Hive

source: tv.lk21

Synopsis:

Hive (2026) is a 91-minute mystery horror film directed by Felipe Vargas. The film was released on April 17, 2026, on Tubi. It tells the story of Sasha, an anxious and perfectionist teenager, who gets a routine babysitting job. While watching the child in her care at a playground, the child suddenly disappears. What makes it scary is that the other children at the playground also start behaving strangely. Sasha’s world slowly falls apart and reality begins to unravel. Nothing can be trusted and danger lurks. She must get out of this "psychological maze" with a clear head, while figuring out what is real and what isn’t, before the situation completely spirals out of control. This film is adapted from a short film with the same title by Felipe Vargas.

Critics say the final result “isn’t very good”. The story feels very small and the pacing doesn’t flow well. The story idea is good, but the execution of the full-length film still needs refining. This film leans more toward psychological supernatural horror than jump scares or violence.

This film stars: Xochitl Gomez, Aaron Dominguez, Zenobia Kloppers, Victoria Firsova and more.

In my opinion:

I swear, I thought this was an adventure comedy film. Because the poster shows Xochitl Gomez posing like DoraThe Explorer. Turns out this is a mystery horror film, haha, or maybe there are several posters and I got one that was misleading like that. By the way, in my opinion Xochitl isn’t really suited for horror or thriller films. I think she’s better suited for fantasy adventure films with a touch of comedy. Because, like I said, she’s like Dora The Explorer, hehe.

Alright, let’s talk about this film. Honestly, the idea is good, but the execution is not polished or soulful enough. I’m highlighting the acting quality of the cast. The tension in a film, besides being built from atmosphere, plot, and scenes, is also built from the acting and expressions of the actors. In this film I felt it was very awkward, imagine in the moment you lose a family member, what expression would appear? Hysterical? Confused? Shocked? Angry? Frenzied? Sad? Panicked? You can name them again. But what happens in this film? The expression we expect isn’t there. In fact, it’s very clear, Sasha is ‘swallowed’ into the lair of that creature. Her brother Marco’s expression is just like someone who wants to go to work but left their phone at home.

The story idea is good, it’s told that there’s a creature that has existed for many years, which controls an area and sets ‘traps’ to devour its victims under the guise of working there. By using a playground and babysitting jobs, this creature preys on its victims. The resolution of the terror in this film I also found very simple, even though I was hoping the creature’s true form would appear and Sasha, helped by Marco, would fight it (I didn’t stop picturing America Chavez here, haha). In reality, the creature died just by sprinkling it with sugar.. YES, SUGAR!

Even though the visuals, audio, and cinematography are good, it’s a shame that the acting feels lacking and fails to bring tension for me as a viewer (in my opinion). But it’s okay, I’m sure a young star like Xochitl Gomez will shine. She’s still very young. Especially since she’s involved in Avenger: Doomsday, I’m sure a bright future awaits her.

For me this one is 6/10.