Dir. Eskil Vogt | Now Streaming On: Shudder | Rating: 5/5

I was intimidated by watching The Innocents for a while, since Nordic horror seems to go over my head very often. On watching this, I can say that The Innocents is one of the darkest, well crafted, and satisfying horror films of recent memory. ⁠
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This film tackles the idea of unadulterated rage and power, from the point of view of children. Kids have big feelings. Little things feel catastrophic to them. Every tantrum, screaming fit, and tear comes from a well intentioned place of dealing with feeling something unknown, scary, and uncomfortable. Now, let’s throw some telepathy in the mix. ⁠
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Akin to the iconic Carrie, our band of ragtag children slowly develop what seems to be supernatural abilities. Faced with the challenges of everyday life like bullies, parents who don’t seem to care enough, and death – Ida and her friends’ powers begin to spiral out of control. We watch acts of brutality from children that will leave you sick to your stomach. ⁠
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The diverse casting and empathic portrayal of these child actors is what sells this film for me. These feel like real kids you would see in your own neighborhood, not cookie cutter versions of child characters to suit a storyline. The visibility of Anna as a nonverbal autistic character is handled with impeccable wit and grace. Anna isn’t portrayed as helpless or as a story filler, she is shown as being deeply empathetic, intelligent, brave and powerful. I have a little cousin on the spectrum and this is the kind of character I’d want her to see. ⁠
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Raw, painful, and poignant The Innocents is a creative and dark story on the guise of purity. A must watch, even if it is a bit unapproachable to a casual viewer. I want to offer a major trigger warning for violence against animals and animal death – but I think this story is worth the initial pain of that scene. ⁠
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Know Before You Watch: Features death, animal death, violence against animals, blood, some body horror. ⁠