31 Days of Horror! The New Daughter



Kevin Costner stars as John James, a newly divorced father who received full custody of his two children.  The movie begins as John moves his children into a new home in South Carolina on a nice piece of land outside of town.  The children explore the property one day and discover a strange mound of earth on the border of a patch of woods.  It's not long after this that his daughter, Louisa, begins displaying rather odd behavior.  Uncertain if her behavior is due to hormonal changes or simply a rebellion from the divorce, John blames himself as a father as he tries to hold his family together.  It isn't until he begins to learn of strange events that occurred to the prior owners of the home that he begins to suspect something more sinister is at work.

From the absolute very beginning, the viewers  are drawn into the supernatural element of the movie.  This makes it almost frustrating as you witness John's struggle with determining what is wrong with Louisa.  I enjoyed this movie very much when it was first released and seeing it again today only reinforced my initial reaction.  I found the mystery, the drama, the supernatural elements, and the horror were woven together quite nicely.  And the ending is definitely something to remember.

All in all, high scores from me.  The biggest mystery is why I haven't added this film to my personal collection.