FirstBorn (2016) User Reviews

The quality is all over the place, but the acting is first rate. Impressive for what it aims to be.

[manuelasaez · 6/10 · 29 December 2016]

This film is an enigma; it has so many great ideas, some wonderful and talented people working to make sure that these ideas come to fruition, but the final film feels disjointed and unbalanced. On the one hand, it's a horror film, but everything that is supposed to be horrific is either hidden or happens off camera. The special effects are great, but most of the creatures are shown covered in darkness or shadow. The story takes no time getting started, but then it ends in an ambiguous whimper. I just don't understand why they didn't push the envelope a bit more with so many talented people in the cast. This film could have been some truly special, as the ideas presented are unique and rarely seen in horror movies these days. But, aside from the wonderful acting, it doesn't do anything particularly well to warrant a recommendation. Had it been more horrific, graphic, gory, etc. It could have been a classic. But it plays it safe in almost every regard, and does not try to shock or disturb, but simply tell a tell as inoffensively as possible. I guess this works for sensitive audiences that are easily bothered, but horror fans demand more. I will be following this creative team closely, as I feel that their ideas really do deserve an audience. But this film is too much of a "first attempt" to really get anything right.

I just have to reiterate that the acting is wonderful. Really, everyone from the main couple to the little girl was extremely effective, and made me care about every single character presented in this film. The chemistry is palpable, and whomever was responsible for casting this film did his or her job expertly. Well done.

Uneven horror film with some decent ideas and good acting

[Red-Barracuda · 5/10 · 27 June 2016]

Two young parents who discover that there is a dangerous evil entity linked with their young daughter. With the help of a couple of elderly experts in the occult, they attempt to free their little girl from this supernatural presence.

This low budget British horror movie is served well by some pretty decent acting performances, especially from its two leads. But its qualities as a horror film are less assured. There are some effective jump scares here and there and the creature make-up is quite good. While it also has some quite interesting ideas, such as the fact that the little girl cannot have dolls with faces, if she does the consequences will be dreadful. So there are some good aspects to this one for sure but the overall presentation was sadly a little dreary on the whole and it drags things down somewhat. It does have some decent qualities but it's a bit limited on the whole.

FirstBorn: Could have been better

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 7 January 2019]

FirstBorn isn't a very original title is it? Put it into IMDB and a dozen other movies of the same name pop up, kind of makes you wonder why they insist on doing that. The last one I watched was First Born (2007) with Elisabeth Shue and it's ending tormented me for ages afterwards.

This particular one is a British made tale that tells the story of a woman whose baby seems to be attracting a supernatural entity.

Truth be told they did a fantastic job with the movies creation. It looks great, it's wonderfully crafted and they even got industry veteran Jonathan Hyde involved. I was fairly gripped and really enjoying this simple little story, but gradually it was going downhill. Not too far however, I had my concerns but the movie was still enjoyable. That is until the last chapter.

The last 10-15 minutes are very different from the rest of the film. Namely it's as if they suddenly ran out of budget, ideas or time to make the movie and rushed it. This did it no favors at all and left the movie very underwhelming, had they taken the time to construct a decent finale I'd likely be singing the films praises right now.

Real shame, more consistency next time!

The Good:

Very well made

A few good ideas

Jonathan Hyde

The Bad:

Hugely rushed finale

Passable; some originality

[S_Soma · 5/10 · 6 January 2017]

FIRSTBORN, more than anything else, is mostly just a depiction of a particular kind of "reality". In the reality of FIRSTBORN, there are invisible paranormal entities all around us of which we are mostly not aware. A few individuals are born just naturally irresistibly attractive to these paranormal entities, many of which are actively hostile and dangerous, and if your new baby happens to be one of these attractive nuisance types, well, then, raising baby is even more troublesome than you would expect. The tendency to draw unwanted supernatural entities is just another genetically inherited characteristic that tends to run in families, like red hair, freckles and buck teeth.

