Cinema has had no shortage of scary movies about childbirth, ranging from Roman Polanski‘s classic “Rosemary’s Baby” to the more recent “Hungry Hearts,” and it remains a popular staple of the genre. But unlike other strains of horror, this particular thread seems to be continually serving up fresh stories, and the latest to get a chill out of pregnancy is “Shelley.”
Premiering earlier this year at the Berlin Film Festival, where Jessica Kiang was captivated by the atmospheric and twisted flick, the film from director Ali Abbasi focuses on Elena, who decides to become a surrogate for a woman who can’t bear children herself, only to discover she’s carrying something particularly evil. Here’s the official synopsis:
An unholy force takes root in an expectant mother’s womb in this eerie, dread-inducing shocker. Privileged, nouveau-eco-hippies Louise (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) and Kasper (Peter Christoffersen) live off the grid in a remote home in the woods. Unable to conceive, the couple arranges for their immigrant maid, Elena (Cosmina Stratan), to act as a surrogate mother in exchange for payment. But as Elena becomes mysteriously sicker with each passing day, fears mount about what may be growing inside her. The debut feature from director Ali Abbasi is a stylish, atmospheric plunge into primal terror.
Starring Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Cosmina Stratan, Peter Christoffersen, Bjorn Andresen, Kenneth M. Christensen, Patricia Schumann, and Marianne Mortensen, “Shelley” opens on July 29th.
