/eye moved around and in/out. What helps the sense of building immensely is the great soundtrack by, erm, Johnny Hollow (not sure if that is a real name or not!). The music builds tension, and steps up at all the right points.

The Gothic imagery, and the hints of ominous violence in and around the photograph build with the sound, and while there is not a narrative per se, it does engage and start to get quite gripping until the creepy conclusion. A very well imagined short film, with a good idea which is well delivered on with great camera movement and invention. Pleasingly creepy and tense.

Pictures, not much motion

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 11 May 2016]

"The Facts in the Case of Mister Hollow" is a really long title for a fairly short movie. This one only runs for slightly over 6 minutes and a lot of this is also the ending credits already. Writer and one of the two directors of this Canadian production is Rodrigo Gudiño. He got some nice awards attention that may have helped him with future projects. I cannot second this though. I did not think it was a particularly good movie and I found it not memorable at all. 2/5 is still pretty generous in my opinion. It was not scary, always bad for a film from the horror genre, and neither the action nor the characters were really interesting I have to say. The best thing about it was probably that it was over so quickly and I really hope Gudiño managed to improve in the almost 10 years since this was made. I do not recommend the watch.