Still/Born (2017)

Directed by: Brandon Christensen | 87 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Christie Burke, Jesse Moss, Rebecca Olson, Jenn Griffin, Michael Ironside, Sheila McCarthy, Sean Rogerson, Grace Christensen, Dianne Snape, Brittany Allen, Jayson Therrien, Gunnar Shanahan, Praneet Akilla

Mary recently became a mother. She gave birth to twins, but one of the babies did not survive the delivery. As Mary tries to cope with the loss, she discovers that something evil is targeting her other baby. It turns out to be an evil, supernatural entity. And it is determined to achieve its goal…

‘Still/Born’ is a nice glimpse into the deepest depths of the human soul. At first glance, the film seems to take on the guise of a standard ghost story, in which a lonely woman is terrorized by an evil creature from beyond. On closer inspection, the print digs a little deeper and the supernatural horror elements are cleverly linked to the very real horrors that accompany a deep post-natal depression. The film thus links an existing medical condition with classic jump scares. What begins with insomnia eventually degenerates into a ghastly psychotic maze of hallucinations, a dark narrative where danger lurks in the shadows. Director Brandon Christensen does a good job of blending real and imaginary horror in a natural way, for example in a chilling scene where Mary sees on her monitor a dark figure bending over the cradle of her still-living baby. Stylistically, ‘Still/Born’ sometimes leans quite emphatically against prints such as ‘The Babadook’ and ‘Annabelle’, which means that the film certainly does not win the originality prize. However, borrowing from fellow genre members is not done explicitly enough to lose one’s own face.

‘Still/Born’ is largely carried by a strong playing Christie Burke. She knows how to portray the mentally torn and psychologically confused Mary in all her extremities well and believably. Fragile and fragile when no one believes her, but terrifying and at times villainous when she realizes that sacrificing her neighbor’s baby could be the key to saving her own child. Thanks to Burke’s good acting and Christensen’s balanced directing, ‘Still/Born’ has become quite a scary piece that rises just a bit above the horror and thriller mediocrity.