Still/Born

Still/Born is a 2017 Canadian psychological horror film directed and co-written by Brandon Christensen and starring Christie Burke and Jesse Moss. It premiered on April 29, 2017 at the Overlook Film Festival and received generally positive reviews, with critics praising Burke's performance as Mary.

Still/Born
Promotional release poster
Directed byBrandon Christensen
Written byBrandon Christensen
Colin Minihan
Produced byChris Ball
Kurtis David Harder
Colin Minihan
Starring
CinematographyBradley Stuckel
Music byBlitz//Berlin
Production
companies
Digital Interference Productions
Hadron Films
Distributed byVertical Entertainment
Release date
Running time
87 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Mary (Christie Burke), in her first pregnancy, gives birth to twins. However, only one of them survives. Mary then starts showing postpartum depression symptoms, and becomes convinced that an evil entity wants to take her surviving baby.

After Mary's husband leaves for a business trip, and after some events transpire, Mary starts to fear for her child's life.

Cast

Reception

'Still/Born' celebrated its World Premiere at the 2017 Overlook Film Festival in Mount Hood, Oregon. Additionally, the film was also awarded the festival's Scariest Feature Award. The jurors noted that, “STILL/BORN freaked us all out in the best way possible. As a worthy entry in the classic sub genre of pregnancy horror stretching back to ROSEMARY'S BABY, it combines visceral chills and a creepy atmosphere into a perfectly terrifying package.” [1]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Still/Born has an approval rating of 67% based on 21 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Still/Born puts an intriguing psychological spin on its supernatural horror story, elevated by standout work from star Christie Burke."[2] On Metacritic, another review aggregator, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 4 critics, meaning "generally favorable reviews".[3]

Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "First-time feature director Brandon Christensen brings some impressive snap to the postnatal spook-show 'Still/Born.' Christensen and co-writer Colin Minihan mostly repeat old beats from suburban supernatural horror films like 'Poltergeist' and 'Paranormal Activity,' but strong actors and lean, unfussy storytelling ought to be more than enough to please genre buffs."[4] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter stated: "Tapping into elemental motherhood fears, not to mention the specter of post-partum depression, Still/Born works most effectively in its subtler, more enigmatic moments than when it indulges in familiar horror film conventions. Nevertheless, it does offer a consistent level of tension, a few decent scares and a terrific lead turn by Christie Burke."[5] Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and said: "'Still/Born' doesn't get as many points as one would hope for originality. But this is an inspired-enough take on a woman's horror, where the fear of losing her other baby becomes a terror itself, as expressed through an excellent performance."[6]

References
  1. "2017 Overlook Film Festival Awards Release 5/2/17" (PDF).
  2. "Still/Born". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  3. "Still/Born". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  4. Murray, Noel. "Review: 'Still/Born' hones in on the nightmares of new parents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  5. Scheck, Frank. "'Still/Born': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  6. Allen, Nick. "Still/Born". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
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