The Unborn
February 24th 2009 10:34
Going through her mother’s belongings, Casey comes across the name of a Holocaust survivor Sofi Kozma (Jane Alexander). She turns out to be Casey’s grandmother; the woman who had given her mother up for adoption. From her grandmother, Casey learns what has been haunting her in both sleep and wakefulness.
There are souls that are denied entrance into Heaven. They lurk on the brink, waiting for a chance to take possession of a new body. There are those of us these creatures can use as gateways in order to exist in the world of the living, namely twins.
When Sofi’s twin brother died as a result of a failed Nazi experiment, his body was taken over by a such a creature, a dybbuk. Sofi killed the creature, and it has been trying to return ever since – to set foot once more in the human world, and to take revenge on Sofi and those of her blood.
The dybbuk would have been born as Casey’s twin but failing to do so, it has turned its baleful gaze on her. Casey’s only hope is to find the Book of Mirrors and to ask one Rabbi Joseph Sendak (Gary Oldman) to perform an exorcism.
The actors did what they could with what they’d been given, screaming and looking frightened when appropriate, but I’m afraid the highlight of the evening for me was spotting Margaret Pomeranz in the cinema.
The predictability of the horror scenes saw the film relying often on a combination of the grotesque, sudden close-up shots and a jolt in the volume to give the audience a fright, and there was a rather ineffective scene involving a dog with an upside-down head that was more ridiculous than frightening.
Weaving ancient lore into a supernatural tale of revenge is an interesting premise for a film. However, the messy script and predictable scares will unfortunately see The Unborn quickly forgotten.
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Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
Thanks for stopping by!
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
Hmm... where to start... I found the way they explained the creature unsatisfactory. Granted, the dybbuk is said to predate religion, so a certain amount of guess-work (and hence mistakes) are to be expected from the characters, but I think the contradictions and the lack of information about the dybbuk left viewers with more questions than answers in the end.
There was also a scene where Casey looked resolved to keep the creature at bay; taking her grandmother's advice to dybbuk-proof her home. She gets one short scare (where she looked in control), and in the next scene her best friend shows up to say she hadn't been to class for days etc wtih Casey looking defeated. There was no build-up - she went from fighter to loser in a minute.
Or maybe I'm just being picky...
Thanks for the comment!
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Where'd you see this movie? I've been hanging to see a preview or media screening, but haven't heard anything.
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
Yeah, it didn't even make it to MA. I saw the movie at the George Street cinemas in the city. A friend got given a bunch of free tickets for a pre-screening on Monday night from work. The "poster" you see on this post is actually a scan of an extra ticket she had.
Hope you see the movie soon - I'd love to read your take on it!
Comment by Raoul Duke
Style of Eye
Mmmm, I'd tap that ass.
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
The trailer looks awesome.
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
Comment by Raoul Duke
Style of Eye
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Hated it
The only thing I liked was the dog.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
I'll be watching out for your review, Jason (rubbing hands together...)
Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything