Backwoods Horror With a Grindhouse Edge

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MOVIE REVIEWS
The Hermit
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Genre: Horror, Thriller
Year Released: 2025, 2026
Runtime: 1h 26m
Director(s): Salvatore Sclafani
Writer(s): William Walkerley
Cast: Lou Ferrigno, Malina Weissman, Anthony Turpel, James Quattrochi, Isabelle McCalla
Where to Watch: available on digital and on demand March 3, 2026

RAVING REVIEW: THE HERMIT wastes no time telling you exactly what kind of movie it wants to be. A remote cabin. Teenagers who’d rather be anywhere else. A gigantic cannibal pig farmer who doesn’t just kill, he processes. It’s blunt, stripped-down backwoods horror that leans into its own absurdity without quite tipping into parody. The central hook is obvious and deliberate: Lou Ferrigno stepping into full-on horror-villain territory. Ferrigno’s physical presence has always done most of the heavy lifting for him, and that’s exactly what this film understands. The Hermit isn’t meant to be psychologically complex. He’s meant to feel imposing, inevitable, and almost monstrous in a way that recalls older exploitation-era slashers. Ferrigno doesn’t overplay it. He moves slowly, deliberately, like a man who knows no one on screen can realistically overpower him. That confidence becomes character.

There’s something undeniably effective about casting an icon associated with heroism as a cannibalistic predator. The subversion isn’t layered, but it works. Ferrigno’s size alone makes the chase sequences feel credible. When he’s in frame, the tension is physical rather than intellectual. You don’t wonder what he’s thinking. You wonder how anyone is going to survive him. Opposite him, Malina Weissman and Anthony Turpel carry the film’s emotion as Lisa and Eric. Weissman plays Lisa with enough resilience to avoid becoming a standard scream-queen archetype. She’s reactive, but she’s not passive. Turpel leans into a more edgy energy, which balances the dynamic between them. The script doesn’t give them deep backstories, but it gives them enough friction and personality to feel more than disposable.

Director Salvatore Sclafani keeps the pacing tight. THE HERMIT sets up the premise, introduces the threat, and starts constricting the space. There’s an appreciation here for classic slasher structure. Isolation escalates. Escape routes shrink and mistakes compound. The film doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, which can be refreshing in a genre that often overcomplicates itself. Where the movie distinguishes itself is in tone. There’s a quirky undercurrent that occasionally bubbles up. The line between horror and grindhouse humor is thin, and the film straddles it unevenly. Sometimes that tonal tremble adds personality. Other times, it blunts the dread, almost too much.

The gore is present but not excessive. This isn’t a splatter film trying to outdo itself. Instead, it uses violence as punctuation. When it hits, it lands hard, but it doesn’t stick around long enough to become indulgent. That restraint helps maintain momentum, though horror fans looking for extreme carnage might find it slightly restrained. THE HERMIT sticks to familiar territory like woods, barns, and obscure interiors. The cinematography isn’t flashy, but it’s functional. The rural setting feels shockingly genuine, which grounds the premise in something tactile. There’s an understanding that this kind of story works best when the environment feels dirty, uncomfortable, and claustrophobic rather than polished and cinematic.

Where the film struggles is in character depth beyond its core trio. Several supporting players feel like placeholders rather than people. They exist to move the story forward or to become casualties, and the script rarely pauses long enough to give them dimension. That approach keeps the focus, but it also limits the emotional stakes to the surface. When bodies drop, the impact is more mechanical than devastating.

There’s also a sense that the film could have pushed its central concept further. A cannibal pig farmer played by Lou Ferrigno is already bold. The movie hints at deeper psychological or thematic layers, isolation, generational trauma, and survivalist ideology, but it never commits to exploring them. It settles into a straightforward survival narrative rather than delving into the more disturbing implications of its villain’s worldview.

That said, there’s something admirable about its simplicity. THE HERMIT knows its lane. It’s not aiming for elevated horror or social commentary disguised as a slasher. It’s aiming for tension, physical threat, and the thrill of watching characters scramble to outmaneuver something stronger than themselves. On those terms, it largely succeeds.

Ferrigno’s performance ultimately defines the experience. He doesn’t deliver a transformative character study, but he doesn’t need to. His presence is the spectacle. Seeing him embrace the role of a deformed antagonist after decades of pop culture heroism carries its own appeal. The film understands that and builds around it accordingly.

THE HERMIT isn’t reinventing horror, and ultimately I think that’s its greatest strength. It’s a lean, occasionally uneven but entertaining backwoods thriller that delivers exactly what its premise promises. For viewers who can understand that it's gritty, pulpy, and a little absurd, it provides a solid night of survival horror anchored by a villain who physically dominates every frame he enters.

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[photo courtesy of CHROME ENTERTAINMENT, FIRST CHILD, MANED LIONESS PICTURES, SCATENA & ROSNER FILMS, UNCORK'D ENTERTAINMENT]

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