There’s one thing more terrifying than giving birth to a bloodthirsty demon, that’s giving birth to a real human being and the responsibility that comes with it. For Antonia Thomas there’s double trouble as not only does she have to give up the life she had before pregnancy but also the summoning of something wicked.

 

Loved up couple Charlie (Thomas) and James (Luke Norris) put life on hold to be parents of their first born but activity in their home makes them suspect that something more sinister has been born. Assisted by James’ father (Jonathan Hyde) and cohort Elizabeth (Eileen Davies) they search for the root of the disturbances but as their young daughter Thea grows older, the violence and terror grows too.

 

Firstly, FIRSTBORN has a tremendous cast. The performances from all are gripping to watch and every motive and reaction believable. Thomas and Norris portray a couple that is grounded in reality, a pleasure to see in the horror genre as opposed to the picture-perfect family set up so often seen in Hollywood’s grander offerings. A loving relationship and one that is relatable thanks to the engagement of the two leads. Add into the mix a show stealing role for Eileen Davies as the medium of worlds and you have a cast to make a solid gold hit.

 

Unfortunately, the film is extremely dull and the misery suffered by its core cast on screen never lets up cascading itself to the viewer. The dramatic performances by the leads carry a burden that with nothing to lighten the journey or even standout in the cinematography turn a horror movie into a home drama more akin to CORONATION STREET than ELM STREET.

 

Moments of FIRSTBORN sneak at brilliance and the creature designs are a beauty to behold, a shame then that there is not enough of them and when they are on screen, they’re smothered in the darkness that shrouds the movie. The pacing is by the numbers and scattily shot scares make this an example of what could have been a great movie but the remnants of which have been merely ruined at the cutting room floor. Even the score, one of the most important pieces of horror cinema feels as lacklustre as the camera work which does no justice to the ideas and potential behind Sean Hogan (THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS, LITTLE DEATHS) and Nirpal Bhogal’s script.

 

FIRSTBORN isn’t by any means a bad film, it’s a by the numbers horror that has some golden moments provided mostly by its stellar cast. The issue here is that it’s harder to watch a film that blows its potential when it stares you right in the face than watching a movie that is downright awful, and FIRSTBORN falls firmly in the former.