Grace (III) (2009) User Reviews

What did we learn from this movie?

[dschmeding · 4/10 · 16 August 2009]

After looking into the director of "Grace" I found that this movie is obviously based on a short movie he did 3 years before. And that is more explanation than I needed because basically this movie has nothing but the premise you already get in the synopsis. Woman tries to get pregnant, then loses her child in a car-crash, still brings it to birth and miraculously the baby lives. Of course the baby was dead and so its now a kind of undead baby that needs blood instead of breast milk.

The whole movie is sloooow paced and tries to be edgy and have a kind of black humor (for example the woman is a vegan and pretty obsessed with healthy food etc.) but it leads nowhere. For a horror movie this is damn boring, for a psychological movie I miss any depth. It looks like the director just has the two odd ideas of the undead baby attracting a lot of flies and chewing on its mothers bloodied breasts. Apart from that I don't see much here. At first the strange calm atmosphere of the movie really captures you but about half through the movie you realize that "Grace" indeed is nothing but a short-story stretched to feature length. After all a real big disappointment.

Unique, weird, slow moving.

[PeachyPies · 5/10 · 15 August 2009]

The movie "Grace" is a disturbing one. The plot of the story is that a woman, Madeline (Jordan Ladd) and her husband, Michael (Stephen Park), have been trying to conceive unsuccessfully. They have been pregnant twice before, but she had miscarriages. This time they have been successful and everything seems completely fine. Everything is completely fine until there is a crash which is the result of the car airbag flying open at the complete wrong time. This accident, results in the death of Madeline's husband (which she seems completely unbothered about) and her unborn child. She decides to keep the baby inside her for the term, until finally she gives birth to a stillborn. It is quite a sad scene when the child is finally born and is not responding to anything. She sits with it begging for it not to leave her. The midwife, (who is a long term friend of Madeline) tells her she can't just wish for her baby to be alive. Whilst she is saying this sentence, the baby of course comes back to life and Madeline introduces baby Grace to the audience. Everything seems fine until Grace decides she doesn't like milk but has a thirst for blood, which is ironic knowing her mother is a vegan. Madeline tries to provide Grace with blood as much as she can either by purchasing fresh cow's meat or enduring the pain herself. This would be fine and life would go on, if it wasn't for her interfering mother-in-law, Vivian (Gabrielle Rose), and her doctor, Richard (Malcolm Stewart). Vivian interferes because she has a disturbing fetish to breast feed and Richard interferes because he has a disturbing habit to drink breast milk. Together they try to take baby Grace away from Madeline.

This film is not your typical horror film. It isn't scary, it doesn't make you jump and it doesn't get your adrenaline pumping. It's the opposite. It is very slow moving and not very exciting in the slightest. The only thing that keeps you hooked into the film is the fact that it is so very wrong. Another thing that makes the film so wrong is the ability to make you feel sorry for mother and child. This baby is feeding off blood and the mother will do anything to allow it. However awful this may be, the mother is so desperate to have a child and she still loves it unconditionally and therefore the audience feels the need to understand that what Madeline is doing for the child is completely acceptable.

This movie is different. It won't win any Oscars for acting, directing, cinematography or even special effects (baby Grace, at times, seems scarily weird, watch out for the close ups of the mouth), but it is a good film to watch if you want something unique. However, don't begin to watch the movie expecting anything special. If you take it one step at a time it will be enjoyable. The ending of the film (and I will say this, hopefully, without giving anything away), is possibly one of the strangest things I have ever seen. The last line and one of the last images with give you a "wtf, this is wrong," moment.

Overall, the concept of this film is different. It is a slow paced film, but isn't entirely boring. It comes under the category of horror, but isn't scary. It is more chilling. If you want something different to the blockbusters, watch it. If not, then don't.

Making horror of motherhood

[bjdomeij · 6/10 · 18 September 2009]

I can see why people would not like this movie. First of all, Paul Solet is making satire and horror of something that people hold sacred. The very love of a mother. This is embodied by two characters. The protagonist mother Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) and her mother-in-law Vivian Matheson (Gabrielle Rose).

The movie starts with a soft-core sex scene in which Madeline seem extremely bored. We soon find out she's lesbian, so it is implied she did only get a husband to get pregnant. This is also implied by her lack of care when her husband dies. The scene where Madeline for over two minutes hugs and kisses what looks to be a baby corpse was disturbing. Later on in the movie she proves that she loves her baby no matter what.

After Vivian loses her son,Madeline's husband Michael (Stephen Park) in the car accident she becomes desperate to get hold of the baby, as she does not trust in Madeline's being-mother knowledge. She shows disturbing behavior, wanting her husband to breastfeed on her, seemingly because she wants to have a child, and probably can't have one because her biological clock has run out.

