An opening line all too often used, attempting to send chills down ones spine and set a mood as a tale begins, leading mostly to "who gives a fuck" 's and "ya fuckin' right" 's equally as often. But half way through Baby Blues I thought back, remembered, and cringed at the possibility that what I've just seen...had actually happened. <= mild spoilers
Deep in the south, smack dab in the bible belt, lives a family on an isolated farm. As Pa is on the road living the life of a long haul trucker, his wife, is left alone to cope with 4 young ever fighting, arguing or crying children, a household filled with endless chores, and a marriage with signs of betrayal. When an evil entity invades the home, and threatens the life of it's inhabitants, it is up to the eldest son to save his family and himself from a tragic demise.
If you have looked further into Baby Blues you will've undoubtedly run smack dab into the shocking major spoiler, running rampant in almost every review I've read. And that's unfortunate because Baby Blues views best knowing the least amount of info possible. So, it is for that reason that I will keep this review as vague as possible.
Baby Blues is dark...like really fuckin' dark...and it packs the most viscious and visceral punch since Inside, and the beat-down doesn't let up, uncaring if you're still trying to catch your breath or not. And I say that even after a couple of the cruelest and most disturbing scenes are left sight unseen. So after I've explained that there are 4 children in the house, and something shows up to do something very, very bad to them...I'd recommend you skip this one if you have any aversions whatsoever to the possibility of it happening. Even for the truly depraved horror fan (like myself) *fist pump* ya!, Baby Blues won't be the pride and joy or bragging piece of any DVD collection - your numbered edition of Cannibal Holocaust can breathe easy again ;)
Okay, now that that's out of the way. The setting and photography are frighteningly taken advantage of and captured - from the dreary archaic farmhouse to the mysterious and mazing cornfields. More than once I was thrown back to thoughts of Grandma's House (which had my shittin' bricks as a kid!)...no wonder kids under 18 dig Baby Blues the most.
Performances, for the most part, were excellent. Baby Blues relies most heavily on the shoulders of children, and although in a couple moments their inexperience and lack of talent was clearly evident, it doesn't hinder their believability or the story's entrallment.
So...if you're in the mood...to get in a worse mood, toss Baby Blues in the DVD player. But don't be surprised when you're saying "That was awesome! But I feel terrible for thinking so!"
9/10
2 comments:
Im going to have to rewatch this one, because I thought it was pretentious and sensationalistic, relying far too much on the taboo-breaking child abuse and then falling into a mediocre cat and mouse game that I grew tired of. Will give it a second go on your mark man! My copy is scratched to shit and I lost 5-10m too, so that may have made a big difference
I can definitely understand that stance as I knowingly placed myself on that side of the fence at times during the screening. A rewatch may not change anything for you, but focusing on it's positives won it for me. So I applaud the creators of Baby Blues for finally creating a solid (US) indie film with inventive intelligence and pushing at least one new boundary.
Thanks for the comment Carl...always appreciate your thoughts!
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