From the great minds of Blumhouse Productions comes the beautifully creepy There’s Something Wrong with the Children. As one of the first horror movies to be released in 2023, a decent bar has been set for the year ahead.
There’s Something Wrong with the Children – Story
When two couples – one with kids – head to the woods, they are looking forward to a relaxing break in the wilderness; to be at one with nature. However, things take a sinister turn when they discover a seemingly bottomless chasm in a long-forgotten ruin. Heading back to their cabins, the group soon forgets about their discovery and settles down into a night of drinking, merriment, and hash.
Through the night, the girls (Margeret and Ellie) are talking when Margeret realizes all isn’t rosy in her friend’s marriage and offers to take their children off their hands for the night. However, Margeret and Ben wake the next day to find the children have fled the cabin during the night. Stricken with panic, the couple look for the children before Ben has the idea to go back to the ruins in search.
On arriving at the pit, Ben finds Lucy and Spencer teetering on the edge. Emotion quickly overcomes him when he witnesses them drop from the edge and into the gaping maw. Thinking the kids have died, Ben treks back to the cabin to see they are there and well, but something isn’t right. There definitely is Something Wrong with the Children and it’s dark.
There’s Something Wrong with the Children is Brilliantly Creepy
Despite our early reservations surrounding the movie, There’s Something Wrong with the Children took us by surprise. Opening up with classic horror fonts and heavy-colored green tints, our first impressions were that There’s Something Wrong with the Children would be an eye-roll-inducing tack-fest. However, we were very wrong.
The actors playing the children that there’s something wrong with, Briella Guiza and David Mattle, are perfectly cast and do a great job of portraying the creepy devil children they soon become. Cast aside the adult actors, they perfectly gel and slip into their roles with ease.
There’s Something Wrong with the Children works well at playing with emotions and leaving the viewer ill at ease and waiting for the antagonists’ next move. It’s a prime example of what a horror movie should be and sets us up nicely for 2023.
There’s Something Wrong with the Children Leaves Questions Hanging
We’re unsure of whether or not this was intentional, but we never did get to find out what exactly happened to Spencer and Lucy during that fateful night. We are given hints at a hive mind being at play but the movie ends before any real details are divulged. It’s a real shame as we were waiting in keen anticipation for the conclusion to explain all.
Furthermore, at one point Ben is heard saying “I saw their broken bodies at the bottom of the pit”. However, each time the pit is shown, it appears bottomless, with no end in sight. This is likely just an oversight, but one that should definitely have been picked up on.
There’s Something Wrong with the Children – Summary
There’s Something Wrong with the Children was a fantastic way to start the year in horror. With an almost tangible feeling of unease hanging over the entirety of the movie, it does well to keep the viewer on their toes as they wait in suspense.
If you’re looking for a short but solid horror movie, then you won’t go far wrong with There’s Something Wrong with the Children.
