GRACE (2009)
Directed by PAUL SOLET
Review by PHIL ALLELY


Released by Anchor Bay Entertainment
Running Time: 84 minutes
Rating: NR
Color format: Color
Audio/Subtitles: English Subtitles
Region Code: 1, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
16:9 Enhanced: Yes
Special Features: Audio commentaries, Featurettes, music scoring, trailer, Grace at Sundance.
Trailer Online: Yes

First off I’d like to point out that whilst GRACE is a very well made movie and certainly ticks all of the boxes in the horror genre, those viewers expecting children or thinking of starting a family, may want to give it a wide berth.

GRACE is the tale of a young husband and wife who after unsuccessful attempts to have a child find out that they are finally pregnant. The wife (Jordan Ladd) has her worries about childbirth and we soon learn that she has miscarried before and fears the same may happen again. Understanding those fears her loyal partner stands by her wishes and allow his wife to attend a local midwife, forgoing his own mother’s family doctor for the less sanitized approach to childbirth his wife seeks.

The story is filmed in a very grainy way and features a very small cast, focusing on our couple and the situation they find themselves in. Of course being a horror movie the action and tone do take a dramatic turn and we soon see where the filmmakers are heading in their tale. After a near forced delivery and a run-in with the family doctor the couple are driving home when fate rears its ugly head and they have a messy car crash.
Resulting in the death of the husband and seemingly the death of the unborn child.

It’s not often I agree with sleeve notes, but the note GRACE’s cover suggesting it falls into Stephen King territory pretty much hit’s the nail on the head with this one. After the crash our heroine begins to retreat into her own cocoon of a world and decides to carry her dead child full term. This is where things go a bit strange indeed, as the birth approaches we see Madeline opt to be as normal as possible, she however wants to bond with her dead child and the midwife etc all seem understandably bewildered when the child they knew to be deceased months before starts to cry and feed from her mom’s breast.

It’s kind of odd seeing this unfold and you do feel for the young mother as she struggles to come to terms with her child being alive. The tale doesn’t end there though; young GRACE has an insatiable appetite and slowly begins to wear her mother down, the young one seemingly draining the very life out of her. It’s as if the baby has a need for blood and the constant army of flies who surround her and the loyalty of the family cat all lead us to wonder if we have steeped into a reboot of the Omen somehow. Our young star seems to take on a vampiric need for blood as the story goes on.

GRACE is a very watchable slice of horror that will certainly make you think about the perils of bringing up and child and there are enough chills and a lovely little twist ending to get your teeth into as well.