Up-and-coming filmmakers often cut their teeth in the realm of horror early on. Horror is a genre that thrives on experimentation and creativity, providing ample opportunities to explore more lurid, extreme thematic material. There’s an art to crafting the perfect scare, and writer/director Shalom Kolontarov deserves ample recognition for committing to his vision, even if The Holy Trinity is, without question, one of the most underwhelming horror features in recent memory.
Granted, the setup doesn’t promise too much in the way of originality. Under the guise of a true story, it chronicles the gradual descent of five college students into paranoia as they encounter an ancient force of evil. Wave after wave of demonic torment confronts Sarah (Val Garrahan), James (Shalom Kolontarov), Daniel (Yakov Kolontarov), Deborah (Rebecca Hurt), and Mary (Michelle Nagy) in a scenario reminiscent of The Cabin in the Woods, with seemingly no end in sight. The Holy Trinity’s premise is nothing to write home about, but its mediocre story beats are only the beginning of a long, long string of flaws.
When it comes to on-screen blunders, just pick your poison. None of the actors stand out due to their lack of convincing dialogue and delivery, exacerbated by the unbalanced sound design. The lighting is woefully out of place, with most frames shot against broad daylight failing to complement unmotivated camerawork. Costumes and weapons are cheap Halloween props masked with VFX that are sorely out of place and never match the scene they are in. The biggest letdown is that the film throws the kitchen sink equivalent (or zombie head in a toilet bowl) of scares at its viewer, without any meaningful success.
The Holy Trinity, like most films of its kind, ultimately succumbs to its own grand ambitions. Perhaps it’s too much too soon for Kolontarov, who clearly had some form of concept in mind when penning the screenplay. A weekend getaway with friends. Pagan covens and sinister spirits. Supernatural powers and big fight scenes. These are all solid building blocks for a horror flick, but believability is absolutely necessary to make them coalesce properly. In that regard, Kolontarov and company still have some homework to do.
