In a twist on the classic horror set up, Birthrite tells the story of a pregnant woman who is bequeathed a home from an estranged aunt and she and her girlfriend leave the city behind to begin a new chapter in their lives. But, when a karmic debt threatens the life of their unborn child, they soon discover their place in the cursed history of the town.
At first, there’s not too much to be concerned about, only the same concerns that every parent has about how a kid is going to be raised in their surroundings. An escape from the city is perhaps exactly what they need, especially when their city is NYC. The film sets up very strong layers of intrigue that have us anticipating all that may go wrong throughout the course of the film’s runtime. For example, we learn early on that her aunt while having no children of her own took care of many herself, they are set up well as a potential threat and new element to this story but we never know when they may enter the picture. As this story goes on, we discover more and more, leading to creepy revelations that are often quite startling.
The original themes also play very well, blending beautiful strings of violin and peaceful piano notes with creepy quick horror themes that feel both classic and new. The editing is smooth, with unique shot creation that shows the beauty of the town but also shows that not everything is as it seems. The direction is very good with lots of set up and details that get us worried, such as when a guy looks at her a little too long, the buildings seem a bit too unsteady, or the stone statues in the backyard look just menacing. We don’t even need to be shown anything truly scary to know that, with a pregnant woman and a new place, that many terrible things will happen. It’s very good work in creating suspense while also using a style of lighting and cinematography that does not explicitly scream bloody murder. If you’re a fan of what the film sets up you, will surely enjoy the pay off.
Birthrite is available on demand on Friday, August 8th, 2025.
