The New Daughter

Not really sure why this falls in the horror category, thriller yes, but wasn't really anything scary as much as unsettling and I think that is were this movie hit the nail on the head.

As someone else mentioned this movie does give off the hint of signs, but with a twist, something that hits a little closer to home, and doesn't seem as far fetched as aliens.

As someone else mentioned that this movie is absolutely terrible, and i can't help but disagree, the movie kept me wondering the entire length and even once it was over. My eyes stayed glued, i never felt like i was bored or wondering when it would get to the "good stuff" It did seems to start off slow, and then ran really fast in the last 20 minutes, but i don't feel that was such a bad thing, as with thrillers its all in the build up anyways.

I don't ever consider thrillers to be a DVD purchase, as once you've seen it it has no replay value, but its definitely worth a hit on the netflix que.

After his wife leaves him for another man, struggling author John James (Kevin Costner) relocates to a new house in rural South Carolina with his young son Sam (Gattlin Griffith) and teenage daughter Louisa "Lou" (Ivana Baquero) the latter of whom harbors feelings of resentment towards John for his inability to keep their family together. As the three adjust to their new home which has a mysterious burial mound located on the property, Louisa soon begins to exhibit personality changes that although initially seeming like adolescent angst may in fact be of a far more sinister and supernatural nature.

The New Daughter is a 2009 horror film adapted from John Connolly's 2004 short story of the same name first published in the collection Nocturnes. The rights to Connolly's story were purchased by Gold Circle Films who previously scored two modestly budgeted horror hits with White Noise and The Haunting in Connecticut. Initially intended to be a release by New Line, the film ultimately ended up being released by Anchor Bay where it was given a token limited theatrical run before being released to video a few months later. Critical reception tended to run negative with some praise going to the cast and underlying themes while lamenting the plethora of cliches used in the film. In many ways The New Daughter is an improvement on Gold Circles prior horror films like White Noise and Haunting in Connecticut, but it's also weighed down by many of the mid 2000s conveyor belt horror tropes that keep it firmly in the realm of mediocre rental shelf fodder.

Despite the many issues surrounding The New Daughter, the cast is honestly really solid with Costner well positioned to play an in over his head father whose relationship suffers a schism with his daughter Louisa who is on the cusp of pubescence. This is where there is a rich emotional core at play in the material because many parents often do find themselves in a state of upheaval when they're children stop being "children" and their personalities almost change seemingly overnight with a lot of anger and resentment often coloring that relationship. Ivana Baquero does very well as Lou and despite her often butting heads with John even in the opening the movie does give her some moments particularly with her younger brother Sam where she confides in him that it's not John's fault their mother left them. Honestly the stuff with the James family is very rich and very interesting and I often wanted to focus more on it than the actual horror material.

Luiso Berdejo who previously worked as a screenwriter, notably on the hit Spanish horror film REC, makes his directorial debut with the new daughter and he shows himself as having a strong eye for mood and atmosphere with some good nighttime photography of the house as well as nice framing of shots in the daylight scenes that still create an uncomfortable mood. The actual incorporation of the horror elements however is where we see cracks begin to develop because the movie rather than being more psychological concocts this very elaborate mythology involving burial mounds along with foreshadowing of ants and a lot of this stuff feels like it does a disservice to the core upon which the movie had a pretty promising foundation. As the movie goes on it veers more towards becoming a monster movie with some pretty goofy looking monsters and when the ending comes around it leaves on a sour note that just sees the whole thing fall apart.

The New Daughter has some really good ideas and performances on display, but there's also a lot of missteps especially when it comes to the handling of broken family dynamics with more conventional horror tropes. I honestly liked it better than prior PG-13 Gold Circle horror films like White Noise or Haunting in Connecticut, but it still carries many of the same flaws as those movies only with some good underlying ideas trying to get out.

After reading that this movie was being made I thought the worst....how many times have we seen an "A" list star lower themselves to the level of cheap, made for TV quality horror films which just seem to spend all of their budget paying for said star power & not actually being able to spring for some quality script or effects...well; let me introduce you to "The New Daughter".

Firstly I would say that the money spent on getting a top quality actor such as Kevin Costner was well spent...he grounded this movie with his laconic, home town American drawl & really pulled me into the emotional heart of this film. The class of Costner's performance was exhibited no more finely than in the scenes where he was desperately searching for answers to his fears...his acting critics, who have in the past accused him of being "wooden" (& much worse) should see this film & re-evaluate their opinions of this fine actor.

The children were also good & it was wonderful to see the great James Gammon in a quirky & pivotal supporting role.

Usually in this kind of film, the "bad guy" (for want of a better term) tends to end up some lame, crappy alien or a figment of the characters imagination & the ending lets down a strong set up & middle section. In "The New daughter" however, the screenplay is strong & quality right up to the very final few seconds which had me sitting back in my chair saying out loud..."NO WAY!"

I think Costner fans will rejoice at seeing this timeless American performer once again showing us the kind of less is better charisma the likes of which we haven't seen since the halcyon days of Steve McQueen & Paul Newman & the Costner detractors should swallow their pride & give him a chance...he may just surprise you.

7 out of 10.

A decent little "family in new home" horror film. I like the whole mound idea with creepy creatures living under it. But, this film actually does a good job of achieving the "less is more" approach, focusing on the inner family conflict and the confrontational young daughter coming into her teens, and using that as the main suspense element. I'm always a fan of Costner so it was good seeing him in a horror, plus the kids did well with their parts too.

A recently divorced father (Kevin Costner) moves his teenage daughter Louisa (Ivana Baquero) and son Sam (Gattlin Griffith) to the rural town of Mercy, South Carolina for a fresh start. In the dark forest beyond their new house, strange noises can be heard, and soon the father comes to believe that there's something wrong with his daughter. Is it connected to the strange mound of earth amongst the trees?

"The New Daughter" is not a bad movie at all, but it's not especially great either and that's what I found so frustrating about it. It comes so very close to being brilliant but somehow fails when it should have succeeded. Perhaps part of the reason it fails is that it needed a stronger leading man at its centre. The entire movie rests upon Kevin Costner's shoulders and he seems to virtually sleepwalk through it. The only time you see a glimmer of emotion is when he pounds his fists gently against a wall in one scene to show his anger. The actors playing the children are fine, even if they don't exhibit a lot of emotive moments and simply go from A to B as required.

The director does a superb job providing a growing sense of dread at the situation, and there are a number of scenes where he employs the 'less is more' approach, leaving it up to the imagination of the audience as to what a dark shape amongst the trees might have been, or what might be making a strange noise behind a closed door. The movie has a slow, moody pace similar to movies such as "Signs" and "The Others" which also helps to enhance the atmosphere. The special effects in the later part of the movie are also very well done.

In conclusion, I would have to say that "The New Daughter" is 'okay'. It's certainly worth a rental if you like slower paced psychological horrors rather than the type of movie where everyone runs around attempting to avoid crazed killers. There's hardly any blood, and it does contain one or two good scares, although the plot is a bit predictable in places. I only wish that it was more than 'okay', because all of the elements were in place to make a far better movie and that's what ultimately frustrates me.