It might be the most natural thing in the world, but there\u2019s also something pretty terrifying about pregnancy.<\/p>\n
The idea of a creature growing inside a person\u2019s body, sapping their resources and affecting their emotions, is the stuff of pure horror, so it\u2019s not surprising that there are plenty of movies where babies are portrayed as evil little monsters. Devil\u2019s Due<\/strong><\/em><\/a> is the first to combine that story with found footage, but that\u2019s the only scrap of originality it\u2019s got.<\/p>\n Sam (Allison Miller) and Zach (Zach Gilford) are enjoying their honeymoon when they meet a friendly taxi driver who wants to show them the sights. The party he takes them to lives up to his hype, but their all-seeing video camera captures a glimpse of something more sinister behind the scenes.<\/p>\n Back home, Sam discovers she\u2019s pregnant \u2013 despite being on the Pill \u2013 and the couple begin to rearrange their lives in preparation for the new arrival. But Sam\u2019s isn\u2019t a normal pregnancy, and Zach isn\u2019t the only one filming her\u2026<\/p>\n The challenge for any found footage horror movie is finding a reason for characters to keep filming, even when things get scary. Devil\u2019s Due<\/strong><\/em> can\u2019t, so it cheats by cutting away \u2013 to other people\u2019s video cameras, police cameras, even CCTV cameras. But in doing so, it undermines its conceit.<\/p>\n The intimacy between the audience and characters is broken; Sam and Zach are a likeable couple with a believable relationship and great chemistry, but the more the tricksy camerawork distances us from them, the more generic the film seems.<\/p>\n Although the storyline runs along tracks laid by Rosemary\u2019s Baby<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, the final act is pure Paranormal Activity<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. The rumbling demonic noises, the ominous night-vision scenes, the strategically placed house-cams: we\u2019ve seen it all before.<\/p>\n Although found footage is a style of filmmaking that, in theory, allows for many different kinds of stories, it\u2019s become a depressingly tired genre with far too many of its own clich\u00e9s, and Devil\u2019s Due<\/strong><\/em> regurgitates them all. It\u2019s just boring.
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