Overall this is a pretty decent horror though. It has a very disturbing atmosphere to it, probably at the cost of pace. It has some moments I felt a little ill (in a good way), because of the mood and atmosphere. The dialogs were cheap. The characters were overall a little boring. Madeline was luckily the most interesting and best played character. Vivian was overplayed by Gabrielle Rose. I didn't get a grip of the husband, nothing was lost to the audience when he died. But the thing is, cheap dialogs and poorly developed characters is not uncommon in the horror genre, as I said the movie is pretty decent.

I recommend this movie to everyone who likes the trailer, and are not bothered by a slow pace. The trailer is pretty much, what you see is what you get.

High Hopes, Big let down

[joselnieves81 · 1/10 · 13 September 2009]

I was really looking forward to this movie. The horror site fangoria really gave this movie great reviews and even dared to say it was a great horror movie. I again really went out of my way to see this great movie which was suppose to be ground breaking horror and oh boy was this a piece of horror scifi channel trash!!! The concept was pretty good, car accident, baby dies and yet at birth the baby is alive. Sounds interesting right!!! Well thats pretty much it because after that the movie goes downhill. It goes from a still birth baby to a crying baby and then you get an hour and ten minutes of asking yourself how and why is this going on with this baby. Did I miss anything within the movie that I'm left wondering what i just saw and why is that happening. This is a movie which will leave u running in a circle and yet the ending makes things much worst and adds no closure other then expecting a sequel to try to understand this movie. Do yourself a favor if your reading this review and take my word please. Skip this movie and save yourself the time and read a book or color a picture because this movie is just that bad.

Refreshing and Disturbing Low-Budget Horror Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 February 2010]

Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) has unsuccessfully been trying to get pregnant with her husband Michael (Stephen Park). When she finally succeeds, she decides to be assisted by the midwife Patricia Lang (Samantha Ferris) despite the insistence of her snoopy mother-in-law Vivian (Gabrielle Rose) that wants the family obstetrician Dr. Richard Sohn (Malcolm Stewart) instead. When Michael and Madeline have a car accident, Michael and the unborn baby die; however, Madeleine insists on carrying out the pregnancy. Patricia accepts her request to pretend stillbirth. However, the baby Grace is miraculously delivered and sooner Madeleine discovers that Grace needs to be fed with human blood.

"Grace" is a refreshing and disturbing low-budget horror movie. The dramatic story is certainly unpleasant and not recommended for pregnant women, but the director and writer Paul Solet has created a totally different story with touches of black-humor. The slow-pace might be the cause for the unfair review in IMDb. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Mistério de Grace" ("The Mystery of Grace")

I watched it, and I have no intention to do so again.

[prushik · 5/10 · 9 February 2013]

Watching this one once is more than sufficient. That's not to say it's a bad movie, I thought it was quite well done and well acted, as well as an interesting concept, but it was just painful to watch.

Grace is most definitely a horror movie, however, it won't scare you, and it's not suspenseful, and there is no action at all. However, it will make you feel uncomfortable, and you will feel that way throughout the entire movie. The story is not complicated, if you read the IMDb description, then you know pretty much everything that will happen already. However, this is one movie that just can not be "spoiled", because knowing what is going to happen makes anticipating it even more uncomfortable.

If that is what you are looking for, then watch Grace. If you want something scary, don't watch Grace. If you want something ultra violent, don't watch Grace. The problem with Grace is that it technically fits perfectly in the horror movie genre, as it is horrible, it is a horror, however, the feeling it evokes and the motivation you should have for watching it are totally different from all other horror movies. I give it 5 stars because although I think it is a decent movie, I didn't actually enjoy it much, it just made me cringe. Also because I'm not going to sleep tonight, and I'm tired.....

Tales From The Crib...

[azathothpwiggins · 19 January 2022]

Madeline (Jordan Ladd) is determined to have a baby. Dead set you might say. Having already suffered through two miscarriages, this time is going to be better. After an accident takes her husband and leaves Madeline with another lifeless child in her womb, she decides to go through with the birth as planned anyway.

This is when it all gets very strange, and terrifying.

GRACE is a cold, slow-building shocker with an overarching sense of bleakness and imminent, inescapable doom. We know while watching it unfold that it can't possibly end well.

It's all topped off with a wonderfully macabre twist...

Slowburn Creeper is effective , but don't watch it pregnant!

