Director: Justin G. Dyck
Year: 2020
Country: Canada
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
After kidnapping a client of his, an elderly couple keeps her in their house until the time is right for them to transfer the soul of their deceased grandson into her unborn child, but when they realize something's gone wrong they realize what they've really done and try to stop it.
Review:
This was a stellar and exceptionally impressive effort. One of the better features is the strong starting point that manages to offer up a wholly engaging start. The start to this with the kidnapping and holding hostage in their house is a decidedly bleak offering to bring up immediately in the film yet here is done in such a cheery manner that it becomes quite troubling to remember that the entire intent behind the incident is to use her unborn child for their own nefarious means. To see the precautions they take to ensure it goes smoothly, from checking the sound-proof quality of the room to ensuring she takes the medication and putting it out on social media that she'll be going silent from her own phone makes for a fun setup with the entire thing being done with a bright and cheerful attitude that belies their intentions.
That makes the later scenes with the hauntings all the more fun when they realize what's gone on around them. With the early indications shown here with the images of the kid playing in the house as a ghost or the resurrection ceremony on the bird that comes back to life, the stage is set for the centerpiece sequence here with the transplantation ceremony that takes place. Getting the bedroom decked out the paraphernalia that's required for the transition to take place which is the usual fun featured in occult rituals as the blood-swapping, shaking objects and reanimations taking place alongside the convulsing patient makes for a great time. As the entire process goes off without a hitch and the belief that it's been successful, the resulting payoff becomes all the greater.
That ceremony turns the film around quite nicely as they become convinced that something else has happened. The encounters each one has with the ghosts and spirits have quite a fun chill to it as the escalation from the tooth-sawing ghost to the white-sheet ghosts and the contortionist being turns this into a far more chilling effort than expected. As the slowly-dawning realization sets in on what they've done and the chilling finale comes into play, there's plenty to like here with the dark conclusion that gives everything an appropriate wrap-up. There isn't much wrong here, which mainly revolves around the flashbacks of the two in the early stages of the pregnancy visiting in the office. We know where it goes, they don't offer anything new and just scream filler by being cut out of the film altogether without altering much.
Overview: ****.5/5
A highly impressive and chilling effort that doesn’t have much if anything wrong with it, this is certainly one of the better entries for the year and has plenty to like for the most part. Give this a look if you’re a fan of these dark genre efforts, if you’re intrigued by what’s going on or interested in this style while those who don’t like this style will be the only ones who don’t find something to like.
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