What happens when the most haunting presence in your home isn’t a ghost, but the echo of your own unhealed trauma? This is the chilling question at the heart of Hollow, Kenya’s most anticipated psychological thriller set to premiere this Halloween, October 31st, 2025.
Directed by Allan Bosire and co-directed by Wairimu Kimotho, Hollow is a masterfully crafted exploration of grief that promises to leave audiences questioning not just what they’ve seen, but what they’ve felt.
The Horror of Everyday Grief
After suffering a traumatic miscarriage, Emma (Joan Kenduywa) and her husband Henry (Neville Misati) move to a quiet suburban home seeking a fresh start. But some wounds follow you wherever you go. Emma begins hearing whispers from a locked closet under the stairs – the voice of a child calling out to her in the darkness, thuds that echo through sleepless nights, and a presence that only she can perceive.
As Emma’s obsession grows and her relationship with Henry begins to fray, the audience is left questioning what’s real: is this supernatural, or the manifestation of unresolved trauma? The film explores the terrifying space between grief and madness, asking whether the child Emma hears is real or a haunting reminder of the one she lost.
Even support from her sister, Ashley (Red Brenda), can’t pull Emma back from the edge of what appears to be a complete psychological break.
The real question isn’t whether the ghost is real, but whether Emma’s grip on reality can survive the crushing weight of unprocessed grief.
Hollow is not just a horror film; it’s a story about the silence that follows grief, and the terrifying ways it tries to speak when we refuse to listen,” directors Bosire and Kimotho explain.
This isn’t horror born from jump scares or gore. Instead, the supernatural elements serve as manifestations of internal trauma: guilt, shame, loneliness, and that agonizing question of whether healing is even possible after devastating loss. Every creaking floorboard becomes Emma’s unspoken pain; every whisper behind the closet door represents the child she’ll never hold.
The filmmakers draw inspiration from psychological masterpieces like “The Night House,” “Prisoners,” and “The Haunting of Hill House,” creating what they describe as a “familiar but emotionally fractured” world where suburban comfort slowly gives way to creeping dread.
In an era where mental health struggles are still stigmatized and grief often dismissed as something to “get over,” “Hollow” dares to sit with uncomfortable truths. The film becomes a meditation on believing someone, even when what they’re experiencing seems impossible, a particularly resonant theme in conversations around women’s mental health and trauma.
This is a film about believing someone, even when what they’re saying sounds impossible,” the director’s note. “Hollow is our attempt to listen a little closer to the voices we try to ignore.”
Beyond its compelling narrative, “Hollow” represents a significant achievement for Kenyan cinema. The film showcases exceptional local talent both in front of and behind the camera, from Joan Kenduywa’s nuanced portrayal of a woman unraveling to the atmospheric cinematography by Festus Kiprotich and haunting production design by Patricia Kwamboka.
Produced by HME Originals and Film State, the film demonstrates the growing sophistication of Kenya’s film industry – not just in technical execution, but in the courage to tackle complex, emotionally challenging subject matter that elevates genre filmmaking into art.
The October 31st premiere date feels deliberately chosen. Halloween night seems the perfect time to confront not just supernatural fears, but the very real horror of unprocessed trauma and the courage required to face what we’ve kept locked away in our own psychological closets.
Follow the journey @hollow.thefilm
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