[loomis78-815-989034 · 6/10 · 8 June 2013]

Madeline and Michael Matheson (Ladd & Park) are thrilled about their upcoming baby. Michael and his parents are not happy with Madeline's decision to go to a midwife named Patricia (Ferris) who is later revealed to be an ex-lover of Madeline's. An unexpected car accident kills Michael and supposedly kills the baby inside of Madeline. She still gives birth with Patricia and everyone is devastated at the dead baby, until Grace seems to will the baby back to life. Madeline goes into seclusion with her baby who seems to be attracting flies and is doing a nasty number on mommy's breast while breast feeding. This is not a normal baby and Madeline catches on to its blood lust. At first she buy's meat from the store and pours animal blood in the bottle and eventually she must look to humans for fresh blood. This twisted story by Writer/Director Paul Solet is clever in how it unfolds on screen. The couple is very normal and once the dead baby is brought to life things go from bad to worse. Solet doesn't spell every detail out either like how is the baby alive? Or is it really alive, or is she alive only Madeline's mind? The script wisely lets the audience draw their own conclusions which keep things fresh throughout. Nothing jumps out at you, there aren't jump scares or any real suspense, this films terror lies in its subject matter and how it goes from bad to worse. The cast is good with Jordan Ladd doing a nice job in the lead and Samantha Ferris is very believable as the jilted lesbian lover.

Seems that I've already seen this movie ... ?

[rem-30 · 1/10 · 18 August 2009]

Weak plotted, not very good acting, poor written. It wasn't a huge, suicidal, mind breaking disappointment though since I didn't had high expectations about this film. Strangely enough, it is like somebody you don't know at all, gives you the finger while crossing the street... Would you feel offended or indifferent ? I felt a little bit angry and this comment is my finger back because I really can't understand filmmakers compromising without a really strong reason. For me the true message of this movie was something like: "if you don't get into it, means you're not that stupid we really hoped you'd be". This isn't the first and definitively not the last time I felt this way so I am really wondering, why do we have only five fingers per hand... to count the good movies or is it a caprice of nature? :)

Twisted & interesting baby horror

[Shattered_Wake · 7/10 · 20 July 2010]

'Grace' tells the tale of a grieving couple preparing for the birth of their first child. Ignoring the more standard (read as "proper" or "safe") methods, the couple decides to use an all-natural, Eastern-style midwife and doctor. After a fatal accident takes the life of the father of the child, Madeline is left to face the possibility of another lost child alone. Through a miracle, however, Grace is born. . . but this only begins Madeline's most terrifying troubles.

Throughout the years, babies have been a cute & terrifying piece of many horror films. From Rosemary and her spawn to Yanka in 'Baby Blood,' babies (before & after birth) have wreaked havoc on horror film mothers. With 'Grace,' another nefarious newborn can be added to the list. While not as chilling and well made as, say, 'Rosemary's Baby,' 'Grace' is an extremely creepy and fascinating horror/thriller.

Technically, the film is done very well. The script is quite good with quality dialogue and a steady (yet slow) pace. The acting, especially from Jordan Ladd and Samantha Ferris, works well enough. Paul Solet's direction captures the story and settings well, strongly transferring the script to screen. There were some flaws. I wasn't a fan of the attempts at "vegan shock" (i.e. the random videos of cows & pigs being slaughtered). . . though, they weren't nearly as disturbing as the random scene of old-people sex. Also, due to several lapses in subtlety, the secrets became apparent, even without knowing there was one.

Overall, this won't be considered the best of the baby horror subgenre, but it can definitely stand strong against them as a strange & creepy modern horror.

Final Verdict: 7/10.

-AP3-

A bite-less satire lacking in profundity but full of points.

[drunkenhopfrog · 5/10 · 21 August 2009]

ArieScope Picturers Directed by Paul Solet Starring Jordan Ladd Only Limited Release; DVD 09/15/2009

GRACE is an interesting entry into the horror genre because it does not fit neatly into the genre. GRACE is equal parts horror, drama, and satire. It is those characteristics that make the movie both splendid and unfortunate.

GRACE takes its time starting as we are introduced to Madeline Matheson, the mother to be, as well as her mother-pleasing husband and son-obsessed mother-in-law Vivian. The tone of the relationship is set right away with the tension between Madeline and Vivian. Madeline is a natural living obsessive and is steadfast in her choice to have a natural childbirth with a midwife delivering. She is vegan and uses only natural products. Vivian is a traditionalist and also obsessive. She wants rapt medical attention from the family doctor, the best synthetic medicines, and meat and potatoes with every meal. The combative nature of the relationship is presented near the very start around the dinner table where Madeline has prepared a gourmet looking vegan feast while Vivian takes every opportunity to make disgusted non-verbal innuendo regarding the food as an aside to questioning the expecting mother's choices leading up to the birth. The husband/son, Michael, largely is relegated to a Mommy Dearest peace broker and a bit of a goof.

Here we have the beginning of satire deluge as Solet, throughout the rest of the film, holds nothing back in lampooning both Natural Living proponents and their diametric opponents – the obtuse establishment traditionalists. And the lampooning does not stop there. Michael is revealed to be a Yes Mother type son and Vivian slowly shows her Son Obsessed disorder with a strange reawakening of birthing years sexuality. These characters are also played to the over-the-top satirical limit.