In FIRSTBORN, life with one of these paranormally attractive children is all about learning all the special mystical rules and rituals one must continually observe to keep your child, and yourself, safe. The real risk, however, is that the entities attracted by the paranormally charged baby will seriously harm other family members once there. Melted wax rituals, daily renewed salt barricades at entry points, and so on, are a must to keep everyone safe. Once attracted by the problem child, any dolls or other objects with a face on them are entry points through which dangerous entities, attracted by the baby, can enter our realm.

Broken down, FIRSTBORN is nothing more than a mundane story of what it's like when irresponsible parents (and we established their basic intrinsic irresponsibility at the beginning of the movie) are tasked with the tough responsibilities of raising a problem child… with, you know, monster rash. There are even some scenes where grandpa relates the tips and tricks of how to cope with the colicky,*ahem* I mean supernaturally afflicted, child. Oh, and how to change diapers, too.

If you took the exact same story and simply exchange the child's problem from "attracting bothersome supernatural entities" to "violent autism", little would change. FIRSTBORN is just the difficulties of unprepared parents raising a difficult child with supernatural entities sprinkled on top. Ta Da!

The End.

The foregoing truths established, it isn't a bad movie. The acting is satisfactory and perhaps a little above average, the visuals for the paranormal entities are passable if not inspired or original. If you like horror stories and have a reasonably low bar of entertainment in your tastes, it's worth a watch.

The only unarguably negative element about the movie is that, being obviously low-budget, and not being able to spend too much on the special-effects for the entities, there's a lot of ridiculous shaky- cam, goofy close up and distorted angles, and similar such "camera techniques" employed to try to keep the entities looking frightening and mysterious. By fiddling with the camera continuously so you don't get a good look at the monsters, the director hoped to keep your fear and interest up. It doesn't really work because it never does and is virtually the trademark of such movies as this.

Just another low budget horror

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 11 November 2020]

FIRSTBORN is just another low budget horror flick, British this time around. The plot is about a young couple who have a baby together only to find themselves menaced by supernatural entities. It turns out that the girl's father is a parapsychologist of sorts and arrives to help out for a while, which is the most interesting part of the film, but otherwise this is strictly generic and pretty tedious. The actors try hard to breathe life into their stock roles but don't have a lot to work with, while the scare scenes are non-existent.

First view, last view

[Stevieboy666 · 4/10 · 8 January 2021]

A young, mixed race couple living in London become first time parents but their daughter seems to be a portal for an evil entity. Good job the girl's grandfather just happens to be an expert on the occult, how handy! Initial impression was that this could be a gritty British horror/drama, the acting was good as was the cinematography. Sadly it turned out to be rather slow, not in the least bit scary and lacked any plausible explanation. The demon, or whatever it was, could have been from any number of similar mediocre 21st Century horror movies. I have never heard of director Nirpal Bhogal before but could be a name to watch, given better material.

Great acting and overall atmosphere

[ianmediastudio · 7/10 · 11 July 2017]

Am writing this short review as I feel I could have been misled not to watch this because of other reviews. I felt there was a hypnotic Gothic atmosphere (imagery and sounds/soundtrack), very good acting (Eileen Davies especially), it has both a drama/slice of life about parenting, responsibility and the "solitude of Being" I guess (even when you're a toddler..) and fear of the unknown.. themes flowing through.. the characters are three dimensional enough yet there is sufficient space left for your psyche to fill in in possible "blanks", a sort of impressionistic canvas.

Boring

[Ag5-2013 · 2/10 · 2 July 2018]

I don't know what to say, but as this film went on I thought it would get better, but it failed to do that. I'm a fan of horror movies; but this one was just too boring and the storyline was too slow for me personally

Born Gifted (?)

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 11 October 2017]

Another reviewer already pointed out that this is uneven, but as he also said, it has quite some nice ideas. And it is shocking at the right places, and has some really nice visual effects too (for a low budget movie). We get treated with a fantastical story that seems to have way more backstory than we actually get to see. So there is even more in this or could be maybe in the future (?) ... although to be fair, I don't think this will happen.

