If gore makes you want to throw up, then this horror movie review might intrigue you. As films like The Conjuring and more remain at the top 10 in every horror fan’s list, it’s difficult to take that spot and build an entirely new fanbase.

Horror Film enthusiasts may have already noticed the not-so well known fact that Hollywood is actually really bad at writing and directing bone chilling movies that makes the viewer switch on every light in the house. But, this 2023 movie might give you the creeps, if not a full on heart attack.

Amelia’s Children, is a 2023 horror film starring the Warrior Nun famed actress Alba Baptista, the Atypical star Brigette Lundy-Paine and Carloto Cotta who absolutely nails it as both Edward and Manuel.

What happens in the movie?

The plot is fairly simple. Going back to the horror roots of an eerie Gothic Manor located deep in the woods of Portugal where a sane human being won’t dream of spending a night, but of course, we’re talking about white people.

The opening scene takes us to the past where a young Amelia (Alba Baptista) is seen cradling her twin sons in her arms when two kidnappers break in and desperately try to take the children away from their mother. Time skips to almost 30 years later and one of the sons named Edward (Carloto Cotta), with the help of his fiance Ryley (Brigette Lundy-Paine) tries to reconnect with his lost family, not aware or prepared to unveil the monstrous secrets.

The mission “track down lost family” turns out to be successful when one day upon receiving the good news, Edward sees a vision of an entity in the corner of his bathroom (classic Hollywood we know). Days later, both lovers travel to Portugal to find Edward’s biological family. Eerie background score begins playing the moment they park the car in front of the centuries old manor. Manuel, Edward’s twin brother welcomes the two and a couple nights of paranormal events begin.

As the visions become increasingly terrifying, Manuel spills the beans about their family’s dark secret to his twin brother, calling it a “gift”. Edward and Ryley soon discover that the family home was once owned by a Portuguese witch, shedding light on the strange occurrences experienced by the newcomers. The plot thickens when it’s revealed that Amelia is a witch herself, but with a spine-chilling twist about how she maintains her powers.

Amelia can live forever, but there’s a gruesome catch: she must reproduce with her sons to sustain her magic. Disgusting, we know.  If she gives birth to daughters, she devours their bodies and souls to keep her eternal youth.

Things take a darker turn when Ryley figures out how both Manuel and Amelia are desperately trying to keep the two to stay so Amelia can fulfill her gruesome wishes. Upon receiving a voicemail for Edward about his DNA test which confirms signs of inbreeding, Ryley finds the only justification she needed for the visions and the disturbing stories she’d heard from the locals.

While snooping around trying to get back into the house to collect her dense fiance, Ryley stumbles upon a corpse hidden in the garage, sparking her urgent need to flee. As if things couldn’t get worse, she catches Amelia assaulting Edward in a twisted attempt to reproduce, leaving her nearly frozen in shock.

Eager to survive at any cost, Ryley, being the only smart person in the house, attacks Manuel with a hammer and then faces off against Amelia. In a dramatic showdown, the decaying corpse of Edward’s father (you’ll have to watch to figure out where he came from) restrains Amelia just long enough for Ryley and Edward to make their daring escape.

What we think about it

The film is a half-hearted attempt at creating a hit which had the potential it unfortunately couldn’t reach. Why? It would make sense to leave deliberate loopholes for the audience to figure out and make the film more intriguing to watch. However, that didn’t seem like the case.

Many of the scenes in Amelia’s Children are left unexplained with little to no references or hints to make up for it. Putting Alba Baptista in creepy make-up and not giving her enough screen time as the children eating immortal witch is simply criminal. More scenes explaining her past could’ve added to the creepiness of the entire plot.

What happened to the woman who took Edward? Why didn’t she return and how did Edward still reach New York? Could he drive as an infant? Give us the script we might as well rewrite it.

Nevertheless, the actors did a brilliant job at saving the half-baked script with Carloto Cotta’s versatile portrayal of both Edward and Manuel, leaving us in complete awe of his performance and chemistry with his Co-actors.

Brigette Lundy-Paine definitely comes out on top with their portrayal of a mentally stable and extremely intuitive doctor who’s constantly on her toes to save her dense fiance. Seriously, give them their credit asap for not being yet another foolish character in a horror movie.

Where to watch Amelia’s Children

If you’re rich enough to pay for Hulu then that’s where you can stream the movie. But if you’re like the rest of us who search for every new movie or series on free (and illegal) websites, you can watch Amelia’s Children on myflixer.

Is it worth the watch?

Well, we basically gave away everything, but there’s still so much you can decode by watching Amelia’s Children yourself. The twist at the end kind-of brings it all together and well, if you’re a Warrior Nun fan, you’ll also get to admire Alba Baptista in all her glory. Hope that’s enough to make you watch the film and rate it in the comments below!