LuckyWillThe Unborn – A Rebirth for Horror
February 26th 2009 16:05
Take the Good With the Bad
There was once a time when classic horror and thriller movies didn’t rely on super enhanced digital graphics, big budget explosions or excessively gory violence. Instead they needed only the aid of some basic props, a poorly tuned string quartet (or other haunting orchestral tones) and, of course the wild imaginations of its impressionable audience. Such Directors of this golden age include Hitchcock with “Psycho” in 1968; William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” in 1973; and, of course, Spielberg’s “Jaws” in 1975. These men possessed a suspenseful awareness that could asphyxiate the viewer with fearful anticipation for hours on end; rarely producing the shocking climax until the exact moment his captive dared to draw breath. Only then would they pounce on the partially relaxed muscles of their victims for maximum effect and airtime. Good times, good times.
Unfortunately recently horror flicks have focused too much on that climax and less on the vital ground work required to justify it, the suspense. This has meant that instead of cowering in our seats and peering through parted fingers, waiting to jump with fright as audiences did years ago, we are now simply made aware of an emerging fearful presence, cringe at the sight of it, and then forget it. Good horror should have longer lasting repercussions that extend beyond the cinema, like a large mechanical shark did years ago in scaring the summer crowds away from popular beaches.
“The Unborn” however is ironically the rebirth of this Golden Age of cinema. While it’s certainly not on par with the greats, it is definitely a step in the right direction for the genre. The recent film by David S. Goyer should not be confused with the 1916, 1991 or 2003 versions of the same name despite the common theme involving an unborn child. Incidentally the 2003 Asian film is quiet unsettling and well worth a look as it follows a very pregnant woman fighting the adult ghost of her unborn child at a hospital.
The Unborn, 2009, follows the experiences of Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman), a young girl who begins having visions of ugly children and plagues of insects as she learns about her family’s dark history and demonic relatives. As a twin in the womb, her umbilical cord strangled her unborn brother, and now seemingly he is out for revenge, or is he? It is a mystery that stretches before her lifetime and beyond that of her sibling and one she must quickly uncover before her remaining family, friends and acquaintances bear the brunt of this unholy rage.
The plot is fairly solid. Its not going to blow you away but it should give you enough of a reason to accept what’s going on and keep you guessing at the same time. There are some big jump moments early in the piece. One in particular had the entire audience well off their seats and gasping for breath, which sets the mood for the rest of the film. The director has done a great job filling every quiet, dark moment with suspense and intrigue and it’s a film that really keeps you on edge the majority of the time. Whenever a door creaks or something comes a knockin’ on the window you know there’s going to be pain and more often than not you won’t be disappointed. In parts the plot can be a little too obvious and you can guess what’s coming next, but that only serves to heighten the suspense as you wait for it to actually happen.
The creatures look fantastic and very creepy. In one particular scene when an elderly man gets down on all fours and twists his head backwards, at first it looks a little too CGI. However; once his transformation is complete, the result is actually quite terrifying and when he begins chasing a crippled woman through the long darkened corridors of a hospital, I would be surprised if I breathed at all during the remainder of the scene.
The run time on the film is only 1.5 hours which suits the story perfectly.
With Gary Oldman’s experience spearheading the acting charge and latest teen heartthrob, Mark Hardigan lending some boyish charm. Plus let’s not forget Yustman in short shorts and a singlet top (Wow!) the actors are just as interesting to watch as the monsters. That being said, the action is well timed and visually appealing, as are the scares which are guaranteed to make you jump at least once if you’re paying attention. I’m usually not a fan of horror films but for this I’ll make an exception and will definitely be sleeping with one eye open tonight.
Rating: 3.75 Twisted Daemon heads/ 5
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I'm curious, how old are you?
Comment by LuckyWill
CINEMATRIX
NRL, Tennis, Soccer - In sport. In here
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I'm not criticising your opinion, but I beg to differ.
Firstly, acting in horror movies is incredibly important. If you don't believe the performance, then half the fear for the audience is removed.
I agree that for the first half the suspense in The Unborn was handled well and there were definitely some good jump-scares, but there was way too much dialogue used by characters explaining shit for the audience. I found it insulting. The Orphanage was a vastly superior ghost story.
Action and horror movies are designed (if they work properly) to exhilarate an audience, but they're also designed as pure escapism. Explosions and scares are just part of that parcel. There are numerous other elements withing those genres that make them special. But I'm not about to launch into a lecture.
The driving force of a horror movie is atmosphere. In fact, as Roman Polanski once said, atmosphere is the most important thing in a movie. Period.
Slumdog Millionaire is over-rated. As drama it's simply an Anglicized Bollywood romance that America has found novel (since most Americans have never seen a Bollywood movie) and so decided to laden it down with Awards. Some nice camerawork, cinematography and editing, but that's about it.
Anyway enough of the diatribe from me.
Comment by LuckyWill
CINEMATRIX
NRL, Tennis, Soccer - In sport. In here
And how can you believe Slumdog Millionaire is over-rated?! What about the depth and realism in the character's and their interactions with both one another and their austere environment; the underlying social commentary of corruption emerging in Modern India; the honesty in the performances, not to mention the nice camerawork, cinematography and editing as you already noted. Instead you believe it won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Music, Cinematography and Editing just because Americans aren't very familiar with Bollywood and gave it a few oscars because they thought it was novel? If only the organisers of the awards possessed such unique insight they may not have wasted so much time with it.
Slumdog Millionaire is a brilliant film that should not be cheapened with reflex cynicism and blinkered generalisations and for those who have seen it would certainly agree.