Actors are doing a decent job overall and there is enough to hold the viewers attention. There are some decisions that may feel forced or wrong, but overall the movie does good in that department as well. So if you like to take a chance on a horror movie and don't mind a couple of bumps along the road ... enjoy

Underdeveloped and flawed supernatural effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 4/10 · 18 December 2017]

After the birth of their daughter, a young couple trying to settle into their new parental roles finds that their daughter has the ability to see and communicate with demonic spirits which soon puts them in danger when their efforts to protect her fail and are forced to try to stop them.

This was quite the unimpressive and overly bland effort. What really tends to hold this one down is the long stretches of time where nothing much happens to make this one feel like a genre effort. The fact that it never tries to tie in the initial stages of their parenting with the idea of something actually happening due to the baby being there, as the films' highly cliched storyline proves rather continuously throughout here. With the idea of them being new parents being subjected to supernatural forces being dropped in favor of them undergoing the protection rituals for several years in what amounts to normal behavior on their part, the film brings about an unduly sense of boredom where nothing much is happening and that gives off a restrained first half which has nothing going on. The ease with which they resort to the supernatural to explain everything gives this a rather odd feeling as well with the instant approval of their fathers' sayings as gospel which simply gives this the kind of hackneyed setup that forces a confusing air around it to where it's hard to believe that had any real impact on the film itself with the total lack of explanations for what's going on around them. Likewise, the film's odd sense of jumping around to different time-periods with no warning or notice makes this one even more jarring as there's no warning or knowledge of what's happening. From finding her being pregnant at the start to immediately seeing the two in the delivery room with her the next second and suddenly then being with the six-year-old daughter in the middle of the scene creates a jarring sense to this that really could've been easily avoided. The last real issue here is the exceptionally dull finale where it tends to keep the same pace going in regards to the family forcing her to undergo the training for her skill-set which manages to really just feel incredibly bland as the endless scenes of them out in the woods or wandering around the house doing nothing which really doesn't bode too well here. These here really hold it down from the few fine points to be had here, which mainly revolve around the few haunting scenes at its core. The first attack in the house is a solid sequence, as well as the later scene where they find out her antics have brought a vicious creature into their midst. As well, once it moves back into the house in the woods where the creature attacks them staying there, it does have some solid moments with the chilling creatures coming into play and bringing about some fine brawls and encounters that do serve it well. These, though, are all that really work for this one.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Violence and continuous children-in-jeopardy.

A good horror movie with an interesting theme

[NocturneAeros · 9/10 · 2 March 2018]

I am very fond of horror movies for what they can tell us about society and I really liked this one.

First I was glad to see a black woman (and her black daughter) as leads. It is especially rare in horror and fantasy movies, so seeing this is pretty much what drew my attention first.

I think the actors are great, even the little girl, who's performance is impressive, and I really liked the atmosphere.

The themes the movie deals with are quite interesting. I saw a commentary on the lack of involvement by many fathers in their family, on the difficulties of raising a child and especially on the gap between how we view maternity and how it actually is. And even what I'm pretty sure is a commentary on being a disabled kid in an abled family.

However it's only what I saw and I'd really like to hear more about what the director wanted to say with that movie.

A rather intense horror experience...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 15 August 2017]

I had not heard about "FirstBorn" prior to finding it in the horror section. I picked it up and read the synopsis and must admit that I was intrigued, so naturally I decided to give the movie a go. Doesn't really take much convincing, since I am a horror fan.

"FirstBorn" turned out to be a rather intense storyline which grabs the audience by the throat and takes you on a thrill ride, and it doesn't let go before the very end of the movie. I was surprised with the intensity of the movie, and had perhaps expected a more slow paced storyline. So it was pleasantly surprising to watch "FirstBorn".

The cast list was relatively small, so there was a bit of additional pressure on the casted acting performers to deliver solid performances. To which I must say that all actors and actresses performed quite well and each contributed well to the movie. I was surprised to see Jonathan Hyde in this movie, and would have liked it if his role was a more prominent one with more screen time.

