Small Cast Shines in Portuguese Horror Amelia's Children

redmangoreviews

February 16

Sommerleigh Pollonais, Horror Head Writer

Plot: A man searches for his biological family in Portugal. He finds a villa and reunites with his long-lost mother and twin. But their shared past holds a dark secret that will forever change his understanding of his identity and origins.

Review: I'm not sure what the underlying themes of Amelia's Children are, but I do think the takeaway is, "Family be crazy".

And this is when mom accidentally cut your pee pee in half with a pruning shears

This Portuguese horror tells the story of a young man named Edward (Carloto Cotta) who lives a happy, peaceful life with his beautiful and supportive girlfriend Ryley (Bridgette Lindy-Paine). But Edward has always felt like he's missing something, specifically family. Being adopted he goes in search of his birth mother and ends up finding not just her but a long-lost twin and a deeply disturbing family secret that goes back decades.

Director Gabriel Abrantes' first foray into horror isn't a home run, but it's definitely not a strike out either. The story, while somewhat predictable, is made engaging by the solid performances of its small cast and the atmosphere is quite unnerving throughout. Brigette Lundy-Paine is instantly likeable as Ed's girlfriend Ryley, who quickly realises this family is one her boyfriend could do without, while Carloto Cotta does double-duty as twin brothers Ed and Matthais, making them different enough in mannerisms it feels as if you're watching two different actors.

Hello dear. Are you chapsnatting?

Incorporating morbid elements and a soundtrack that's equal parts catchy and creepy, Amelia's Children's only drawbacks are its middle half that feels a bit drawn out and the predominant use of English by the characters. Personally, I enjoy watching foreign films in their native tongue as the story and the acting tends to lose some of its rhythm when the actors struggle with a language not their own. I also wished they went a bit further with the admittedly gross and creepy reveal. The movie X came to my mind a lot while watching this and I wonder if some of the elements there weren't inspiration for this disturbing tale.

Overall, this is a solid first attempt by writer/director Gabriel Abrantes. Technically impressive, with a small but capable cast and a final act that makes up for a weaker second half, this creepy take on family and aging is a decent first outing and it will be interesting to see what Abrantes does next.

Sommer's Score: 6.5 out of 10

And you can get creeped out by more horror reviews by RMR below:

Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I'll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More