THE UNBORN: Copycat Exorcist

THE UNBORN (horror thriller)
Starring:Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Cam Gigandet, Meagan Good, Jane Alexander, Idris Elba, Rachel Brosnahan, Rhys Coiro, Carla Gugino, Gene Fojtik
Writer, director: David S. Goyer
Time: 85 mins
Rating: * 1/2 (out of 4)

Gary Oldman and Odette Yustman in THE UNBORN

PREAMBLE: Now, how do I like this film, let me count the ways:
1. Its cinematography, by James Hawkinson, is top class, with great camera angles;
2. It has as its lead, Odette Yustman, the eye-catchingly slim starlet from Cloverfield and TV's October Road, and she prances around outdoors in her jogging suit, and indoors, mostly in her underwear. Cool;
3. The Unborn is so derivative, it keeps you guessing which famous movies the scenes are borrowed from...


THE SKINNY: When Casey Beldon (Yustman) starts seeing images of a pale young boy and has nightmares about him, she begins to probe into her past, especially into the death of her mother (Carla Gugino). She learns that she had a twin brother who had died in the womb.

Later, when her investigation takes her to an Auschwitz survivor named Sofi Kozma (Jane Alexander), Casey discovers that the unborn twin is now a restless demon or 'dybbuk' who is trying to take possession of her mind and soul.

AND HOW IS THE MOVIE DERIVATIVE? Let me count the ways:
1. We get visions of the pale white boy with dark eyes from Japanese and Korean horror flicks like The RIng and Ju-On';
2. We have weird reflections like those from Mirrors, and scenes of breaking mirrors;
3. We see swarms of bugs like those in The Exorcist;
4. We also have the head twisting 180-degree scenes, a'la Linda Blair in Exorcist;
5. There are frantic chase sequences like those of The Shining;
6. And of course, we have Gary Oldman as Rabbi Sendak performing a Jewish-style exorcist!

THE LOWDOWN: Well, if you are still interested in the Unborn, enjoy yourself with your date.