Grace



Michael and Madeline Matheson are over the moon. After two failed attempts, they’re finally only a couple short weeks away from having their first child. Everything is looking up for the couple until a car malfunction sends them both off the road, killing Michael and injuring Madeline. Madeline is told that the baby is dead, but she has an extreme skepticism of doctors and is determined to carry it to term. As everyone told her, the baby arrives stillborn but then, shockingly, starts to show signs of life. After so much tragedy, Madeline is firmly convinced that it’s some kind of miracle, and names her daughter Grace. Everything seems fine at first, but it doesn’t take long for Madeline to realize that something is very wrong with her daughter, and she’s going to have to go through some very unorthodox extremes to keep her baby alive and well.



Grace is one of the few films featured on “The 50 Best Horror Movies You’ve Never Seen” that I had in fact not only not seen, but never even heard of before, so I was actually kind of excited. The film is based on a 6-minute long short film of the same name, also by director Paul Solet, but starring Brian Austin Green and Liza Weil. I haven’t had the chance to see the short (I can’t find anywhere to watch it), but it won 3 independent film awards, which was apparently enough to incentivize a feature length project. And you know what, I approve their decision. Because the film is actually pretty good. And unlike some of the movies that were on that “Best Horror Movies” list, I think this one definitely fits that film’s criteria, in that it’s a good movie that probably flew under most people’s radar. That said though, it’s also the kind of horror movie that probably most appeals to a very specific audience.



One wouldn’t be remiss in initially thinking Grace was going to be a very different kind of movie. The first 20 minutes or so kind of feel like the beginnings of some sort of bleak melodrama. You’ve got a couple trying to have a baby. You’ve got the meddlesome mother-in-law with no boundaries who clearly isn’t a big fan of the wife. You’ve got the midwife who happens to be the wife’s ex and who’s obviously still attracted to the wife. Then the husband, and seemingly the baby, die tragically, and everyone is very sad, and understandably depressed, until Surprise!, the baby is actually alive. But it’s only until after the baby is born that the real horror parts start to kick in. Because it’s at that point that the film starts to really spiral down into Creepy Town, and you realize that instead of just maybe being “quirky”, half the characters are actually nutty and/or outright dangerous. Cause pretty soon the flies show up, and it starts to become painfully obvious that something is horribly wrong with the kid. But because Madeline is one of those vegan/homeopathic health nuts and has a distrust of doctors she refuses to go to the hospital. And then the creepy blood aspect kicks in. And then the doctor-lady kinda turns into a stalker. And then the meddlesome mother-in-law reveals herself to really be the meddlesome mother-in-law from Hell, because she plans to use her influence as a judge to have Madeline declared incompetent, all so that she can take the baby and breastfeed it herself. So, Madeline’s depressed because her husband just died, she’s being stalked, her mother-in-law is actively trying to undermine her and steal her child, and there’s no one to help her deal with a clearly troubled baby, let alone all the other bullshit. Which basically makes the film every new mother’s absolute worst nightmare. Because no matter what she does, Madeline is basically screwed, and the movie turns into a test of “how far will this mother go to protect her maybe/kinda/sorta undead wraith baby?”



But this also isn’t the type of movie that just throws all the horror at you at once. This is the type of film dedicated to slowly building up the horror and psychological tension bit by bit, until the final act. I mean, yeah, you pretty much already know exactly where the movie is headed thanks to the film’s poster, and then it’s just confirmed as soon as the film reveals the baby’s penchant for blood drinking. But it doesn’t immediately jump to that. It starts by slowly introducing seemingly benign issues every first-time mother/parent probably faces (lots of crying, exhaustion, the baby won’t eat, weird rashes, etc.) and only after that slips in the blood. Plus, there’s also a strong focus on imagery and cinematography, rather than just the blood/gore itself. So while some might compare the movie to It’s Alive, based on the subject matter, the vibe the film gives off feels much more akin to the slow build up seen in films like Repulsion than it does anything else.



You know, I kinda hate films like this, because it’s hard to come up with too much to say when a film is actually good. There isn’t too much to say when there really isn’t anything to complain about. Grace sounds good, it looks great, the acting is perfect, and the story is an excellent example of a creepy psychological slow-burn horror film. So if you like the kind of films that start off normal but then slowly make you feel super uneasy, then this is likely a great film for you. But if you’re looking for more fast-paced fare, “in your face” scares, or more gore, then you’re going to be disappointed. There may be a lot of blood here (like, ALOT alot), but it’s inclusion is only used to highlight the real horrors of the film, not to appease splatter fans. Oh, and if you’re a pregnant woman or are in any way planning a pregnancy in the near future…don’t watch this. I mean it. This is the type of film meant to make everyone, and probably women in particular, feel very uncomfortable. But if you happen to be pregnant or even thinking about it? It will make you SUPREMELY uncomfortable, and likely also make you paranoid as hell, as you contemplate every possible worst-case scenario you can conceive of that could potentially occur during a 9-month time-frame. So maybe do yourself a favor and just… Stay away.

Grace is available on a variety of streaming services.

Grace is also available on DVD and Bluray.

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