At times, The Unborn comes across as two separate films that got spliced together. On one hand, there is a genuinely disturbing psychological thriller / satire with great performances, while on the other there is a cheap B-level gore film.
Adams and her husband have been unable to conceive a child, so they go to James Karen's fertility clinic. Boasting a 100% success rate, he quickly fixes Adams's problem. Unfortunately, the child she conceives has some issues of its own.
At many points, the actors, particularly Adams, appear to be acting in an entirely different movie. Her meltdown scene, had it been in a straight drama rather than a low budget horror movie, would have earned her an Academy Award nomination. The film itself has a number of satirical touches on maternity culture, and could have been an interesting feminist piece in different hands.
Unfortunately, it turns into an uninspired gore film. I like gory horror movies, but it steals from It's Alive and Rosemary's Baby so blatantly it's not even funny. The special effects budget is so low that the film comes across as funny rather than scary.
Adams and her husband have been unable to conceive a child, so they go to James Karen's fertility clinic. Boasting a 100% success rate, he quickly fixes Adams's problem. Unfortunately, the child she conceives has some issues of its own.
At many points, the actors, particularly Adams, appear to be acting in an entirely different movie. Her meltdown scene, had it been in a straight drama rather than a low budget horror movie, would have earned her an Academy Award nomination. The film itself has a number of satirical touches on maternity culture, and could have been an interesting feminist piece in different hands.
Unfortunately, it turns into an uninspired gore film. I like gory horror movies, but it steals from It's Alive and Rosemary's Baby so blatantly it's not even funny. The special effects budget is so low that the film comes across as funny rather than scary.