And then the next character in our drama – the midwife. Samantha Ferris plays Dr. Patricia Lang. Dr. Lang is a New Age Lesbian. That is not me editorializing, that had to be the description for the part in the script. As you can probably guess, this character too is played over-the-top and unforgiving as a very sharp, but insecure and possibly deranged lesbian naturalist. Dr. Lang is also obsessed with Madeline – as she was the latter's mentor in school and has apparently held onto a sick gay crush that drove her crazy (and she, by the way, has a new mentee who has an insane gay jealous streak when it comes to Madeline).

So far we have:

* Natural Living Obsessive Vegan

* Establishment Obsessed mother-in-law with unhealthy and nearly sexual connection with her son

* Yes Mother son that obsesses to please Mother

* New Age Lesbian obsessed with former student

I'll spare a detailed introduction to The Family Doctor who is, as is certainly expected by this point, the embodiment of a cold, incompetent, and bureaucratic medical profession. I'm telling you, no one escapes ad nauseum satirical attacks from Solet who is the director and writer. I think he's trying to make a point.

The last character introduced is by far the most normal. And that would be the blood drinking, flesh craving little baby girl called Grace – who is stillborn but miraculously alive. All Grace wants is to not feel sick and be with her momma. The rest of these sickos in the movie project their outlandish Psychological Disorder-R-Us manifestations onto the poor little girl.

I can almost appreciate the aim of the film: to introduce a set of circumstances so bizarre that it profoundly defines the monster that the extremes of society can become even when compared to an abolition. The problem is that so little subtly is used in this parable that profound turns into a sick mess of eye rolling character creations that at times render the movie nearly unwatchable.

The cinematography as well as the staging and scene work of the film is far above par. It borders on a visual art work at times as the macabre contrast of normal and abhorrently abnormal share space. Unfortunately that theme is used thematically to such an extent that the visual elements are drained of any additional meaning and leaves one silently (or not) screaming, "I GET IT," at the screen.

Visually this movie is worth checking out. One should pick a day when he feels tolerant of abusive satirists.

www.popbunker.net

The 9 Problems with this Movie - Still Scary as Hell

[dylanhydes · 7/10 · 25 August 2010]

This is a difficult movie to review because it's such a mixed bag of really good and really bad. First and foremost, the movie really disturbed me and that takes so serious doing so big thumbs up for that. The movie is also very well shot.

My problems are with the abysmal writing. The movie never had a clear direction. Some really interesting plot lines never went anywhere and others were never explained. Here are just some of the problems with this movie (spoilers ahead): 1. Is the baby dead or alive? The movie indicates its normal when it is born, but then it appears to be decomposing (flies like it, temperature is too cold, skin dissolving in bath water). If it is dead, why isn't it really dead (i.e, room temperature as opposed to 93.3 degrees). Also, as a parent, you would notice when your child is that cold. It would be obvious to the touch. This mother blamed it on a broken thermometer.

2. In addition to never knowing what the baby is, we never know why it is the way it is. The movie hints at lots of things like the mother's meatless prenatal diet, the animal violence she watches on TV, or the trauma prior to birth, but we never get any type of answer.

3. We see way too little of the baby. I get that it's a tough subject to shoot, especially with this plot, but Christ, that's what the movie is about. I want to see this thing.

4. The best parts of this movie are the scenes with the baby. As a parent with two small children I found this horrifying. But the movie abandons the baby as it spends the last 30 minutes in this short film in its crib. There were plenty of scenes where it easily could have done something cool that fit with the plot. For example, at the end where the grandmother is dying with a hemorrhaging aorta while holding the baby, how about having the baby drink the blood instead of just sitting there.

5. The lack of baby actually doing crazy stuff in this movie made me suspect that the twist at the end was that the baby was completely normal and it was the mother who was trying to get the kid to drink blood. The plot was so unclear that I found myself constantly wondering such things.

6. The characters behave in ways that is just out of character. Notably, the mother is an animal loving vegan, but she watches some channel on TV that is constantly showing real life killings of animals. She explains that its like watching a horror movie for vegans, but its not believable. Also, the baby is several weeks old before the obsessed grandmother goes over for a visit. I know grandmothers (who aren't obsessed) and they don't wait! 7. I never understood the relationship between the mother and the mid-wife. The movie seemed to assume we had watched a prequel with these two.

8. Why was Patricia buying an RV? It fit at the end, but she had no way of knowing she'd be running off with a kidnapped monster child.

9. The ending is just silly. Was it trying to be funny at the end? If it was, it failed and it didn't fit with the rest of the movie. And it was completely unrealistic. A baby drinks a lot. A human body can't even reproduce a cup of blood a day. And if you were going to give a baby your own blood, why not just put in an IV and bottle feed it. Why would you let it bite the end of your breast? Despite the many and gaping plot holes/deficiencies, I do have to recommend this movie because it really scared me.

