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Pretty Good

Just perfect...

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The Sinister Synopsis: What begins as an ultra-vivid, spectral nightmare for Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman; Cloverfield, 2008), becomes a relentless reality as the spirit of a young boy pursues her every step until it captures the essence of her naive soul. Now it's up to a Rabbi (Gary Oldman) a priest and Casey's dip-$hit boyfriend (does this formula sound rather familiar?) to help save her from a morbid mishap stemming from the age-old catastrophe of Nazi experimentation in Auschwitz (Dr. Josef Mengele, anyone?) The Diabolical Desire: As far as positives are concerned, there's next to nothing to consider except the mildly Gothic ambiance that's felt when Casey watches the film of the psychiatric hospital where her mother had committed suicide, but even that's digging at the bottom of the barrel a bit too much. The Rancid Reaction: Where to begin when it comes to a generic, subtle script that's easily lost in the flood of this modern, supernatural sub-genre. For starters, forgettable CGI effects, below-par acting (even with the installment of Oldman) and scare tactics that are far too predictable and tired are just a few qualities (or lack thereof) added into what could have equated to a tenser, more intimidating production, hence its watered down PG-13 rating...but hey, high school kids need their fair share of fright too, I suppose. The Axed Addendum: As a follow up to his trend of co-writing "Batman Begins" (2005) and "The Dark Knight" (2008), writer/director David S. Goyer flopped in taking a stab at creating a horror flick that just doesn't stand out from the herd of clichés we haven't seen before. Not even the more "sensual" approach at marketing the film's one-sheet can resurrect this one from the wretched wasteland of Horrid Horror.

After watching this for the second time (first time was a couple of years ago so I've forgotten most of the details), I finally get around to reviewing this excellent film. Why do I start by saying excellent without any exposition or preparation? Because I'm disappointed and frustrated with the IMDb rating community. At the time I'm writing this, The Unborn is rated 4.8, proving once again that a true Horror fan can never trust raters and reviewers, only themselves.Not unlike this review, The Unborn also lacks an exposition, throwing the viewer into the hardships of the story from the first second. We are not presented with the cliché corny stories of a visit to a graveyard, an after hours game with a Ouija board or a new house where take-your-pick-what-bad-things happened. Instead, the nightmares and haunting are already there. The beginning reminded me of Saving Private Ryan, where the death and carnage of war descend upon the viewers from the first moment, although here in The Unborn the first scenes are much less intense, allowing the story to build up slowly enough to create suspense and on edge sensations, yet not too slow to be boring.The idea behind the haunting story is original and beautifully innovative, traits sadly absent from most of today's haunting stories. In addition, we are finally presented with an exorcism ordeal which isn't fundamentally Christian, but Jewish! As a Jew, I might be slightly biased here, but seriously, hasn't anyone else been aching for exorcism films which go slightly beyond the regular "the power of Christ compels you" ceremony? I would also love to see exorcisms involving Muslim mysticism, or Hindu or Pagan, anything that would attempt to renew the all too familiar frame story of the classic The Exorcist. It's been long enough, Hollywood!Also, I found the connection to the Holocaust, Dr. Mengele and his twins research to be right on the spot. The writers have succeeded in using these references without making them cheap, and the focus on the Occult studies by the Nazis was a great addition to the overall eerie and frightening feeling throughout the film.As for the phantoms / demons / ghosts, The Unborn uses the Asian method of pale skin, big dark eyes and growing gaping mouths, just the way a phantom should look in my opinion. There is no shame in learning from the best, and when it comes to showing phantoms on screen, the Asians are the masters. The use of some jump scares involving these ghosts was also done in a satisfying manner - not too many and not too few. True, jump scares are cheap tricks, but not everything cheap is necessarily bad and out of place, especially in this sub-genre.I don't have much to say about the acting or cinematography. Nothing special about the use of camera and effects, nothing too noticeable about the acting. I do have to say two things: First, Jane Alexander was absolutely marvelous, using body language and accent like a real Holocaust survivor (and I say this as one who has met a few in my life). With different lighting and scenery I would have believed her to be an actual survivor from a documentary about Auschwitz. Second - I'm not sure if casting Cam Gigandet for such a secondary role was the right choice. Even without seeing him in Never Back Down and others, it is obvious that his screen presence is undeniable and his acting charisma is superb, surpassing that of lead actress Odette Annable and overclouding her at times (not to say she wasn't good, I have no criticism about her acting here).When I watch a Horror film, the story is the most important thing for me, and the story here is excellent. I'd love it even if it wasn't as original and innovative, which it is (congratulations David S. Goyer, you have definitely joined my Horror hall of fame!). The phantoms are scary as they should be, the haunting and exorcism are great - all in all, one of the best films in this sub-genre of haunting and exorcism and one of the best Horror films I've seen. The Unborn definitely deserves 8, but seeing as how the IMDb community insists on underrating it, I allow myself to be slightly less objective than I first intended, and rate it a 9. I recommend it with a passion!

