Category Archives: baby

31 Days of Horror: Abandoned (2022; PG-13; 102 mins.)

Posted on October 23, 2024 | 2 comments

For this National Horror Movie Day, I was ready for a ghost-ridden, haunted house-type movie, and happened upon this one. After some recent gore-laden films, spooky/eerie happenings in a remote farmhouse sounded like the right amount of creepy. However, I should have abandoned Abandoned after the first 20 minutes, and I’ll share why so you can choose a better scary show for yourself.

When Alex and Sara, along with infant son Liam, find a great deal (always with the great deal…red flag, people!) on a big farmhouse and barn, they decide to ignore the fact that a murder involving a baby occurred there in the past (the movie itself is set in an undetermined era…perhaps the ’70s or perhaps not). Alex is a farm animal vet who is working to get a new practice off the ground by driving around to find people with farms (weird), while Sara, a teacher in the past, stays home with Liam. Now, you can tell right away things are a bit off: the lighting is kind of muted, Sara always wears the same white dress and Liam only a diaper/cover, a neighbor walks on into the house but Sara doesn’t see it as too odd, the couple is quiet and don’t talk much, items seem to move from room to room (or do they?), and other unusual things. And Liam cries ALL THE TIME. Yes, this is actually part of the movie. Out of the over one hundred minutes of Abandoned, Liam cries probably 20%-25% of it!

Now, we also learn the family who lived in this house before were more than creepy. A father kept his daughter prisoner there, got her pregnant, and shot the baby when it was born. These spirits are still in the house, and they have different goals for Sara. As Sara seems to slowly lose more and more of her mind, she puts Liam in greater and greater danger. But it’s not just the spirits who are after Sara. See, the whole movie is also a big ol’ metaphor for the postpartum depression Sara’s suffering from. So, the question is, will Alex see what is happening to his wife and be able to save her and Liam before it’s too late? Will the mystery of the neighbor be solved? Will the spirits leave them alone and move on? Will Liam EVER STOP CRYING?? You could watch the movie to find out. But, truthfully, I’d pass and save your time (and ears) for better pursuits.

Top Scare: In Bedroom
Heartbeats: 1 out of 5
Gore Factor: 1 1/2 out of 5
Scare Factor: 1 1/4 out of 5
Recommended for: 13 and up

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, baby, Entertainment, Halloween, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Paranormal, Reviews, scary movies, Streaming

Tagged Abandoned, Entertainment, Ghosts, Halloween, haunting, Horror, Horror Movies, Netflix, October

31 Days of Horror Movie: The Rite (2011; PG-13; 114 min)

Posted on October 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

Anthony Hopkins and a based-on-true-events exorcism…you had me at Anthony Hopkins.

After seeing his evil side in The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, how can I turn away from an inspired Hopkins performance simply because it’s another movie about a doubting Catholic (which is getting old, old, old)? Okay, I can’t.

So I didn’t turn away, but seminary student Michael Kovak wants to. Raised by the uber creepy Rutger Hauer as his father Istvan Kovak, a mortician, Michael just can’t wait to get away. So he goes to seminary because his late mother always told him he was touched by the hand of God. As the date of his final vows looms, Michael decides to leave the seminary, citing lack of faith. Enter a priest who has seen a different side of him, and who wants him to head to Rome to give “exorcism school” a go.

Soon Michael’s doubting is noticed by a journalist, Angeline, and the top dog, Father Xavier, who is teaching the class. Father Xavier sends Michael to meet Father Lucas (Hopkins), who performs so many exorcisms he can take calls in the middle of them and still stay on task. Michael still doubts, even when one case, the lovely, young (and pregnant) Rosaria is spitting up long iron nails and talking to him in other languages. But as Rosaria’s possession grows more extreme and violent, and two personal connections to the evil show their face, Michael must decide once and for all if he truly believes not only in the evil he is witnessing, but in God himself.

Top Scare: A cat
Heartbeats: 3 out of 5
Gore Factor: 3 1/4 out of 5
Suspense Factor: 3 3/4 out of 5
Recommended for: 14 and up, due to a couple of sexual references by The Devil himself

Horror Movie: The Omen (R; 1976; 111 min.)

Posted on October 17, 2010 | 5 comments

I wanted to watch the original version of this horror classic, not the recent remake, because I believe if it was good enough to want to remake it, it’s pretty good to begin with.

