How far would a mother go for her child? This is the question at the heart of this supernatural nightmare called simply, Son. While watching this, I couldn't help but think of it as a pseudo-sequel to Rosemary's Baby. Andi Matichak, who is most famous for her recent role as Laurie Strode's granddaughter Allyson in Halloween 2018, plays Laura, a young single Mom happily living with her son David (Luke David Blumm). There quiet lives are upended when one night Laura finds strangers standing over her son in his room, only to have the door slam in her face, locking her out. Very quickly after this young David grows very ill and with no medical cure in sight and no proof there were ever any intruders in her home, they become trapped in a waking nightmare where everyone thinks Laura is crazy, as she races to find a cure for her only child .
Director and writer Ivan Kavanagh does a superb job of balancing the psychological and supernatural elements of this story. You the viewer are left wondering if Laura's demons are real or imagined. Andi Matichak is wonderful in this role as well as I totally bought her as a young mother, even though I just saw her playing a teenager. Emile Hirsch also stars in this movie as a cop who cares for Laura and David and who is caught in the middle as the bodies begin to pile up. Speaking of which, the blood and gore here should please most horror fans and although there isn't a lot of it, the way it's utilized is very effective.
Of all the horror movies I've seen for the year so far, Son is definitely the best of the bunch. The slow pace might bore some but I thought it was pitch perfect and gave the dread room to grow and breathe. The lead actress does a stellar job of keeping you invested in her plight and while the story does feel a tad predictable in places, or at least it will to those who watch a lot of horror flicks, I still think Son is strong send up to horror films like Polanski's Rosemary's Baby and Alan Parker's Angel Heart.