Reading the IMDb member reviews of The Unborn, I cannot help but observe that everyone is so intent on bending over backwards to be politically correct, that viewers of the future - for whom the IMDb is really intended -- may completely miss the point. The point is that there exists a sub- sub- sub- genre of horror in which the story is just adequate; the direction is merely adequate; the cinematography is simply adequate ..... and yet the actress cast in the lead role is totally mesmerizing. At least to male viewers. Now I understand this is a sensitive topic, and no one talks about it, but, c'mon, give this poor reviewer a break, just (Exhibit #1 for the Prosecution) look at the artwork for the DVD cover, and you cannot help but notice that, rather than a horror film, you might perhaps think you were buying a 60s Bond film. In the artwork selected by the studio for the DVD cover, ostensibly lifted from the infamous "mirror" scene in the film -- which actually was pretty well done -- Odette Yustman (aka Odette Annable) is provocatively posed in her underwear, photographed from the (er) rear, nothing especially scary is going on, and that, ladies and gents, pretty much rests the case for the prosecution. Films of this odd sub-genre tend to become classics for this specific reason, and (trust me) the audience they appeal to is NOT the same audience that stands in line for Oprah. (Another example, the 1990 B-film Christina's House, starring an actress now almost entirely lost to obscurity, is also a cult hit for the very same reason.) Yes, yes, when the other IMDb reviewers tell you this is barely adequate horror film with merely competent technicals, they are telling you the truth. But not the whole truth...

To my very own big and pleasant surprise, "The Unborn" wasn't nearly as dreadful as I feared and/or expected. In fact, I even daresay it qualifies as decent and enjoyable nowadays horror entertainment. As an avid fan of classic and old-fashioned horror as well as obscure extreme stuff, I know it's uncool to write favorable comments about a mainstream PG-13 flick, but if I liked it why wouldn't I admit so? Indisputable fact of the matter remains that "The Unborn" is a derivative effort, with an all too often muddled script and far too many dumb twists and insufferable clichés. On the other hand, however, the movie contains numerous effectively grisly images, a few moments of genuine horrific atmosphere, several original – if unprocessed – plot ideas and a more than satisfying pace from start to finish. Role model teenage chick Casey suffers from recurring nightmares featuring an eerie boy with glazed eyes, shattered mirrors and a dog with an upside-down head! Following a traumatizing babysitting experience, Casey discovers not only that she herself lost a twin-brother while still in the womb, but also that her mother's bloodline suffers from a long history of grim twin brother issues, dating all the way back to her grandmother's period at the Nazi's Auschwitz concentration camp. Apparently a fiendish Jewish spirit – named Dybbuk – repeatedly attempts to come back to life via bodies of the deceased twin brothers… Obviously the whole thing is (too) similar to multiple monumental genre classics ("The Exorcist" in particular) but that's not the main problem here. The main problem is that David S. Goyer is primarily a writer instead of a director, and clearly lacks the finesse and skills to bring all his niftily invented horror ingredients together into one coherent and competent wholesome. The same issue also ruined his previous flick "The Invisible", but at least "The Unborn" is a vast improvement for Goyer in terms of horror maturity: a lot more sinister stuff and less sentimental sub plots. I really must compliment the intensity of the Auschwitz flashback sequences and the scenes inside the old folks' home, as well the adequate performances of lead actresses Odette Annable (awesome name, by the way) and Jane Alexander. Too bad the imbecilic sequences are equally memorable. For example, can you fathom the choice of a big bald black basketball coach to perform a Jewish exorcism ritual?!? In fact, the whole exorcism climax is the weakest point of the film.