Devil's Due *Catching Up*

Here we go with the devil child again

Samantha and Zach McCall (Allison Miller and Zach Gilford) are two newly weds honeymooning in the Caribbean, when some things happen on the last night that they cannot remember. They head home to find out (a couple of weeks after their vacation) that Samantha has become pregnant. It all starts off normal, but as the pregnancy drags on Zach notices that Sam is changing, and it doesn't appear to be normal (you know, to his well trained parental eye). As things get weirder Zach starts to investigate what is happening, and to see if he can stop it.

This movie really needs no spoiler (since the movie spoils itself), but just in case SPOILER WARNING

Have you seen Rosemary's Baby? Yeah, it is the same deal here, but instead of being dripped with anticipation and suspense, they seemed to want to go the route of replacing shock with effects. Seriously, I can't put into words how unbelievably dull this movie was after waiting for a payoff that left such a foul aftertaste. No real shock anywhere, to the point I can't believe they decided to call this a horror. I can't even bring myself to ask the question that looms over every horror movie. Of course this movie wasn't scary, there was absolutely nothing scary about it. They only thing I can seem to respect about this title is that they didn't really show off the baby at the end. They did the "horror" thing to do by keeping it out of clear sight; but, they did have to sneak one little thing in at the end that pissed me off. After I almost give this movie the smallest amount of respect, they make the baby's head glow like a light bulb struggling to maintain that last bit of wattage. Worried about spoilers? Don't worry, they spoil the entire effect of the movie by showing the husband at a police station during the first scene to introduce you to the movie. I just want to sit the writer's down and smack them over the head, screaming at them "you killed anything being scary in this movie, within the first twenty seconds of the film!" If I see the husband in a police station, signifying that this is going to be how the movie ends, I no longer fear for the protagonists. I know that the father is being blamed for the murder of both baby and child; or, the mother is being changed in a separate room and they are both being investigated for the murder of the child. The problem is, the second option is actually interesting, and movie companies always go with the easiest (or most common) first option. There was a small bit of hope for this movie when they revealed a secret society building an army of Antichrists; but the only way I was going to be interested in that would be if the entire movie was following them, instead Mr. and Mrs. Plain-American-God Fearing-Couple.

The way this movie was shot, also turned out to be something that worked against it. I have no extreme hatred for "found footage" films, no ax to grind; but, I have only seen two movies that made it work. Movie one was the original found footage title The Blair Witch Project, introducing us to a new way of feeling fear. Movie two was Chronicle, giving us some visual spectacle while weaving in a good story line. This is just them trying to do another devil baby movie, but thinking that shooting it at weird, wobbly camera angles will make us take the movie home with us. Scaring us at night as we worry for our future children. The only thing wrong with that scenario is that this movie wasn't scary, so instead of doing its job the movie just became more annoying when we were forced to deal with some drunk behind the camera.

There are only two actors in this, everyone else didn't get the opportunity to show me anything worth speaking of. Zach Gilford kind of impressed me when he acted in The Purge: Anarchy, but apparently when he does a found footage film, that is his excuse to not put forth any effort. Really, the guy just had no heart in this role, and it surprised me since he sold the "whiny boyfriend role" so well before. Allison Miller at least tried to be somewhat threatening in this, or creepy I still can't decide what she did better.... or what she was going for. She did well enough though, giving the best performance her clown directors (that's right plural, it took two people to make this garbage see daylight) asked for.

Final Verdict: Don't do it I can't even say this movie was bad in a funny way, it was just bad. Having little to no redeeming qualities, and committing unforgivable horror sins. Skip this piece of crap, you'll be none the wiser.