Did The Unborn sell on the possibility of panty shots to make up for a run-of-the-mill horror flick? Well, the answer is obvious. Yes. Coming from a man who enjoys his fair share of perversion and provocative imagery, the panty shot cover could either be interpreted is titillating art or cheap exploitation. And as a man that also loves exploitation films, I can say without a doubt that this film fails both as a unique horror flick and as an exploitation film.
The Unborn, directed by David S. Goyer, stars Odette Annable seemingly for her willingness to pose in underwear. The petite actress is attractive and pleasant for the eyes, but it fails to distract from the cliché story. Token black friend, check. Loving boyfriend, check. Haunted mirrors, check. Nightmares, check.
However, The Unborn had a few things that I enjoyed, other than the panty shots. The Unborn is essentially an exorcist story with Jewish mysticism. I know nothing about Jewish mysticism, but I thought it was a nice change from the typical Catholicism angle. The Unborn also featured a creepy kid, but not like Children of the Corn creepy. Just homicidal creepy. The homicidal kid sets out to try to kill the token black friend and stabs her down like a little Michael Myers. The protagonist confronts the evil bastard. Instead of remaining inside the child to create an ethical conundrum, the evil spirit that possessed the child leaves for the token black friend. The same black friend that was just stabbed moments ago. Why would an evil spirit go from an uninjured child to an adult that is bleeding out on the carpet? I chalk this disappointing turn of events to the limits of PG-13. What PG-13 movie is going to show an adult stab the fuck out of an evil kid?
In summation, is the movie worth watching? Depends. If you’re perverted and want to see just how the panty shots look in action, then sure. But remember, there is Google, and you can get a lot more than just panties. If you want a laugh at the cheap and tired clichés, then sure. But, if you want a good horror that will scare you, then pass it up.
