Vic’s Review – “The Baby’s Room” (La Habitacion del Nino)

Juan and Sonia move into the perfect new house with their newborn, but things take an unnerving turn when the baby monitor starts emanating odd sounds. After Juan installs a video monitor, he realizes there’s something else present in their home.

Victor – 7 out of 10

The Baby’s Room is a nifty and capable supernatural thriller from Spain. It unfolds and plays out very nicely like a warped (if that’s possible) episode of The Twilight Zone or Night Gallery. Juan (Javier Gutierrez) and Sonia (Leonor Watling) play a young couple that move in to a large house with their newborn son. They are very good parents and try hard to make it on their own and get out from Juan’s Aunt’s shadow. They fix up their home and make it livable and comfortable. But the house has a strange history which is introduced in a very mysterious and haunting manner in the prologue of the film. A young child is pulled into a puddle of water by his reflection. Very strange and interesting indeed.

As they settle in they Juan purchases a new baby monitor with a TV screen so they can watch over the baby in his room. In typical fashion, things get creepy as Juan begins to hear and see things in the TV monitor. He sees a shadowy figure looming over their newborn. Apparently he is the ONLY one that sees him. Things get strained and frantic as Juan starts to act strange and uneven. He becomes obsessed with finding out what his strange visions are and who the shadowy figure is that is haunting the house and the baby.

The movie sports a nice simple string driven score and some very engaging photography. Director Alex de la Iglesia (The Oxford Murders and The Last Circus) Provides mood, tension and momentum. The house looms large and menacing. As Juan unravels and alienates Sonia, the film gets more tense. Juan purchases multiple monitors and discovers that his home is a gateway to even more otherworldly horrors. As he walks around his home he sees thing through the camera lens that cannot be there but are they? I think this is fine and intriguing premise and the actors, though a bit stiff at first, eventually sell the film with their believable performances. There is no gore and blood but mood. There are a couple of BOO moments that work well. I recommend this film from “6 Films to keep you awake.” The Baby’s Room may just do that.