Antibirth

Director - Danny Perez (Oddsac, Unknown Mortal Orchestra: So Good at Being in Trouble)

Starring - Natasha Lyonne (But I'm a Cheerleader, American Pie), Chloe Sevigny (American Horror Story, #Horror), and Meg Tilly (Psycho II, Body Snatchers)

Release Date - 2016

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     It is always surprising to me how studios will sink their money into a project with no regards as to how they turn out.  One would think that a business would want their name associated with only the finer things and not cheap cash cows that results in having their name dragged through the mud.  One such company that doesn't care about quality is Lionsgate.  I recently reviewed The Crooked Man which is a partnership between Lionsgate and SyFy.  The film was complete shit and should not have been released to the general public.  The movie was so bad I had to take a break from horror to play a little For Honor before returning back to my reviews.  I wanted something I knew I would like so I popped in Antibirth which was sent to me by my friends at Scream Factory.  Thanks for hitting me up with this trippy monster flick!

     The film follows Lou (Lyonne) who is a compulsive partier.  Lou has no sense of responsibility and spends her time getting high but things take an unexpected turn when she falls ill.  She consults a vet (because she can't afford doctor bills) and discovers she is with child.  She can't seem to recollect a time when she was intimate with a man and starts to investigate her last party where she learns that one of the drugs she has been taken is an experimental drug that was discontinued and now a beast is growing in her womb.

     I honestly knew nothing about Antibirth except that I was sure to enjoy it.  The IFC Midnight/Scream Factory partnership has brought the release of several solid flicks and I knew this film would be no different.  The acting in this one is solid but no one is winning awards with their performance.  Natasha Lyonne was fun to watch.  I grew up watching But I'm a Cheerleader and American Pie so I feel a little nostalgic seeing her on my television screen but her performance felt forced and not that genuine.  Her supporting cast is solid as well but they all feel flat.  I feel like that cast lacked due to direction or dedication.  The story for this one is very bold and ambitious but was not that well written.  In fact, it feels like three or four ideas were tossed on the table before they were written in stone.  The story has a lot going on but doesn't flow that well.  Someone paying attention could easily pick out plot holes and inconsistencies.  Finally, the film isn't that bloody and gory.  In fact, its pretty dry for the most part.  However, it delivers one great looking creature at the end of the film.  The beast looks great but is very short lived.  Would have loved to see more of that throughout the film.  If it had it would have been perfect pairing with John Dies at the End.  Overall, Antibirth is a trippy flick you can watch on a rainy day and be entertained.  The film does lack certain elements but gets a lot of things right so check it out.