Lockdown Movies: The Prodigy (2019)

Review

There are various ingredients needed to make a good horror film, or in this case, a horror film focused on possession of some kind. Of course, topping these ingredients is the effective use of music and sound effects to amplify the severity of moments and to set the general tone and give scenes atmosphere. Mix with equal parts malevolent entity/ies, either natural or supernatural, and a lot of blood, and you'll have your horror. But regarding films focused on possession, small, sometimes, subtle additions are required for originality. With many available, these films often need a unique angle, innovative execution, or preferably, the combination of both. I felt that the film, The Prodigy, managed all this and went on to provide a unique and disturbingly memorable cinematic experience.

The film focuses on two sets of lives that, unbeknownst to all involved, will be brought together as one. On the one hand, a loving couple who are expecting their first child, on the other, a serial killer who's victim managed to escape and inform the police of the identity and whereabouts of her captor. When the police swarm onto the psychopath's residence, he emerges naked with the severed hand of his victim and is gunned down by the officers. At the time of his death, the loving couple, Sarah and John Blume, witnessed and experienced the birth of their child, Miles.

Born with two different colored eyes, a condition known as heterochromia, Miles demonstrated intelligence well beyond his current age. Starting with the ability to speak, he would go on to also show advanced abilities in a variety of different skills, from reading and writing to reasoning and problem solving, to name a few. Naturally, his parents would enroll Miles in institutions for talented young children, although they would develop some concern for his lack of desire to interact with other kids his age.

As time went on, Miles would start demonstrating slightly disturbing behavior, from the way he would look and speak to his parents to mood swings that would result in anti-social behavior to outright violence. He would often explain that he would leave his body to make room for someone else, and would be incapable of remembering his actions after they were committed. One night, while going in to check on him, his mother noticed Miles was speaking in his sleep. She would record what she believed was gibberish and gave it to Miles' psychologist. The recording was given to someone else who had it identified as a Hungarian dialect, while the translated content was of a nature far too inappropriate to be coming out of the mouth of a young eight-year-old.

Arthur, the man who had the tape translated, and an expert on reincarnation, believed that someone who passed on had come back and occupied Miles' body along with his soul, and that if not acted on, the new soul could become dominate and absorb the soul of Miles. Claiming that this is a result of unfinished business in this life, the soul, in theory, would leave once they completed what they failed to do in life. Sarah and Arthur would attempt to identify the unwelcome new resident inside Miles and attempt to fulfill its purposes with the desire to have it leave Miles for good.

The film progresses and makes it hard to decide where Miles begins and his evil visitor ends, the Blumes left having to navigate a series of disturbing events brought on by activities on the part of their son. The concept in itself is a good one, taking a premise that is plausible in so far as people have reported, with impressive accuracy, their past lives. But the assumptions are usually that the spirit that occupies a new body is often good, something the film changes by showing that the occupant of a body may also have evil intentions. The film does more than simply shock with the odd jumpscare but disturbs at the core with scenes that disrupt predictions and expectations regarding the pacing of the film. The performance of the young actor, Jackson Robert Scott, is particularly impressive, giving a calculatingly terrifying quality to his character, the effectiveness of using young children creating a larger degree of horror based on our preconceived expectations on what kids are and how they ought to act. The good horror films can scare, but the best ones cut psychologically deep, instilling us with the belief that a line has been crossed.

The film pushes the envelope by showing the fortuitous bonding of this dark passenger who lacks healthy moral sentiments and intuitions, to a young child who is still in the process of developing them. On its own, a film about a serial killer would've just not cut the mustard, making re-incarnation an effective angle that none the less still carries with it interesting religious and psychological implications and consequences regarding life, death, and our actions.

The film presents a thrilling journey through issues of identity and all that is vital to who we are and how we behave. The film shows that demons are not needed at all to demonstrate the worst qualities of humans, and effective editing creates hair-raising moments that are memorably frightening. The Prodigy was one of many good horrors to close 2019 with and leaves one feeling excited regarding the potential of films in this new year. If like me, you happen to enjoy films about possession, then this is one that gives a fresh angle to the genre by introducing something less supernatural. You may one to keep the night light on after the credits roll though, and on that note, I wish you happy viewing :).

Score: 7/10