The New Daughter (2009) is a PG-13 horror film and Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut. The film is based on John Connolly’s short story of the same name. The New Daughter stars Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis, and Gattlin Griffith. As of this review, the film is available on VUDU Free, The CW, Hoopla, Tubi TV, Freevee, and Plex, with additional purchase options.

John James (Kevin Costner) moves his children to a rural South Carolina town to start anew after his wife leaves him. Louisa James (Ivana Baquero) can’t stand this change, and Sam James (Gattlin Griffith) doesn’t understand why his mother isn’t with them. But after finding a burial mound, their attitudes suddenly switch. As John uncovers more of their new home’s history, he realizes there’s much to fear.

What I Like About Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut

Despite its 2009 release date, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films nominated it for the Saturn Awards’ Best DVD Release in 2011. As Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut, the film manages to hold an audience with a tight script and direction.

The acting sells this ominous mystery, which might otherwise become obscure amongst others in the genre. In particular, Kevin Costner’s John James and Ivana Baquero’s Louisa James center The New Daughter around their characters’ strained father-daughter relationship.

Ultimately, The New Daughter thrives in its atmosphere and execution. If we take the film plot point by plot point, The New Daughter doesn’t break the mold. Between Luiso Berdejo’s direction and the writing of John Travis and John Connolly, however, the film executes this uncomfortable tension that invests viewers.

The New Daughter

• English (Subtitle)

$19.99

Buy on Amazon

Last update on 2025-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

It’s in The New Daughter‘s execution where it haunts its audience. There’s this uncomfortable powerlessness as John attempts to protect his family against the horrors in the mound and its corrupting influence.

The ending might seem uncommitted, but I would disagree. The film executes a balance between hope and horror that leads to ambiguity but doesn’t leave the audience dissatisfied. A bolder film might conclude with an unhappy ending, but The New Daughter gives a sliver of hope in its dark ending.

Tired Tropes and Triggers

A cat dies in the film. The act isn’t shown, but I understand this can be a dealbreaker. In loose connection, there are also animal carcasses.

There’s a loose and underdeveloped connection to Native American mythology, following along the idea of “Indian (Native Americans) burial grounds.” While this initial thought proves inaccurate, it still holds familiar plot points that might irk some.

There are some strange decisions revolving around Louisa. Needless to say, a part of the plot revolves around her beginning puberty. While nothing is explicit, the creatures require a mate, which suggests sexual assault.

What I Dislike about Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut

The aesthetic of the burial mound doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy. This becomes a problem when it looks like any hill in a forest. I don’t particularly see how the James family recognizes this as something strange and worth fixating on. As the film progresses, there are obvious reasons, but the aesthetic doesn’t execute this strangeness.

As addressed above, the premise remains familiar and safe, perhaps too safe. A family moves into a rural home, escaping a past withheld from the audience. The mother is out of the picture, and the father struggles to connect with his young daughter. I don’t subscribe to the idea that these are lazy points, but it might seem formulaic with how thick it dominates the film’s beginning.

Final Thoughts

The New Daughter is an impressive feature-length debut but one with notable flaws. There’s a familiarity and safety in the plot that hinders what could have been. However, the ominous mystery and acting provide the needed execution to create a haunting experience. If you’re looking for a horror following a terrified family against supernatural creatures, The New Daughter delivers.

After taking a week off, Dexter Original Sin is back. And while no piece of art can ever be entirely perfect, this was as close to perfect as I think we can expect.

The story

We start this episode right where the last one left off. Dexter, with a body in his trunk, finds his dumping grounds swarming with cops. So, keeping his head as cool as ever, he pulls out his forensic badge and pretends he’s supposed to be there. Then, he feeds the remaining arm from his second kill to the alligators before anyone can print it. But, not before Angel recognizes a distinct ring on the hand’s finger.

Jewelry really will be the death of Dexter.

While he might have gotten himself out of that mess, he still has a body to deal with. He decides to take it to a dump in broad daylight. Sometimes he acts like he wants to get caught. But then, maybe he does.

Meanwhile, the police are still looking for whoever kidnapped Nicky. There’s a horrific scene in this episode in which the poor kid has his finger chopped off. But this finger might well be the evidence that Miami Metro needs to catch the kidnapper because Dexter notices a sense of hesitation before the cut on Nicky that wasn’t present on the first little boy.

He also finds a drop of blood that doesn’t belong to Nicky.

Once again, it all comes back to blood.

What worked

As I’ve watched this series, and after consuming all of the rest of the work this franchise has offered us, one thing has become more and more clear.

Harry Morgan is a terrible human being.

Let’s just take this episode as an example. We see him strongarming a CI that he had an affair with, threatening to stick her in jail and drop her kids into foster care if she doesn’t keep risking her life for him. We then see him go home and lecture his wife, who he cheated on, for not forgiving him fast enough. And we know how this all ends for the Mosers. We know that Laura ends up dead and Harry takes the baby he liked, leaving Brian to the horrors of the foster care system.

Dexter: The Complete Series + Dexter: New Blood

• Michael C. Hall (Actor)
• Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)

$35.82

Buy on Amazon

Last update on 2025-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The thing is, we were never supposed to like Harry. More and more I realize that Harry is the bad guy. He’s the antagonist of Dexter. And as I’m rewatching the original series, I see clearly that he’s been the bad guy from the start. And I think that’s such a brilliant idea.

