David S. Goyer is known for being involved with a myriad of massively popular films, franchises, and properties as a writer, but it’s probably for the best that he hasn’t stepped behind the camera to direct a feature film since 2009’s horrendous The Unborn.
While the filmmaker deserves immense credit and applause for his contributions to Blade, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Foundation, The Sandman, and plenty more, we’d rather he didn’t foist anything upon us ever again that even remotely resembles the demonic supernatural terror that somehow managed to shake off a critical drubbing to score $76 million at the box office on a $16 million budget.
To be fair, the concept is nothing if not enticing, with a young woman experiencing haunting hallucinations and nightmares becoming convinced that she’s being haunted by the spirit of her twin brother who died in the womb, but the real truth is even more outlandish; tying back to the family’s history during World War II and the Holocaust.
Writer with a solid track record? Check. High concept premise that ticks several audience-pleasing boxes? Gotcha. A talented cast? Odette Yustman being supported by the likes of Gary Oldman, Meagan Good, Carla Gugino, Rachel Brosnahan, and Idris Elba says yes. Sadly, a nine percent Rotten Tomatoes score tells you all you need to know about how badly the ball was dropped.
And yet, HBO Max subscribers have been happily dedicating 87 minutes of their lives they’ll never get back to The Unborn, which has come out of nowhere to summon a position on the platform’s global Top 20 rankings. Horror always sells, but even then, we’d rather it was good movies finding success.
Published: Sep 13, 2022 03:08 am