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agentorange [DVD News 05.31.11] movie review dvd horror

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Year: 2011
Directors: Adam Gierasch
Writers: Jace Anderson, Adam Gierasch
IMDB: link
Amazon: Link
Trailer: link
Review by: agentorange
Rating: 7 out of 10

Write/director Adam Gierasch proves he's got more range than I expected with this effective slow-roaster of a haunted house yarn. Well lensed with classy photography and muted performances by its relatively unknown cast (though TV fans may recognize Leisha Hailey), Fertile Ground turns on the creepy about twenty minutes in and refuses to let go. Let's put it this way: I just watched Haunting in Connecticut on Netflix in the same week and this was better.


When Emily Weaver has a miscarriage, she leaves the City with her husband Nate for the rural comfort of Nate's family home in New Hampshire. There, isolated, Emily learns she's pregnant again. She also becomes haunted by strange noises and horrifying visions, while Nate is seemingly possessed by a hostile spirit. In a house haunted by past victims, Emily learns that she's the latest target in a murderous tradition.

The thing I liked about Fertile Ground is that, in true independent style, the horror comes from the characters' relationships changing, not the visual FX. Sure there are ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but a main story point hinges on the characters growing apart and, in particular, the character of Nate becoming a complete a-hole to his pregnant wife. As the tensions between the two rise and you begin to suspect Nate is possessed, you really start to feel how unpredictable and volatile their situation is. This breeds some fantastic tension which adds to the fear factor in a truly compelling way.

After watching Gierasch's Autopsy and Night of the Demons remake, I pegged him as a director only interested in the more hyper active aspects of B-horror. It appears I was wrong, as Fertile Ground proves that he has more attention to detail and performance than I anticipated.

Good stuff.



You might like: Insidious on Blu-ray

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28days (11 months ago) Reply

If this is any good you cant tell it by the trailer. Looks like a series of scenes copied from every "young couple meets haunted house" movie I have ever seen. Especially the trademark 10" butcher knife and completely oblivious "its just the plumbing" husband.

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Nkechi Logan (11 months ago) Reply

My husband and I watched this last night and I must admit it was WAAAAAY better than I thought it would be. This was a good movie and it does have a TWIST!


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