Spikeopath Oh no, not another evil child horror film I hear you cry! Yet there's something very fresh about Paul Solet's movie, it's deeply unsettling but emotionally complex, even gnawing away at our inner built capacities for empathy and sympathy.Jordan Ladd plays the mother of the piece, hit with personal tragedy time and time again, her will is tested to the limit when a car crash strips her of her husband and renders the baby she is carrying as being a sure case of still born. But she's determined to carry it to term, and when she literally wills the dead child alive, it responds in kind and becomes Grace, the miracle baby…What follows is the disintegration of Ladd's character and of the key characters around her. Meditations on grief are heavy but richly so, as is the nods to post-natal depression. The horror elements are strong, as baby Grace shows a thirst for something other than milk, and the slow-burn approach favoured by Solet pays off with a final quarter of heartbreaking devilment. Cast are dandy, especially a very committed Ladd, while other tech credits keep the film very much in the upper echelons of this sub-genre of horror. 8.5/10

Scott LeBrun Writer / director Paul Solet's take on a mother's love and devotion makes for a genuinely creepy, satirical movie also containing a fair amount of pitch black humour. While it's really too slowly paced, there's no denying that it achieves a palpably gloomy and uncomfortable atmosphere. It would understandably be a hard movie for some to stomach. Jordan Ladd plays Madeline, a woman coldly determined to have a baby no matter what she has to do. After an unfortunate traffic accident, her unborn baby dies inside her, yet she is intent on delivering her anyway. Somehow, she is able to will this little girl, Grace, back to life, but it comes at a heavy price: the kid needs not milk to drink but blood. While, admittedly, this aspect may remind viewers of other killer baby cinema such as Larry Cohen's "It's Alive", Solet never goes the truly cheesy route and keeps certain kinds of effects to a minimum. Of course, with the story being what it is, it allows for enough gore and plenty of the red stuff to keep some viewers satisfied. Some of the story twists are fairly interesting; for one thing, Madeline is actually a lesbian who likely only hooked up with her husband for procreation purposes. And the woman whom she used to be with isn't really able to let her go. Madeline's mother- in-law Vivian, played in a fairly heavy handed way by Gabrielle Rose, desperately wants this grandchild to herself - and hopes to prove Madeline unfit, which isn't exactly far off the mark as the experience has clearly taken a toll on Madeline; in one jaw dropping scene, Vivian and her husband (Serge Houde) engage in a bit of weird role playing. All in all, this *is* quite a brave little movie, certain to hit any mother right where they live, that goes to some pretty dark places. It's a provocative, emotionally unsettling movie with convincing performances, especially from beautiful Ladd who shows some real acting chops here. Rose also does have some moments where one has to be impressed with her commitment. True enough that this is the kind of thing that one doesn't easily forget, with a coda that they may not expect, as well as a final punchline typical of the black humour within. Look for producer Adam Green (director of "Hatchet") in a cameo appearance as the man selling meat at the supermarket. Seven out of 10.

oneguyrambling After seeing Grace I have three choices:1) I have simply seen too many of these B and C flicks to be effected anymore. 2) Or horror filmmakers are getting lazy. 3) Or Grace is simply a bad movie.I think it is a combination of all three in this case, but if I had to point the finger I would nominate 1, just before 2 and 3.Grace is a pretty well made and well acted film, there just isn't too much to it.When you go to a DVD shop and pick up a cover, you scan the title and any quotes on the front before flicking the wrist to read the summary right?In the case of Grace, this 2 step process told me exactly what would happen in the film, start to finish. This wouldn't be a bad thing if there was something entertaining in the film, but in this case there really isn't.There are no explosions, jokes, flashy fight scenes or dramatic kills, precious little suspense and unfortunately for a horror film nothing in the way of scares.Put simply if you read the cover and think "Oh that would be gross", you've already been as impacted by this film as you would be by watching it.Now how to explain the film in a way that doesn't give anything away?As we see quite graphically in the opening moments, Michael and Madeline have finally conceived after years without success - GO ON MY SON!. Rather than have the birth at a hospital Madeline decides to use the services of a midwife named Patricia, something that her Mother in Law (M.I.L. DEFINITELY no "F") does not approve of.An incident during pregnancy escalates into an argument between the doctor appointed by the M.I.L. and Patricia, and ultimately Patricia's actions narrowly avoid what might have been a catastrophe for the unborn child.Only on the way home from the hospital the couple's car runs off the road, removing Mike from the picture and causing Madeline to miscarry. Against medical advice she decides to go to term and deliver the stillborn baby naturally.This is sooooo not a movie for mothers or pregnant women to see.After the delivery of an obviously rubber baby, Madeline refuses to allow Patricia or other nurses access to the baby, and clutches the dead infant to herself for a few minutes.Now, everything to this point sounds (and is) very realistic, this stuff unfortunately happens all the time.But this is a horror movie…Patricia re-enters the birthing room to see if she can convince Madeline to relinquish the newly dubbed baby girl Grace, only to find that she is (now) alive and suckling. Apparently this was only mildly shocking, and after a short time Madeline takes Grace home to begin their new life.I'll keep this brief from here, but it becomes a movie with two main rivals vying for Grace's attention:Grace is, like all babies, very demanding of Madeline's time and energy, and she becomes drained and exhausted tending to her every need. - The M.I.L. is initially unaware that Grace was even alive, having been told the worst after the car accident. As she has lost her only son she now becomes extremely (and grossly and graphically) maternal, and decides she wants custody of Grace.I realize re-reading this that it is a bit vague, but rather than spell it out this is a film with a very straightforward (if twisted) plot that is easily predicted, and I don't want to ruin what precious little surprise it holds.If you see the DVD cover, try not to read the back blurb, it gives away the entire film and removes any interest in the film.In my opinion though, if you miss Grace, you haven't missed much anyway.Final Rating – 5.5 / 10. Perfectly competent genre piece, just precious little to recommend in it.If you liked this review (or even if you didn't) check out oneguyrambling.com

Anthony Pittore III (Shattered_Wake) '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-