For a horror movie of this particular type, then having a scary or visually impressive or disturbing creature is a must, and I will say that the special effects department managed to pull it off quite well here in the movie, despite it being mostly in quick flashes and fragments that we get to see the entity.

The storyline in "FirstBorn" was quite interesting and captivating from the very beginning. The movie starts out quite adequately, but it quickly escalates and intensifies, which I found immensely entertaining and enjoyable.

If you enjoy a good horror movie with roots in the old school type of horror movies, then "FirstBorn" is definitely well worth taking the time and effort to sit and sit down to watch.

Messy, Lame and Boring

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 6 April 2017]

When Charlie (Antonia Thomas) finds that she is pregnant, her boyfriend James (Luke Norris) moves in together with her to raise the baby. Thea is born and soon Charlie is haunted at home by some evil force. They contact Charlie's estranged father Alistair (Jonathan Hyde), who is an occultist, and he visits his son and his daughter-in-law. He finds that Thea is surrounded by evil entities and the parents should protect her following some rules including never letting Thea have any doll with face. They teach Theat to control her ability but a couple of years later, their house is invaded by entities. Charlie and James seek help with the powerful occultist Elizabeth (Eileen Davies). Will Thea be saved from the evil and supernatural creatures?

The low-budget FirstBorn is a messy, lame and boring British horror film. The production is very poor; there are only few locations; and the story is confused, with lack of explanation for many points. For example, why the girl is a "beacon" for evil entities? Why she cannot have dolls with face? My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Could have been better.

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 16 November 2019]

I'm a bit disappointed by this movie. Not that I had I hopes though after seeing the ratings it got, but sometimes you stumble on a good movie despite the ratings. But it's not the case with Firstborn. i guess for a low budget horror movie it isn't that bad as the acting is decent. The wrong things to me were the weak soundtrack, the slow story, but mostly the fact you have to wait way too long to have a glimpse of the demon that is actually not badly done. If they would have put the evil creature a bit earlier in the movie I would have rated a bit more. Another horror movie I will only watch once.

A Lack Of Communication

[Theo Robertson · 5/10 · 29 December 2016]

A very familiar story where a baby is born and any endless sleepless nights aren't being caused by a baby's bawling . You've seen this before and almost certainly done better

To be fair this is low budget Brit flick so the options for premises are limited and just be thankful we don't have to endure chav scum being stalked in a tower block . We should also be thankful that we don't have any Catholic priests wanting to be left alone with baby

This is where the problem lies . There are a couple of characters who are surrogate exorcist type merchants but their involvement in the plot are contrived and seem to exist to fill in the audience about what is happening and why it is happening . Worse still is that the exposition doesn't give enough clarity and found myself continually confused

As I said the producers have taken a well trodden path and thankfully it doesn't lead to council estate scumville but it's still an underdeveloped story

Cool scary movie!

[RussHog · 7/10 · 10 April 2017]

This is a movie about a nice British couple who want a family and have their first born daughter. The only problem is that the daughter is followed by a spirit that is a sort of an evil parasite. There is basically no way to get rid of it - like a disease a child might - so they try to get the girl to be trained by an elder on how to handle her terrible curse.

The acting is good - the writing is good - the cinematography and the creature features are all well done. The performance of the little girl is very good! I really felt that the little girl was in danger and I really felt that this family was in a lot of trouble. I honestly jumped when the creature is first seen - and while the movie isn't too scary it is suspenseful.

It has a lot of elements of "entity" movies that I have seen in the past - and I like that genre so I did like this film. We do get scared if our child is born that they may be sick with something or something may happen to them - and this movie deals with that horror in a way that is pretty cool. Also - there is a pretty dark reversal in the end that was nice.

I recommend this movie.

Overall a decent movie

[nomi_waters · 6/10 · 2 June 2019]

The ending left a lot more questions than answers. It definitely leaves a lot to be desired from the movie but it's good for a boring day. The acting is decent and the story line is intriguing... just a lot more things should have been answered within the movie. too much Is left up to viewer interpretation.

