‘Some bonds can never be broken’
Blood Child is a 2017 American/Canadian supernatural horror film written and directed by Jennifer Phillips. The movie stars Alyx Melone, Cynthia Lee MacQuarrie, and Biden Hall.
Plot:
Bill (Biden Hall) and Ashley DiAngelo (Alyx Melone) seem to have it all, an overseas posting to Singapore, life in paradise and a new baby on the way. However, tragedy strikes when she loses the baby and sinks into a deep depression.
Unbeknownst to Bill, Ashley decides that the only way for her to “be” with her miscarried child is to dabble in the South East Asian occult practice of raising her own “ghost child”. She seeks the help of her Indonesian maid, Siti (Cynthia Lee MacQuarrie), tasking her to find a bomoh (witch doctor) who knows how to trap the spirit of unborn dead fetuses.
Siti tries to dissuade Ashley from resorting to such dark magic but to no avail. In the meantime, in an effort to put the tragic events of the miscarriage behind them, Bill decides that it would be good for the couple to return home to Minnesota to start their lives over. Several months after their return to the United States, Ashley and Bill are surprised to find that she is pregnant again.
The family soon learns that the ghost child is not about to play second fiddle to the impending new addition and unleashes an unspeakable evil upon the family.
Writer-director Phillips has said that she wanted to go back to the way horror films used to be made where the scare was not so much in what you saw on screen but rather in what you didn’t see.
This film explores the duality of human nature – of how a fragile psyche can become fragmented which gives rise to a spiritual suffering that will ultimately lead to a complete break with reality resulting in drastic actions. “It’s a small film with a big message,” says Phillips, “and the fun part about this film is seeing how many people will notice the Easter eggs that we hid all over the film.”
Reviews:
“It’s a smart and timely movie – and also genuinely creepy, with potent frights involving the dead little girl and effectively eerie use of the Omen-inspired concept of psychic photographs. Clichés creep in (the old American Werewolf nightmare-within-a-nightmare double shock) and the twist is over-familiar, but the execution is thoughtful and chilling.” Horrorscreams Videovault
“First time filmmaker Jennifer Phillips writes a good story with deep context that’s supposedly based on a true story, even if it’s mostly of the mind. Blood is used disturbingly so from a miscarriage to being eaten alive by your own child. The story is slowed and doesn’t flow seamlessly like a studio production.” Without Your Head
Main cast:
- Alyx Melone
- Cynthia Lee MacQuarrie
- Biden Hall, Lisa Kovack
- Charlotte Cattell
- Coco Uiga
- Tara Chitaroni
- John Haslett Murphy
- Steve Kasan
- Leah Radda
Filming locations:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Release:
Blood Child received a cable and digital HD release on September 11, 2018. It is available on all major platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, inDemand, Dish and more.
