Roxanne Benjamin‘s ‘There’s Something Wrong With The Children’ (2023) – Review

Maybe it’s just me, but when a title is a complete sentence, I’m intensely intrigued. Then add Blumhouse with the blooming director Roxanne Benjamin who produced some of my all-time favorite horrors in V/H/S and V/H/S 2, and you have my full attention.

Let’s take a look at the movie poster:

There’s Something Wrong with the Children is a 2023 American horror film directed by Roxanne Benjamin (Body at Brighton Rock – 2019) and written by T. J. Cimfel and David White (Intruders 2015). The film stars Alisha Wainwright (The Hatred 2017), Zach Gilford (The Purge: Anarchy 2014), Amanda Crew (The Haunting in Connecticut 2009), and Carlos Santos (Undone 2022). Jason Blum (read our interview with him HERE) serves as an executive producer through his Blumhouse Television banner.

Synopsis:

A family takes a weekend trip with longtime friends and their two young children, but they suspect something supernatural when the kids behave strangely after disappearing into the woods overnight.

The Setup

Margaret and Ben take a weekend trip with longtime friends Ellie and Thomas and their two young children, Lucy and Spencer. They stay at a campsite and plan a night of drinking and telling stories about each other. The next morning, everyone hikes through the woods and comes across an old building with a cave. Lucy and Spencer are drawn to a well in the cave, seeing a green light that none of the adults seem to notice.

They return to camp and Margaret offers to watch the kids while Ellie and Thomas go on a romantic date. The children express a strong desire to return to the cave and refer to it as “the place that shines,” but Margaret and Ben do not allow them to leave. The following morning, Lucy and Spencer have gone missing, which makes Margaret and Ben panic. They desperately search the woods, and Ben remembers the cave that they encountered. He rushes over and discovers Lucy and Spencer standing at the edge of the well before falling into it and witnessing their broken bodies down at the bottom. Ben is freaked out and returns to camp to explain things with Ellie and Thomas, but discovers Lucy and Spencer running around the campsite, unscathed.

Margaret claims Ben was just in an agitated state and might not be feeling well, and reveals Ben has a history of mental breakdowns and suggests he gets some rest. The children progress to taunt Ben by insinuating murdering the other adults. A shook Ben keeps lashing out trying to convince the group – wait for it – that there’s something wrong with the children, but he only succeeds at alienating himself while he’s convinced all their lives are in danger.

The Payoff? No Spoon-Feeding Horror Here

There’s Something Wrong with the Children was an entertaining thriller with the heart of a horror fan that understood the assignment. It doesn’t believe in spoon-feeding you the horror story with all machinations explained, origins of the evil, or master plan purpose. You’re dropped into an out-of-this-world scenario with some much-relatable and likable characters.

There’s Something Wrong with the Children was a frantic whirlwind of tension. It plays to feel like a classic twilight zone vignette. There wasn’t any fat in this story, as every scene was deliberate and direct to the story’s density.

“Lucy, stop kicking dead things.” – Ellie

There’s Something Wrong with the Children was armed with an unmistakable composition that distinctly plants its flag as a phycological horror. Give me all of the electric organs, please. This movie sounded fantastic. Much credit to the composer The Gifted (Ready or Not 2019)

The film is getting mixed reviews from viewers, but I found it refreshing. It’s not the same old remake or reboot, and it’s not a tenth installment to an anthology. It deviates from jump scares and tired horror elements that have already been over-taxed through the years. The movie is excellent if you like mysticism, adventure, drama, horror, psychothriller, and action. It has a little bit of every genre.

There are creepy woods, abandoned buildings, possessions, giant bugs, and disturbing children. It’s a recipe for a totally fun horror, that makes every scene worth it.

There’s Something Wrong with the Children (2023) Final Thoughts

If you’re a fan of the genre – I mean, you are reading PopHorror after all – then definitely give this film a shot. Ignore the hot takes and unfair online critics. It’s a perfect throw-on late-nighter. Embrace the weird darkness that is Roxane Benjamin. There’s Something Wrong with the Children is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Check out the trailer below: