It's never too late to find an old creepy building in the middle of the woods and then immediately turn around and go home. Such is not the fate for the group in the feature from Roxanne Benjamin THE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CHILDREN. Things couldn't be further from the truth in this kid creature flick. Benjamin reminds viewers that kids don't have to be ghost to be creepy. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CHILDREN may not conjure up a ton of scares but its a fun feature to kick of 2023.
TSWTCH follows two couples on a camping trip with one of the groups small children. On a casual hike they come upon a weird hole in the middle of a ruin. From that point forward Ben (Zach Gilford) seems to be the only one noticing something weird going on with the kids. TSWTCH has a steady burn to it as there doesn't seem to be a need to show a transformation physically in the kids. Just weird behaviors and strange noises. The talent does a good job of creating the mysterious atmosphere that will have the viewer guessing what's going on in front of them. I was taken back when the peak of the film made it's arrival. Not expecting the direction it took to be a part of the story at all. So while it's nothing original the film succeeds in allowing the imagination to roam a bit.
THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CHILDREN will get a ton of eyes on a NETFLIX or HULU release. I feel many won't be too pleased with the film overall but it has some moments. I'm always up for a good creature flick and hopefully Benjamin will jump into the genre again with something a little more sinister and vicious.
2.5/5
THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CHILDREN is directed by Roxanne Benjamin and stars Zach Gilford, Amanda Crew, Briella Guiza, David Mattle, Alisha Wainwright and Carlos Santos.
It is available now on demand.