Great Concept, Boring Film

[gavin6942 · 4/10 · 4 October 2009]

A young woman aptly named Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) gets pregnant, the child dies inside her, but she decides to deliver it anyway... and the child (Grace) is alive! But, that's the good news... the bad news is that she's a very "special" child and has special needs that will make her mother go to great lengths. How deep is a mother's love?

I think another reviewer summed this up perfectly: "sloooow paced", "damn boring", "nothing but a short-story stretched to feature length" and "a real big disappointment". I'd love to see quotes like these on the box cover. But, of course, that doesn't happen.

Sure, the concept is cool... zombie baby. Baby drinks blood. Nice. But yeah, the first twenty minutes are boring and each scene just drags. I haven't seen the short film version, but I have to assume it's better. The editor could have cut this down to an hour tops. That would have been appreciated.

Much is made of Madeline's vegan and bisexual lifestyle, if for no other reason than to contrast with the meat-loving child. This is overdone... the vegan talk is drilled home, again and again. I have been known to overlook minor plot points, especially when drinking, but this film won't let you risk that because you'll be reminded repeatedly.

Director Paul Solet, in an interview with HorrorHound's Aaron Crowell, says the film is "definitely a study of the idea of violating the will of the universe". With all due respect to Solet, that's giving the concept too much credit. I fail to see the "will of the universe" presented at all, and this is hardly a "study".

If credit has to be given to anyone for an outstanding job, it's "fly wrangler" Flo, who is not given any recognition in the film's credits. The use of flies was perhaps the best effect, so this omission is saddening.

I appreciate that Adam Green (director of "Hatchet") decided to produce this, as he's the perfect person to help new horror talent through the door to Anchor Bay. But I wish he had more hands-on involvement, because his style is clearly absent. Solet, a childhood friend of Eli Roth, needed more Ladd, Green and Roth inspiration... sometimes a short story is just a short story.

I would put this title firmly in the rental category. You do not need to own this, and it will not inspire you to take repeated viewings, unless you like devouring special features. And, in all fairness, they did plump this disc up with features. But a year from now, this will be a forgotten film.

What are you looking for?

[kosmasp · 3/10 · 9 November 2009]

Well if you are looking for a gory movie, you should rather watch "It's Alive" with a similar theme, than this. Don't get me wrong, "Grace" is pretty graphic too, but the other movie will satisfy Splatter fans more. Not that it is better though, it's just more straight forward and doesn't take any prisoners.

Coming back to this one, it has one really great idea and can be summarized as a "Rosemaries Baby" meets "Little Shop of Horrors". And while that "sounds" great (and probably was a great read too), it doesn't translate to the screen. Especially considering the two movies that I mentioned above! It's a shame really, this movie being produced by Adam Green (of Hatchet fame), you could and should rightfully expect more. Speaking of Adam Green, he has a cameo in this movie that is beyond weird ... in a bad sense. I'm suspecting his appearance in a store is supposed to be spooky ... it's anything but. Unfortunately it's almost unintentionally funny ... again in a bad way!

While you could excuse those few miss happenings, what really drags the movie down (besides the slow pace), is the acting! I'm not saying the actors can't act ... but watching the movie, there is no evidence they actually can act. And it's really pivotal to a small budget movie, that it has performances in it ... It fails on quite a few levels.

Grizzly Grace

[sarahmillyhannah · 6/10 · 9 May 2012]

I had read a few of the reviews on here of this film before I decided to watch and being a small fan of Cheryl Ladd I thought I would give it a go. Cheryl Ladd shines in this film most definitely her best film I have seen her in to date or her best acted role anyways. Baby Grace in places is very cute and you cant help but feel sorry for Grace and her mum especially. So to review the film without giving too much away, it is slow paced but gives you a feeling of what's going on and why, time to bond with mummy and baby. Gory atmosphere to the film but not much in the ways of bloody gore but its grizzly and isn't pleasant in places to watch. Maybe a slightly cop out abrupt ending. Overall if you want a flick to pass the time and something that's going to sick in your mind afterwards then this is the one for you - just don't expect too much from it.

Horrible film. Cheap HD look, bad script. AVOID!

[EyeoftheBeholder1 · 1/10 · 2 November 2009]

This was a pretty bad film. For starters it was shot in HD or with the RED camera, so the picture quality was sh*t! I mean god awful, pixelation everywhere. The story itself was pretty dull and uninteresting. I felt no attachment to the character (the mother) whatsoever. We didn't really get to know her at all. A few more minutes of a 'portrayal into madness' for her in the character development section would have helped greatly. But there would still be issues. For example, the film wasn't horrifying, it was just gory and disgusting. And that does not put horror into a horror film. The director of this film should watch 'rosemary's baby' and learn a thing or two. AVOID!

Baby wants blood! And Mommy's in denial, in this derivative, but well-presented thriller.

