Son: Review

22nd August 2021

Laura (Andi Matichak) has just given birth to a beautiful baby boy named David (Luke David Blumm) and she’s overjoyed and will do anything to protect him. The problem is that she has to keep David safe from a satanic cult who want to take him as they believe he is the devil’s spawn.

Laura’s only friend is Paul (Emile Hirsch) who may or may not believe Laura’s story, but as David becomes sick and starts displaying cannibalistic behaviour, Laura realises that she doesn’t only have to keep him safe, but that she has to satisfy her son’s hunger.

Son is a satanic horror movie exclusive to Shudder which continues a rather family horror story. Most horror fans will know of Rosemary’s Baby and where that story left off, Son continues. However, there’s an added twist as to whether Laura is really being chased by a satanic cult or whether it’s all in her head. Sadly, Son is quite formulaic and so audiences will soon find that it becomes quite predictable, even when it thinks it’s being clever.

The relationship between mother and son can be quite sweet and realistic at times, with both Matichak and Blumm playing their roles well. The element of a mystery chronic illness is also played quite realistically as well. This leads the audience to think that either Laura is delusional and has a chronically ill son, or that she really is in danger from a cult.

However, with those two options it doesn’t really leave much for the audience to go on. Because once they’ve made up their minds then they will either be gratified or unsatisfied that they saw a twist coming from a mile away.

It also doesn’t particularly help that the film seems rather disjointed, with Paul and his cop partner trying to track down Laura and her son, it only seems to heighten the idea that either Laura or her son are extremely dangerous. It’s also not all that tasteful using mental health as a plot device in a modern horror movie.

Son is something many horror fans have seen before and that’s where the problem lies. Because once you know where it’s going then there are no surprises.

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