In ANYTHING FOR JACKSON (2020), an elderly couple strikes a supernatural bargain to enact a plan to resurrect their dead grandson using a pregnant woman as a vessel. This was a terrific, solid horror movie. No reaching for the stars, but it solidly stomps the earth it covers. I liked this one a lot.
The film opens with a man and woman playing their separate roles in their morning routine as an old married couple. Henry Walsh (Julian Richings) is a successful doctor who dotes on his wife Audrey (Sheila McCarthy), who provides the couple’s visible moral strength. They needed it to survive their horrible grief. And they’ll need it for the awful things they want to do.
True to its title, this is about a couple’s love for each other and their family. A portrait of grief and the will to do whatever it takes–anything, even if it costs them life, money, and soul–to bring back an innocent child they love more than themselves. You don’t exactly root for them, as they’re essentially the villains, but they’re sympathetic. Just as enjoyable, they act like a nice old married couple–which they are and makes a jarring juxtaposition against the villainy–but it’s not overplayed. Tonally, the movie has just the right pitch, and its pacing, creepy scares, and escalating weirdness are very well done.
Not much else to say about this one. It was damn good, and I highly recommend it for horror buffs looking for something a little different and deeper than the usual.
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