The Baby's Room (2006)

Such a frustrating disappointment

hyped garbage

best movie i've ever seen.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

THE BABY'S ROOM is another strong contender in the short series of Spanish made-for-TV ghost stories released under the banner of 'Films to Keep You Awake'. Previously I'd watched BLAME, a quite wonderful exploration of abortion, so I was looking forward to seeing this one. It's not quite up there with the standard of that movie, mainly thanks to the rather predictable storyline, but it IS still a good, well-made film, and far better than many American 'haunted house' movies of recent years.The storyline starts off predictably enough: a young couple move into a creepy old house and strange events befall them. There are a combination of two factors here, one of which I liked, the other I didn't care for as much. The element I liked was that the ghostly events are played out from the past, and the only way to see them is through a baby monitor, which acts as some kind of 'gateway' between realities. This leads to plenty of creepy moments as the protagonist witnesses slayings and strangers on the tiny black-and-white monitor although the rooms are empty to his own eyes. It reminded me a lot of the THIRTEEN GHOSTS films, in which the characters could only see spirits through some special glasses; the idea is much the same and handled just as well on a much lower budget (in comparison with the Hollywood remake, at least).The other plot strand involves nobody believing the protagonist. I found this pretty tired. There is one neat change, a role reversal which sees the husband dismissed as neurotic rather than the wife, but otherwise this is typical stuff we've seen done dozens of times before. Still, the film boasts good acting, from both the two lead actors and the amusing character actors who make up the supporting cast. The restrained direction from Alex de la Iglesia – the guy who made the outrageous DAY OF THE BEAST, of all things – also wins points and it's one of those films where the low budget works in its favour, adding to the mystery and atmosphere. Not a classic, by any means, but this has the same kind of style you'll find in bigger and better films like THE ORPHANAGE.

The Baby's Room is Álex de la Iglesia's entry in the Spanish horror TV series "Films to keep you awake". I saw Iglesia's cult hit 'Day of the Beast' fairly recently and was thoroughly impressed by it. Obviously The Baby's Room is not of similar quality, but it's a more than interesting little story and better than the majority of the "Masters of Horror" episodes. If you were to pigeon hole this film, it would go into the 'haunted house' genre, and although there's haunted house themes; Iglesia makes more of it than just that. The plot focuses on a young couple with a baby that have just moved into a new home. After buying a baby monitor, the couple come to believe that somebody may be in the house with them; but the truth is something far more sinister. As a mystery film, this one works well. I can't say that the plot is completely original; though the film didn't turn out to be what I was expecting which is always a bonus. The central couple are both excellent, with Javier Gutiérrez particularly standing out. There are some good moments of suspense and the director does manage to keep us interested for the duration. It boils down to a decent twisted ending and I certainly recommend this film to anyone who can get their hands on it.

This is NOT the typical old house horror movie.A young couple with his kid (about 1 year old) moves to an old house. They soon realize there is something wrong in the house when they start using a baby listener (and wireless TV monitors later on). They think there is someone (a thief) trying to get a way into the house to do a further robbery or kidnapping of the kid, as it seems the most sensible explanation for the things that are happening. Juan starts to fear and can't sleep. This will affect their marriage as well as Juan's job. He will try to find out what it happening...It doesn't take much to do a good terror movie, and this is a good example. A good idea, very real characters and reactions (they pass through different stages as they cannot understand what is going on), I found it really frightening despite (or due to) it's simplicity.

Alex de la Iglesia's contribution for the "Peliculas para no dormir" TV series is disturbing and, for a movie that dwells in the supernatural, well-explained and structured. The rhythm goes in crescendo and the end is really worth it. You're gonna discharge certain doses of adrenaline here, a lovable exercise for us, lovers of terror, in cinema, of course. The two main actors are not at their best, although the masculine one does nicely when in panic. Sancho Gracia, as usual, makes a very good performance, but old lady in the home is not convincing either. In spite of this regretful actors direction, I absolutely recommend its view, because, in addition to the entertainment, like good terror movies, reminds you of your own deep old fears. Good for you, Àlex!!