Not quite as cool, but still impressive was the serial killer advice scene in this episode. Dexter, struggling with where to hide his dead bodies, researches how other serial killers have done so. We see him talk to Ed Gein, David Berkowitz and John Wayne Gacy. This scene brought the absurdity of the series to the forefront. Our main character admires these men. These monsters did horrific things. And we still, somehow, against all decency, like him.

Let me also just say that Scott Reynolds who played Gacy did a fantastic job. The body language and line delivery were just so creepy. For someone who wasn’t on screen for more than a few minutes, he knew how to make a killer impression.

Finally, I want to applaud the twist in this episode. But, as always, I want to do so without giving it away! I will only say that there is a large reveal regarding the person who killed the judge’s son and abducted Nicky. And, I have to say, I didn’t see it coming. It was amazing and raised so many questions. Questions I cannot wait to have answers for.

Honestly, everything in this episode worked. It was well-written, well-acted, and well worth my time. My only complaint right now is that there are only three episodes left.

Of course, it’s usually the last episode of a Dexter show that ruins the whole thing. Let’s see if they can avoid that this time.

“It’s the thing they say about Tome. Everyone returns in the end-“

Lucy Foley’s 7^th and newest page-turner was released in June 2024. The Midnight Feast, demonstrates to readers why her name keeps appearing on the New York Times best sellers list. Blending a mystery/ thriller story with folkloric horror, Foley had me sitting up past my bedtime and considering moving Tome.

Sale

The Midnight Feast: A Novel

• Audible Audiobook
• Lucy Foley (Author) – Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha (Narrators)
• English (Publication Language)

$22.04

Buy on Amazon

Last update on 2025-01-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Plot.

The Manor, an exclusive retreat nestled deep within the woods, opens its doors on a weekend of glitzy chaos. Founder Francesca Meadows, is the picture of serene wellness. A meditating, green juice-drinking, organic linen-wearing type, at least on the surface. The Manor was left to her by her Grandfa (no this is not a typo!) and she summered here as a teen.

Francesca is rather stressed because it is opening night and the construction is still in progress. The next stage in the renovation is the building of treehouses for guests to stay in. Inspired by one that Francesca had as a child. However, this means cutting down trees in the woods. Though this part of the woods is technically private property the locals are not happy, and neither are the strange bird-like creatures in the woods. These are Elder trees after all, and cutting them down would be bad luck without asking the trees’ permission first…

As a diverse cast descends upon The Manor, each harboring concealed pasts, the idyllic facade begins to crumble. Locals, masquerading as glamorous outsiders, mingle with the elite, revealing a web of interconnected secrets and unspoken resentments.

Beneath the veneer of tranquility lies a simmering undercurrent of tension, fueled by unspoken desires, long-buried grudges, and the unsettling feeling that everyone, in their own way, is seeking redemption at The Manor.

Highlights.

The Midnight Feast brims with subtle and insightful social commentary. One of the most compelling aspects is Foley’s ingenious portrayal of the affluent imitating the pagan, and vice versa. The elite, led by Francesca Meadows, strive to embrace “natural living” with white robes, floral headpieces, and a veneer of eco-consciousness. Ironically, they are aping the very rituals of the local townsfolk, who hold deep-rooted pagan beliefs. Meanwhile, these locals are donning formal attire and dropping their accents to navigate the social circles of The Manor. This fascinating dynamic, presented with understated humor, highlights the performative nature of social identity and the blurred lines between genuine connection and superficial imitation.

On a more profound level, Foley grapples with the complex issue of land ownership and the historical injustices it can perpetuate. Francesca Meadows, with her inherited wealth and privileged position, asserts absolute dominion over the land. She views it as her exclusive domain. She attempts to restrict access to the woods, a vital thoroughfare for the local community, sparking a conflict that raises important questions about land rights, historical dispossession, and the inherent unfairness of a system that allows a few to claim ownership over land that has been traditionally used and revered by others for generations.

Drawbacks.

My only criticism of this book is for something Foley is known for doing; 5+ points of view. There’s Bella, Owen, Francesca, Eddie, DI Walker, and local fishermen, then add to this journal entries from the summer of 2010 and it really does feel like you are drowning in the beginning. Despite this overwhelm, as you become more familiar with the characters it becomes easier to follow. Foley is excellent at making her characters’ voices distinct from one another. So much so that you almost don’t need the names at the top of the chapters. But buyer beware.

The Hunting Party: A Novel

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• Foley, Lucy (Author)
• English (Publication Language)

$9.99

Buy on Amazon

Last update on 2025-01-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Final Take.

Having thoroughly enjoyed all of Foley’s novels that I’ve read, I can confidently say that The Midnight Feast is a standout. The seamless integration of folkloric elements – a personal favorite – truly elevates the narrative. From the enigmatic markings to the otherworldly creatures lurking within the forest and the intriguing use of solstice as chapter markers, Foley masterfully weaves a captivating and atmospheric tale that kept me utterly engrossed. This is a true page-turner that I wholeheartedly recommend.