Modern era horror movies at times seemed designed for no other reason than to create ticket selling revenues for an impressive movie theatre viewing. With dazzling special effects and a host of in your face, jump out of your seat and startle you moments, many scary themed films of the current generation are good for fun but offer little in the way of being truly terrifying.
The 2009 Michael Bay produced “The Unborn” has all of the above elements; creepy and memorable scenes, numerous scares and jumps, and plenty of disturbing images that really don’t fit the story but nonetheless are there.
The flawlessly gorgeous Odette Yustman plays Casey Beldon, who after a series of haunting occurrences discovers she was at one time a twin but that her would be brother died in the womb. With the understanding that her deceased twin is now a merciless demon, Casey enlists the help of a rabbi (Gary Oldman) to rid her of the monster for good.
“The Unborn” features some great characters – Atticus Shaffer who is highly recognizable as the peculiar Brick Heck from TV’s The Middle plays Matty, a neighbor boy who seems to be under the control of the malevolent demon. Shaffer was born to play any assortment of creepy children, with his stone expression and completely unlovable features, its a shame he is nearing adulthood. While excellent at his craft, Shaffer is in the movie simply because he’s a creepy kid.
One of my favorite actors – Idris Elba – also makes an appearance. Elba is great in a limited role introduced near the end of the story but seems to have been cast for no other reason than he’s a chic actor.
Odette Yustman, one of the stars of “Cloverfield,” is just so hot the viewer won’t be able to tell or care that she can’t act a lick. And I’m not sure why Gary Oldman would agree to such a role as the heroic rabbi (unless Odette asked him and he couldn’t say no to her).
“The Unborn” contains the typical scares of today’s era horror. There are some truly grisly scenes – such as a handicapped man springing from his wheelchair and crawling after an older woman in a rest home, and a distorted dog that follows Casey, but again they don’t really make sense in terms of adding to the movie as a whole.
At one point, the demon attempting to possess Casey gains control of her best friend, Matty, and the character played by Idris Elba, prompting one to ask; if it can take these forms why isn’t it satisfied with that? why does it need Casey?
“The Unborn” is the kind of movie that proves the whole can never be greater than the sum of its parts. Overall, its an okay movie. A handful of ghastly scares and the hotness of Yustman tip it up a notch above average.
by – Matt Christopher