[pameladegraff · 21 November 2013]

Remember all those "dead baby" jokes from junior high school? Well, here's the movie. Don't be fooled though. While Grace has a premise which if mishandled, could trigger an unintentional laughfest (see THE DEVIL WITHIN HER [1975], with Joan Collins and Donald Pleasance), it's a serious movie and the filmmakers competently execute the concept.

And here it is: when a yuppie named Madeline (Jordan Ladd) miscarries following a car crash, she insists upon carrying the dead child to term anyway. Eventually, while shopping, Madeline's water breaks. Only it's not "water" at all, but a bucket of plasma, all over a white throw rug at Bed Bath And Beyond.

Time for delivery. There's a LOT more blood. When amniotic fluid is drained from the baby's mouth, it all comes out greyish black. Not a good sign! Uncanny and unresponsive, Madeline's stillborn baby is obviously dead.

Or is it merely UN-dead? It's as if Madeline wills it to life. When her midwife attempts to take the corpse from her, Madeline's baby begins to move. Days later Madeline is back home, a happy, normal mom doting on her now healthy-looking infant.

But all is not quite right. Baby's hair starts falling out. Flies develop an affinity for hanging out around the cradle. Baby smells bad! Even a bath can't get rid of the odor of -well of SOME thing. Something awful! Nor, sadly can a bath rid GRACE of the musty scent of the highly derivative. We've seen this all before! (Among others, notably, IT'S ALIVE [1974]; THE BROOD [1979]; in the 1987 Vincent Price horror portmanteau, WHISPER TO A SCREAM, the story called "The Offspring." Then there's the one about a mother-to-be carrying carnivorous fetuses to term: THE UNBORN [1991], not to mention the most well-remembered maternal angst flick since THE BAD SEED [1956], ROSEMARY'S BABY [1968].) GRACE is sensibly assembled however, and to his credit, writer/director Paul Solet manages to get a novel spin on the well-worn convention. Derivative though it may be, GRACE doesn't feel so familiar that we can't enjoy the horror.

Intriguingly, with utter denial of the fact of a dead baby as the fulcrum of its turmoil, while featuring themes of disillusionment and family dysfunctionality, GRACE is superficially reminiscent of Sam Shepard's shocking, Pulitzer Prize-winning play, BURIED CHILD. In that allegorical work, conflict stems from a simultaneous demand and resistance to reveal an appalling, life altering truth.

In GRACE, which is merely a straight-forward fright-flick, the real horror arises not so much from the fact that Madeline's child is a monster, but from Madeline's compelling need, yet complete refusal, to acknowledge that fact and to be repelled by it. Madeline loses herself in a misguided, hellbound obsession to be a normal mother.

Even before the miscarriage, Madeline's soul seems nearly as charred as those of the family in BURIED CHILD. A closet lesbian in a loveless marriage, at extreme odds with her emotionally troubled, dominating in-laws, and with little use for her emasculated husband other than as a sperm donor, the unimpassioned, intellectually aimless Madeline is supremely empty inside. To substitute purpose for her spiritual destitution, Madeline fanatically clings to so rigorous a "green" lifestyle that she feeds her cat soy milk. The irony is that despite her strict vegan diet, Madeline's baby demands only blood for sustenance, and as its devoted nurturer, Madeline is driven to supply it.

But how?

Grace

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 20 June 2010]

Dark, depressing, very disturbing film about a young woman, Madeline(Jordan Ladd)whose baby dies before she's able to carry her to full term, after a car crash which took the life of her husband, Michael(Stephen Park). Insisting on delivering the baby anyway, the infant somehow revives and has an insatiable thirst for human blood, evident by how Grace(the baby's name)suckles the deep crimson from her mommy's breast. Michael's domineering mother, Vivian(Gabrielle Rose, in a superb performance), unable to fully recover from the loss of her son, will seek to take Grace from Madeline, so she can relive the "mother experience"(we even see her testing out an old breast pump used on Michael when he was a baby). Patricia Lang(Samantha Ferris)is Madeline's "midwife", an alternative to the hospital doctor(which ruffles Vivian's feathers), and we can see that the two once had a lesbian relationship in college together. Patricia steal carries a torch for Madeline, but the feelings don't seem to be mutual. Shelly(Kate Herriot)is Patricia's associate and lover, clearly jealous of her affection for Madeline(Shelly even hides the fact that Madeline has called a number of times about emergencies concerning Grace!). Madeline slowly deteriorates both physically and psychologically as Grace both bleeds her into anemia and demands more "food", with Vivian concocting a plan to snatch the baby away with help from her old pediatrician, Dr. Richard Sohn(Malcolm Stewart). When Sohn(and later Vivian) attempts to take Grace away, believing her to be sick, matters worsen..

