Audrey (Sheila McCarthy) and Henry Walsh (Julian Richings) are a sweet couple nearing their retirement years. Henry works as an obstetrician, loved by his community and his patients and Audrey looks after their house while he’s at work. However, when their grandson, Jackson dies they see no other option than to kidnap a pregnant woman and use satanic incantations to put the spirit of their dead grandson into her child.
Henry finds the perfect candidate in Becker (Konstantina Mantelos) a single expectant mother and so using his position at the hospital, Henry and Audrey tie Becker to a bed they’ve prepared for the occasion and start looking into how to do the ritual correctly. The trouble is that when they attempt their first attempt unleashes a lot more than they intended.
Anything for Jackson is a satanic horror coming exclusively to Shudder. With a mixture of ghostly scares and everything cinema knows about Satanists thrown at the screen, Anything for Jackson delivers on its promises.
Although a slow burn horror, audiences will come to realise that the movie has only lulled them into a false sense of confidence before giving them a scare just when they least expect it.
The imagery of those apparitions come from a great imagination and a little bit of influence from some other creepily moving horror icons, but each seem unique and equally scary as they close in on Audrey, Henry and even Becker herself.
The chemistry between McCarthy and Richings really helps the audience believe that they’re a loving couple that have been together for a long time. The script also helps, bringing up some deadpan moments of comedy as the pair discuss what they’re going to do with Becker in much the same way that they’d discuss what they’re having for dinner. Although there are times when perhaps the script could have leant into this a little more often as these times were the most fun.
Unfortunately, Anything for Jackson may be an inventive horror that relies on the cliches that have gone before it, but it doesn’t really know how to end which may leave its audience with more questions than answers.
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