Grace (2009) Dir. Paul Solet

This movie should be titled Grace: or What Not to Watch While Your Expecting. 

I had heard good things about Grace.  Creepy, gross, bizarre, and warped were common adjectives.  I had put off watching it for some reason but finally got around to watching it the other day.  Truth be told I was a little disappointed.  The reason Grace didn't really get to me is because I'm not a pregnant woman nor am I directly involved with pregnant women or babies.  Another issue I had was that Grace plays like a prequel for an established horror movie - the birth of the monster.  Finally, there's a psycho-sexual aspect to the film that seems like it would have worked better in an Asian horror film or perhaps a Cronenberg movie.

Those minor problems aside Grace is indeed creepy and has some gory moments (I looked away at one point but only because I don't like close-ups of cutting).  Jordan Ladd's portrayal of protagonist Madeline Matheson's descent into madness is pretty unnerving at times.  The supporting cast are all strong - particularly her mother-in-law Vivian (Gabrielle Rose).  Vivian is a WASP ice-bitch and her own madness is compelling to watch as well. 

Despite my lacklustre response to Grace - it is a solid piece of horror that takes the genre in a direction well away from the schlock and remakes being churned out.  Additionally the production quality was excellent and the effects were pretty effective.  There's nothing worse than attempting to watch a horror movie and it looks like it was made with an iPhone and edited by an AV hack.