Why do children suffer for the sins of the father? It’s a narrative as old as time. It goes back to the Bible and the story of Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden. We all suffer because Adam and Eve couldn’t follow one basic gastronomic rule…don’t eat from one tree! Jessabelle follows along those lines.
Jessie, (Jessabelle) played by Sarah Snook, has to move back in with her estranged father due to an accident where she loses her fiancé and unborn baby. There’s obviously a presence I the house that is trying to communicate something terrible to Jessie.
This move has some nice scares in it, mostly due to unoriginal jump cuts and loud noises, but the acting is good and more importantly believable. The cinematography is well done and of course being set in Louisiana there’s a nice voodoo flavor to the film. I really like that everything isn’t explained through scenes of bad dialogue and exposition. We’re left hanging through most of the movie and the ending is a nice twist. It totally sets it up for a sequel, but not in a way that leaves the original story open ended. The ending here is very satisfying and unnerving as well.
Jessie spends most of the movie in a wheelchair. Having been dependent on a wheel chair for part of last year, I can assure you that it’s a very vulnerable and helpless position to be in. Add to that the isolation of living alone in a creepy house…and the formula for a good ghost story is right there. The plot twist at the end is not that original, but it’s handled well and it serves the story.
It’s right out of Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby” which has been around since 1892.
Click HERE to read the story.
It’s right out of Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby” which has been around since 1892.
Click HERE to read the story.
It’s hard to talk more about the Sins of the Father motif without spoiling the ending, so I won’t. Suffice it to say what happens to Dad at first gets our sympathy, but ultimately gets out applause.