In an era where creature features often lean on CGI excess and franchise fatigue, The Hermit stomps into the woods with mud-caked boots and a slab of human jerky in hand. This sucker is lean and mean and Horror Hounds are going to go bark raving mad for it as a result.
Directed by Salvatore Sclafani, the film embraces its grindhouse roots while giving horror fans something refreshingly mean-spirited. The premise is simple and savage: two teens on a woodland getaway stumble into the territory of a cannibalistic pig farmer. What follows is a backwoods nightmare that plays like a love letter to ‘70s drive-in shockers, filtered through a modern indie lens.
At the center of the carnage is Lou Ferrigno, returning to creature territory decades after The Incredible Hulk made him a pop culture titan. But this isn’t a misunderstood green giant — this is a hulking, silent menace who slaughters, smokes, and packages his victims like livestock. Ferrigno’s physical presence does most of the talking; he moves like a force of nature, less a man than a mythic boogeyman buried deep in rural folklore. It’s a performance built on intimidation rather than dialogue, and it works.
The younger cast, led by Malina Weissman and Anthony Turpel, provide the emotional pulse. Weissman in particular gives Lisa a scrappy resilience that keeps the film grounded even when the premise veers into pulp absurdity. The script doesn’t overcomplicate things; it understands that creature features thrive on escalation. Every failed escape attempt ratchets up the tension, and the film smartly uses its forest setting — tight framing, creaking barns, and suffocating darkness — to amplify the claustrophobia.
Where The Hermit really earns its grindhouse badge is in the practical gore. The kills are tactile, messy, and unapologetically grotesque. There’s a nasty sense of humor underneath it all too — the idea of artisanal human jerky sold under the guise of farm-to-table authenticity is both ridiculous and deeply disturbing. The film balances shock and absurdity with surprising confidence, never quite tipping into parody but never taking itself too seriously either.
As a creature feature, The Hermit succeeds by staying lean and feral. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, it delivers a tight, bloody thrill ride anchored by Ferrigno’s imposing turn as a rural monster for the modern age. For fans of backwoods horror, cannibal flicks, and old-school midnight madness, this one’s worth carving into.
Uncork’d Entertainment will release the film on Digital and On Demand platforms March 3rd, following a Los Angeles premiere on March 2nd.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 86 mins
Director: Salvatore Sclafani
Writer: William Walkerley
Cast: Lou Ferrigno; Malina Pauli Weissman; Anthony Turpel
Genre: Horror | Thriller
Tagline: With Lou Ferrigno as
Memorable Movie Quote: "What does the other side of hell look like?"
Distributor: Uncork'd Enertainment
Official Site:
Release Date: Digital and On Demand platforms March 3rd, 2026
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Dragged on a vacation to the woods, teenagers Lisa and Eric fight for their lives against an unstoppable cannibal pig farmer.
