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What’s the Story?

Reviewed byJames Rocchi
Young Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) begins seeing fearful, frightening visions that all involve the phrase "Jumby wants to be born." Casey finds out from her father (James Remar) that Casey had a male twin who died in the womb -- and that their nickname for the him was "Jumby." Haunted by this new information, memories of her mother's suicide, and increasingly bizarre visions, Casey learns that she's being haunted by a diabolical sprit known as a dybbuk -- a dead soul barred from the afterlife -- that has been circling her family for generations in an effort to gain a foothold in this world. The spirt is trying to isolate Casey and break her down; can she keep herself and her friends safe as she tries to convince a skeptical rabbi (Gary Oldman) to perform a Jewish rite of exorcism? Or will Casey be the final victim of a darkness that's stalked her family over long, grim decades?

Is It Any Good?

3

Written and directed by David S. Goyer, THE UNBORN may have fully modern digital effects and high-tech moviemaking, but it also has a nice, retro '70s feel, harkening back to supernatural chillers like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby -- movies in which atmosphere was more important than gore, and supernatural goings-on were treated with a plains-spoken, matter-of-fact directness. Compared to moody-but-plotless horror films like The Grudge or Pulse, The Unborn's stop-the-ghost series of scares feels almost reassuringly old-fashioned.

Yustman (best known from her work in Cloverfield) is a sympathetic and strong protagonist, and Meagan Good gives sassy support as her best friend, while Cam Gigandet (Twilight) is a stalwart boyfriend as Casey's journey becomes more and more perilous. Oldman gives class and grace to what could have been a thankless role as the rabbi Casey turns to for help, and The Wire's Idris Elba also puts life and humanity into a small part. The Unborn is a fair-to-good horor film, but considering how many horror films are outright awful, that puts it far above its peers.

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