Great Cast Great Film

[ib33 · 10/10 · 31 December 2016]

This is a great little horror film. The has been told before. The lead roles from the parents and the daughter are excellent.. saying that the whole cast worked well together and did a great job.. Antonia Thomas and Luke Norris were well matched and made a believable stressed couple. If you want a old school horror that throws in a good jump scare this is it . 10/10 for a good British Film . And my reason is to balance out poor reviews that (that troll this site). But mainly cause my girlfriend loved the story and is so critical about films that don't have a good story . This did it for us .. Horror Story Nice Twist and Actors Working For The Film..

Good watch

[stephenrobertpencil · 7/10 · 24 March 2021]

I enjoyed this, some nicely spookie moments and good cast, surprisingly realistic, and some good plot twists

Solid on all fronts!

[irrelevantlife · 6/10 · 21 May 2020]

This "small" movie really surprised me for its premise and really solid special creature effects.

The acting is believable and the movie doesn't play it safe and breaks many of the tired Hollywood formulas seen in many suspense/horror movies. The ending leaves you think about what will happen to the poor girl who is being followed by supernatural entities.

Dark Rituals

[Pairic · 7/10 · 7 October 2020]

First Born: A dark tale of a child who attracts entities. Even when Charlie (Antonia Thomas) is pregnant, scratches appear on her body. When Thea is born strange things happen, swings and a seesaw move by themselves. Back home poltergeist effects occur, Charlie is thrown across the room and choked by an entity. Writing appears on the wall. Her partner James (Luke Norris) is estranged from his occultist father Alistair (Jonathan Hyde) but gets him to perform a Ritual to protect Thea, this Ritual has to be repeated every day. Six years later the entities return to threaten not just Thea (Thea Petrie) but Charlie and James. Another more powerful occultist, Elizabeth (Eileen Davies) has to be brought on. The entities are seen as dark shadowy creatures at first but become more visible as monsters later. Dim lighting mixed with flashes and frenetic editing is perhaps overdone. Thea is portrayed as a magnet for supernatural creatures and puts in an amazing performance for a six year old. The way the Rituals are carried out is convincing with great attention to detail. The low budget is all too obvious at times and while First Born is flawed, it's worth watching. Directed by Nirpal Bhogal, Co-Written by Bhogal and Sean Hogan. Showing again on the Horror Channel on Sunday 11th October - 12.35 AM. 6.5/10.

Sacrifice is what being a parent is all about

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 20 August 2017]

Charlie (Antonia Thomas) and her boyfriend James (Luke Norris) have a child Thea. Strange things happen around the infant. James is familiar with the occult as is his dad (Jonathan Hyde) who they reluctantly call to help. He goes into paganism 101 protect mode with paint, salt, and hot wax. When things get out of hand, they bring in the heavy artillery: Elizabeth (Eileen Davies) a self taught entity remover. She goes big time with herb tea and circles made from a hickory stick.

The film combines a few horror genres, but basically was a demon after a child. Decent "B" movie acting and effects. 3 1/2 stars Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Low budget indie film, but a gem.

[icocleric · 7/10 · 24 March 2022]

It's a low budget British horror with some really great ideas, and goes for creepy story rather than a lot of action. I think overall it does a really good job.

I think that it would have been a little bit better if it explored some of the ideas more on screen, because it seems pretty original. The acting is amazing all round too. The creature design is really great, it's very creepy and the make up effects look really good.

Hidden Gem

[Hannah7128 · 8/10 · 13 January 2019]

This British horror film is a hidden gem in the current climate of repetitive and lacklustre horror films available. A young couple, exhausted from the birth of their first child, begin to experience sinister goings on within their home. As their child gets older they learn that there is a dark entity stalking their child and they must do everything in their power to protect her. The film has a refreshingly original plot, which is well executed with a great cast. The atmosphere in the film is great, and they do well to carry the creepy theme throughout. The only thing I would say is the ending felt a little... incomplete? There could have been more closure, but none the less, well done! I don't know why this film has such a low rating as I absolutely loved this.