Director Paul Solet shoots most of the action up close, especially on the faces of his cast. The subject matter, regarding a baby's vampiric thirst, is certainly shocking, and the final image, I figure, will cause many a viewer to agonize..it's really a cringe-inducing climax which shows just how much a mother loves her child. I think that's the film's theme, the lengths for which a mother will go for her daughter, not only suffering herself, but what she's willing to do to keep Grace satisfied, and fed. It can get really bloody. Blood splashes on the floor when Madeline's water breaks. While giving birth, a mass of blood erupts from Madeline's vagina. Blood is a constant in this movie, the loss during the birthing cycle(or perhaps something that happened during the pregnancy), I guess, contributes to why Grace needs it for food. The blood illness Grace suffers is ambiguously presented in the film, and we can only conjecture what truly caused it. Ladd looks mostly fatigued and weakened in the movie, the toll of the pregnancy, the loss of her husband, Grace's need for blood, all attributing to her character's state by the end of the film. We never actually see Madeline happy, only as Grace suckles from her breast for the first time after birth does she show any form of joy, and it is a tired happiness that will soon subside. But, there's no denying Madeline's motherly love for Grace, and we see, time and again, how she tries to appease the baby. The most emotionally wrenching scene involves Madeline holding her dead baby after birth, not accepting Grace's demise, an unyielding belief that she will live.

utter garbage...

[Mykamel-Izded · 3/10 · 22 August 2009]

what to say about a horror movie even a lesbian triangle can't save? this is the first time i sat in front of a computer right after watching a movie to make a comment about it. maybe not really a comment but more of an good samaritan act of advising an unsuspecting thriller/horror lover not to waste his/her time on this garbage.

all the time while watching this i couldn't help myself thinking wtf?? and not in a good, what's gonna happen next, way, rather in - i could of used this time to vacuum my apartment way. i can't really blame the acting... as it's more than OK. nor can i blame the director as he probably made the most he could based on the script. the music/sound? no. it's the story. someone made a comment that every horror movie these days could be summed up to about a half and hour short movie. this one can, and is, summed up perfectly in the short summary on it's IMDb page. if you've read it, you've seen the movie. and saved yourself an hour and a half for studying the sex life of a floor board. waay more interesting of a subject.

p.s. i apologize for any spelling or grammar errors, English isn't even my second language

Grace offers enough to merit a watch, though it doesn't quite stand out in the horror genre

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 7 April 2024]

I recently watched the movie Grace (2009) on Tubi. The storyline revolves around a woman who desires to have a baby on her own terms, despite the persistent objections of her mother-in-law. Initially, they believe she has miscarried, but the baby is miraculously fine... until they discover the baby's unique dietary needs.

Written and directed by Paul Solet (Tales of Halloween) and starring Jordan Ladd (Death Proof), Samantha Ferris (The Tall Man), Gabrielle Rose (Maudie), and Adam Green (Frozen).

Grace falls into that category of movies that's neither particularly good nor bad. Its storyline feels fairly familiar and straightforward, like something seen before. However, the acting by the entire cast is commendable, particularly the mother's evolution and descent into darkness. The birthing scene is excellently executed, leaving a lasting impression. Additionally, the film effectively utilizes creepy elements like babies, blood, and flies. While the kills are solid, they're not particularly remarkable, but the movie does boast a compelling villain in the form of the mother-in-law, who is both fantastic and diabolical.

In conclusion, Grace offers enough to merit a watch, though it doesn't quite stand out in the horror genre. I would give it a score of 5.5/10 and recommend it with appropriate expectations.

Absolute CRAP!

[gary-walters · 1/10 · 27 September 2009]

I have never taken the time to register on this site to make a comment, but i wanted to help stop anyone from wasting their time watching this movie. I think this movie may take top billing for the worst movie that i have ever seen. Crap acting, unimaginative and just boring. . it's not scary or dark or freaky. . a bit disturbing with the content, but come on, even the storyline takes away from the disturbing content because it is so poorly written . . . i do have to say that i was laughing a few times at the special effects, at times it was so obvious that she was carrying around a doll that i couldn't help but laugh. Anyway, i had to take the time to just throw this movie under the bus and hopefully it will stay there. unreal. .

Not Without My Bloodthirsty Daughter

[Coventry · 8/10 · 21 April 2009]

