The Hollow (movie #4)

And now we've reached the 4th movie in my little marathon, the masterpiece (of crap) known as "The Hollow." This movie is notable because it stars Nick Carter (of The Backstreet Boys fame) and yes, his acting skills are about what you'd expect from that description. But the movie isn't actually that bad. Really, it's meant for kids (if you're old like me, you'll remember a little show called "Are You Afraid of the Dark" which aired on Nickelodeon in the 90s, and this seems like a really long episode of that show). So yeah, this movie is crappy, but it's also fun. There's plenty of ghost story telling, as a young man whose family has just moved to the little town of Sleepy Hollow discovers that he is the last descendant of the infamous Ichabod Crane (the character in the Washington Irving story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" who was menaced by a headless ghost known at The Headless Horseman). The young man in this movie discovers that his move to the town has awaken the ancient evil spirit and unless he intervenes, the Headless Horseman will chop off the heads of all his friends. What a jerk.

Anyway, the gore effects are amateurish at best here, but the acting from the lead, Kevin Zegers, isn't half bad. Nick Carter can't even deliver his lines, but he has great hair. The love interest torn between these two boneheads, played by Kaley Cuoco, is likable enough. The real star of this movie (besides the creepy ass effects behind the Headless Horseman) is Stacey Keach as Claus, the caretaker of the old cemetery and the one who notices that the Headless Horseman is set to rise and kill again. His lines are often hilarious and I really appreciated his character for having such obvious fun with the role.

All in all this is a fun movie to watch if you want to introduce your kids to the horror flicks we all know and love. Not a bad sit at all, if you ask me. If I were, say, ten years old, this might have been my favorite movie just because it's so much fun and it's full of the Halloween spirit.