A crime writer uncovers a dark past at the inn she and her husband are staying at in THE CHILD REMAINS. Recovering from PTSD, Rae (Montreal actress Suzanne Clément) arrived at the Mercy Inn to celebrate her birthday with her aspiring songwriter husband Liam (Allan Hawco). They are both greeted by the overly happy caretaker, Monica Leeds (Shelley Thompson), who guesses that Rae is three months pregnant. Soon Rae starts to have terrible dreams and visions of an apparition of a woman during the night. She investigates the building’s past as it was a home for unwed mothers and babies and terrible acts committed by Monica’s mother Rose. This story is loosely based on the black market adoption scandal at the Ideal Maternity Home in East Chester, Nova Scotia, mostly known as the “Butterbox Babies.” 

It’s a supernatural thriller that tries to take away pieces of classic tropes like Rosemary’s Baby and The Shining. However, by the time the film reaches its third act, the film starts having crazy twists and stories that honestly were not needed. It felt like you were swinging a bat at things coming at you, including some strange CGI. If it wasn’t for it trying so hard, I would have given this independent Canadian horror a lot more because some parts are there. The cinematography felt very enclosed to make it more suspenseful, the editing stays very consistent with moving the story and the set pieces are haunting. 

THE CHILD REMAINS may suffer from finding its identity as Michael Melski molded a story with many clashing elements which made it hard to decipher what his main narrative was supposed to be. On the outside, it’s a slow burner, a couple’s getaway at a hospital-turned-inn that has a history of infant deaths-your typical haunted house situation- but in the inside, it has many predictable plot twists to follow and at over 90 minutes too long to keep up.  THE CHILD REMAINS will open in select theaters and Digital June 7, 2019. 

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Christy Turnipseed

City girl from a Southern state, Christy is a gal who likes dogs, drinks Scotch and can quote obscure lines from Ghostbusters and Labyrinth. Currently a full-time culinary student, she also works with the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham while wondering why her life isn't like a John Hughes film. Follow her amusements @cturnip on twitter and IG.

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