"Grace", the long feature debut of writer/director Paul Solet, is an oddly unsettling but refreshingly inventive horror-drama hybrid that can't possibly be categorized into one single genre. This film is deeply disturbing, emotionally moving, darkly comical and intellectually engaging all at the same time and that is quite a remarkable thing to achieve for a young director who only shot a few short movies before, is it not? "Grace" literally baths in an unclassifiable grisly atmosphere, the detailed character drawings are unique and plausible and the concept – although rationally impossible – is nightmarishly upsetting. The announcer at the Belgian Fantasy Festival, where I watched this movie, advised for couples with young children and particularly pregnant women to leave the theater and that was definitely a good move (not that there were many), as this instant gem covers pretty much all the imaginable horrors of motherhood, like troublesome conception, intrusive mother-in-laws, alternate delivery methods, loss of husband and – worst of all – a still born baby. Madeline doesn't really care about too much except for the 7-months-old fetus in her wombs and bringing it into this world in an old-fashioned and natural way, with a traditional midwife and vitamins instead of a hospital doctors and anesthetics. When the baby stops moving after a tragic car accident, in which also her docile husband dies, Madeline is nevertheless determined to give birth when the time is due. The baby, Grace, miraculously comes out of the womb alive and seemingly healthy, but soon after Madeline's biggest ordeal comes to the surface. Grace needs blood instead of breast milk and, the devoted mother she is, Madeline does everything within her power to provide this. Meanwhile, mother-in-law Vivian tries to do everything to obtain guardianship over Grace as she's convinced Madeline is mentally incapable of nursing her granddaughter. The sequences where Madeline "sacrifices" her own health in order to feed her eccentric baby girl are simultaneously disruptive and affectionate. This is a peculiar combination of sentiment that we're really not used to witnessing in the horror genre, but it's extremely compelling to say the least. Also the sub plot involving the aging Vivian rediscovering her femininity is disturbing, but in a totally and never before experienced fashion. "Grace" contains multiple shocking moments and grueling images, especially near the end, but the violence or bloodshed is never at one point exploitative or tasteless. So, cult loving horror fans please don't start thinking this is a modern update of Larry Cohen's early 70's crazed killer baby flick "It's Alive" or you risk feeling very much ripped off. This is an often uncomfortably slow-paced and intriguing psychological drama/thriller, with stylish photography and hypnotizing acting performances. Jordan Ladd is amazing as Madeline and this was probably the first film set where she could demonstrate her talented acting capacities, because until now I only saw her in lighter horror stuff like "Death Proof" and "Club Dread". Ladd also receives superb support from Gabrielle Rose as Vivian (truly a courageous performance) and Samantha Ferris as the alternative midwife. "Grace" honestly is a movie you won't forget about easily, that is one guarantee I can give you.

Not For Everyone

[rockproductions · 7/10 · 27 November 2012]

Here's a morbid little bundle of joy!

Madeline, a pregnant mother is involved in a car crash. She goes to the doctor & is told her unborn baby is dead. She decides to keep the baby full term, as she is obsessed with having a baby, even if it's dead. The child is born & pronounced dead, but something very strange happens, the baby thought dead comes back to life! Madeline overjoyed, names the baby "Grace." Grace is not your typical bouncing baby girl, as a matter of fact, Grace is not typical at all, as she starts to produce an odor of rotting flesh, & attracts flies. It seems as Grace has an appetite, a very peculiar appetite, not for mother's milk, but mothers blood!

"Grace" is indeed a strange nightmarish film. It will not appeal to everyone, especially mothers who have had a miscarriage or still born baby. They will find this film sacrilegious to a sanctity of motherhood. The rest of us? Well, I'll just say it's not to everyone's taste, as this is truly an ugly & disturbing portrait of the obscenely unnatural. It's repulsiveness will attract us like a car wreck, we don't want to see, but we have to know. We watch in morbid fascination as baby Grace feeds off her own mothers blood through her breast, shredding & bloodying Madeline's nipples like a rat in baby human form. It's quite the disturbing portrait of depravity & a mother's desperation. Not for everyone.

Those of you that have not seen this film, you're forewarned. Be prepared for the warped offensive film this is, that is somehow mesmerizing.

Not bad, just boring...

[johnwilliamson-4 · 4/10 · 23 September 2009]

The synopsis is much more interesting than the whole. What seemed to me to be a very interesting premise initially, unfortunately, never became more than that. Nothing happens. It is as though the first one hour and fifteen minutes sets up the last ten. I know that can be said of many movies, but with a movie that has a zombie/vampire baby I was really hoping for more "in the middle" stuff. I just kept waiting for something to justify having spent the last hour of my life taking this in.

As far as a review goes, the acting isn't terrible, if not a bit cardboard. The production values are reasonably good, all things being considered. One hour and twenty five minutes of run time makes it a reasonably small investment given that when one agrees to watch a movie like this one agrees to "roll the dice" cinematically.

*meh*...it was either this or mow the lawn. As it turns out the lawn still needs the mowing.

ew.

[rawrx47 · 1/10 · 8 December 2009]

This movie was they worst movie I have ever seen. First of all the whole concept of the movie was f'd up. Who wakes up one day and goes "You know what would make millions? A mother giving birth to a dead baby and having it come back to life and drink blood." The whole movie consisted of one thing, and that was nipples; bloody, milky, old, young. If I was actually a mother I would have found this movie even more f'd up. The whole thought of a mother being okay with their child drinking blood is just ridiculous and un realistic. The mother should have died in the end which was also un realistic. Also where the f*** was the husband during all of this?! or any other family for that matter. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.