‘The Lullaby’ (2018) Movie Review

Being a parent is hard enough but add a supernatural twist and you get the Uncork’d Entertainment’s The Lullaby. The film follows the story of new mom Chloe (Reine Swart) sa she brings home her newborn son, Liam. She soon discovers that there might be something more to motherhood, something quite supernatural. Is it the baby blues, or is Chloe being haunted by a child stealing ghost?

Synopsis: 

Chloe is overwhelmed by the birth of her first child. The incessant crying of her baby, the growing sense of guilt and paranoia sends her into depression. With a heightened urge to protect her son, Chloe sees danger in every situation. She starts to hear voices, the humming of a childhood lullaby and sees flashes of a strange entity around her child. Convinced that the entity is real, Chloe will do everything in her power to protect her son. Is she haunted by evil or is it just the baby blues?

The Lullaby was directed by Darrell Roodt. His previous work includes directing Dracula 3000, Dangerous Ground, and he is set to direct Lake Placid: Legacy. The script was written by Tarryn-Tanille Prinsloo. The cast includes Reine Swart, Deànré Reiners, Thandi Puren, Brandon Auret, and Dorothy-Ann Gould.

What Worked

The Lullaby has a small cast of characters. This definitely works for the film and allows individual performances to shine. The character of Chloe was just astounding. Reine Swart brought a lot of paranoia as the new mom. At first, she does not have a lot of development, but as the film progress further, we begin to understand her insanity and paranoia. The Lullaby mirrors the supernatural forces and reality beautifully. I absolutely loved the cinematography as well. Roodt reflects the flashbacks with the present perfectly.

What Didn’t Work

The only thing that I thought did not work in The Lullaby was the filmmakers trying to tie the story in with the history of the South African internment camps in 1901. I felt like there could have been more expanded on that backstory. The first scene was a historical flashback about how young women were raped, and if they became pregnant, then the baby would be taken and murdered. The character of Dr. Timothy Reed (Brandon Auret) seemed like he was more knowledgeable about the supernatural ghost haunting Chole, but it just felt like that wasn’t developed, either. The filmmakers could have gone deeper into that storyline a little bit more.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed The Lullaby. It had really good character development. Reine Swart put on an incredible performance as paranoid new mom Chloe. I felt that the film provided a lot of edgy jump scares that are typical of any supernatural film.

The Lullaby will be in theaters and on VOD March 2nd. Will you check out this haunting, intense flick?