Gregory Peck stars as Robert Thorn, who’s wife has (unbeknownst to her) supposedly just given birth to a stillborn son. A priest shows Thorn another newborn boy who’s mother has just died, and offers him as a replacement saying, “She never has to know.” Let’s see how well that works out for him…

First, we see lovely scenes of the boy, whom they’ve named Damien, growing up a mostly normal child, that is until his fifth birthday party. At this event, Damien’s nanny calls out to him as he plays in the backyard with all the other children at his party, then commits suicide right in front of them all. As Thorn is the American Ambassador to Great Britain, this children’s party is being recorded by various photographers. One, Jennings, starts following Thorn after this incident, taking photos of various priests who seem to always be around Thorn, warning him of his son’s evil-ness, which he doesn’t believe…at first! Meanwhile, a new nanny, Mrs. Baylock, has taken charge of young Damien and vowed to him to keep him safe!

Finally, Jennings convinces Thorn that the devil is involved. Thorn is more sure than ever when his wife miscarries a baby and breaks numerous bones after Damien runs into her with his tricycle as she stands on a ladder to water a plant, causing her to topple two stories down over the bannister. Why does this cause him to believe? Because one of the cuckoo priests had warned him of just such a thing!

Thorn and Jennings head to Rome to look for the priest (different priest, not the cuckoo one) who gave him the newborn Damien that fateful day. When he discovers the grave of Damien’s real mother and sees she was not human, he calls the hospital and tells his wife to leave London immediately. As she already seems to know Damien is evil incarnate, she readies herself to go, but the new nanny, Mrs. Baylock, throws her over the balcony instead.

Still with me? Good. Now, Jennings and Thorn discover a still-different priest who says he can help them – Thorn must kill Damien using these special daggers he provides. Thorn says he cannot do it, Damien is just a child. Jennings says, then I will. But, that doesn’t work out so well for Jennings (don’t want to spoil it here). Thorn changes his mind and heads off to kill his evil son. But will he succeed?

Top Scare: Evil dogs
Heartbeats: 2 3/4 out of 5
Gore Factor: 3 out of 5
Suspense Factor: 3 1/2 out of 5
Recommended for: 14 and up, mainly due to suicide scene and other death scenes

Next up: Psycho

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Posted in 31 Days of Horror, baby, Exorcism, Hell, horror, Horror Movie, Movies, Omen, Satan, scary movies, Thriller

Tagged Amityville Horror, Entertainment, exorcism, Halloween, Horror, Horror Movies, movie, October, Satanic, thriller

Horror Movie: Rosemary’s Baby (R; 1968; 136 min.)

Posted on October 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

What a classic horror movie…love it still! And amazingly, many of the styles in the movie are “back in!”

Mia Farrow is Rosemary, who along with her husband Guy, a struggling actor, is looking for a new apartment in New York City. They find a great one and get settled in. Soon, they meet their neighbors, an older couple named Roman and Minnie Castevet, and become friendly with them. Guy begins to spend more and more time with Roman despite Rosemary’s uneasy feelings about him.

Rosemary and Guy are anxious to start a family, and following a very creepy “dream” of Rosemary’s, they soon discover she is pregnant. Minnie convinces Rosemary to see a well-known obstetrician she’s friendly with, who prescribes a daily vitamin drink that Minnie will make for Rosemary’s baby’s health. Rosemary has terrible pains during the beginning of the pregnancy, loses lots of weight, and eats various cuts of raw meat, all concerns poo-poo’d by the doc, Guy and the Castevets when she states them.

Meanwhile, Guy’s fledgling acting career has suddenly taken off after a friend who had won a coveted role goes blind and Guy steps into the role. Rosemary begins to have even more misgivings about her neighbors, Guy, and her doctor after talking to some friends, and after a close friend, who falls suddenly ill, passes on to her a book about witches and the history of her building. Could her neighbors and her husband really be witches, she wonders? Is her baby tied into this somehow?

The story continues in this vain, following Rosemary through the pregnancy and birth, with wonderful acting by Farrow and Ruth Gordon (Minnie) especially. Fun to watch even though not very scary!

Top Scare: Rosemary’s dream, I guess
Heartbeats: 1 out of 5
Gore Factor: 1/2 out of 5
Suspense Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
Recommended for: 15 and up, mainly due to the “dream” scene

Next up: Amityville Horror