'Grace' review

Jordan Ladd (Credit: image.net)

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Young mother-to-be Madeline (Jordan Ladd) insists on giving birth to her child the "natural" way, without any doctors or drugs. Over the objections of her mother-in-law Vivian (Gabrielle Rose), Madeline turns to midwife and friend Patricia (Samantha Ferris) to help see her through delivery. There are complications, and Madeline ends up delivering a stillborn baby, whom she names Grace. And then, a miracle...Grace begins to nurse while she's in Madeline's arms. If only the new mother had seen a few horror movies, she might realize that people are never the same once they've come back from the dead.

The buzz: Writer-director Paul Solet makes his directorial debut with this expanded version of his award-winning short film of the same name. He's a protege of Eli Roth, so does that mean audiences can expect the same level of extreme gore found in Roth's "Hostel" films?

The verdict: Potentially as terrifying for soon-to-be mothers and fathers as “Jaws” was for beachgoers, “Grace” is deeply unsettling stuff. But it’s sharp, witty and ambitiously artful too, like some lost gem from the highbrow spectrum of ‘70s exploitation cinema (think David Cronenberg or George Romero). As Madeline struggles to be a good mother and provide for her child, the tension grows deeper and the horror gets sicker. It’s exciting to see a horror film—or any film, really—driven by female characters (there are men here—Madeline’s husband, his father, Vivian’s doctor—but they’re all secondary), and the contrasting energies of the three key women give the film a unique edge. It’s an impressive and intriguing debut for Solet, who takes a heavily psychological approach to the material but doesn’t shy away from queasy gore effects and an all around atmosphere of ickiness. Childbirth may be a beautiful thing, but it’s also more than a little gross. “Grace” takes that dichotomy and milks it till it bleeds.

Did you know? Solet pulled inspiration for the movie from his mother’s revelation that he was supposed to be a twin, but his sister was stillborn.

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