THE CHILD REMAINS: Wasted Potential

Although not without its bright spots, The Child Remains is a mostly mediocre supernatural horror that is sorely lacking in any genuinely thrilling moments. It is a film that seems inherently misguided from its opening moments, as it regrettably squanders a genuinely frightening and intriguing premise for a schlocky supernatural horror that is bereft of any substance.

Based on the true story of the ‘Butterbox Babies’, The Child Remains follows expectant couple Rae (Suzanne Clément) and Liam (Allan Hawco) as they travel to the secluded Mersey Inn for a romantic getaway. Things soon turn south however, as it becomes increasingly clear to the couple that there is something supernatural at play in the inn.

Fiction vs Reality

The true story that The Child Remains is based on is incredibly harrowing. It is a disturbing tale of child abuse and violence that is particularly difficult to stomach. It seems tailor-made for an effective thriller screenplay. It is surprising then that writer/director Michael Melski has instead opted to make a schlocky supernatural horror that features everything from creepy old women to demon babies. Surely, an abusive old couple that murdered children based on their physical abnormalities and skin colour is scary enough? A demon baby on top of all this seems rather redundant.

It doesn’t help that the films supernatural elements are easily its weakest aspects. The specters here are as generic as they come. The pale skinned spirits of the dead mothers that inhabit the hallways of the old inn are dull looking as they whisper generic dialogue about their lost children to our protagonists. These spirits often appear in shoddily edited dream sequences that fail to scare in any conceivable way.

The aforementioned demon baby is a hilarious highlight, however, with effects so poor they look like they stepped right out of 1992. They are so substandard that it begs the question as to why they are in the film at all. If the budget is tight and you can’t convincingly pull off the VFX’s needed to show the demon, then just don’t include it at all. It adds nothing to the narrative and could have saved the filmmakers some embarrassment.

The filmmakers must be commended, however, as they do attempt to build genuine dread throughout the narrative. Instead of an over-reliance on jump scares, Melski does attempt to install a real sense of fear in the audience, utilising atmospheric music and decently creepy sound design. Even without the use of many jump scares, the film still doesn’t end up being particularly scary. It is not helped by just how predictable each scare is, with everything playing out exactly as you’d expect. There are no surprises here.

Rae: Ghost Detective

The film’s other, more human elements fair far better. The acting here is generally decent. Suzanne Clément gives a fair performance as Rae, a journalist who is rattled with PTSD. Her scenes are some of the strongest in the film, as she convincingly displays her character coming to terms with the horrible memories that she has accumulated in her line of work.

Allan Hawco is also solid as Liam, a failing musician who is dealing with feelings of inadequacy in his relationship to Rae. Liam is actually quiet an interesting character, whose feelings of inadequacy have led him to have an extramarital relationship. It is just a shame that the film does nothing with this aspect of his character, barley elaborating on it past the initial reveal. Luckily, as the narrative progresses, Hawco is given plenty of room to chew the scenery to no end, and he does not disappoint.

Despite the strength of these performances, the film really fails to explore Rae and Liam’s relationship beyond the surface level, instead focusing on the inert paranormal elements of the narrative.

Rae’s journalistic profession does come into play over the course of the story, thankfully, and the film greatly benefits from it. As she begins to suspect that the inn may not be all that it is made out to be, she starts to investigate the background of the old house to discover its true past. This requires her and Liam to explore around the town to find and gather information. This element of the story is rather effective as Rae soon discovers that there is a greater conspiracy at foot indicating that perhaps they are not just in danger at the inn.

A decent sense of dread is created here as the film really delves into its Twin Peaks inspiration. It is a shame then that the film doesn’t explore the town at all outside of two locations – that of a library and police station. It all feels rather small scale. Whether this was due to budgetary restrictions or if it was an intentional decision by Melski, the film is faulted because of it.

The Child Remains would much rather spend its time meandering around in the old inn, dealing with the film’s central antagonist, Shelley Thompson’s Monica, the old housekeeper who looks after Liam and Rae during their stay. Unfortunately Thompson is not given much to do and her character is incredibly one-dimensional. She spends most of the run-time speaking in a rather forced creepy voice and the other half waddling around in a ridiculous bridal veil costume. Much like the films supernatural aspects, it feels excruciatingly forced and silly, detracting from the other, more adequate, portions of the film.

The Child Remains: Conclusion

With such an interesting true story to draw from, it’s a real shame that The Child Remains is so underwhelming. It is a film that feels fundamentally misguided, adding a schlocky and poorly executed ghost story on top of an already terrifying premise. Despite this inherent fault, the film is not without some good performances and interesting story beats. If only it had focused on it central relationship and true story over its fatuous paranormal elements, a good film may have been found here. Instead we are left with a poorly executed supernatural horror, one that is sorely lacking in any real substance.

What did you think of The Child Remains?

The Child Remains releases in select theaters and video on demand on June 7th