Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

To write a review about this film is hard, when you don't want to sound like you hated it, when you thought it was okay... It is not scary, so horror or thriller is overreacting, but if your girlfriend can't take much gore or is easily scared, this film might be the perfect one, before you start with something like the ring or saw.The story has potential, it is a common horror story plot line, with a couple moving to the countryside, but with a bit more background than most of those plot lines. Here I at first got some hope, that it won't be as boring as most films with these plot lines are... But... Yeah, as mentioned, disappointed viewer.When Emily starts to see things, you kinda get a bit creeped and wonder what is the reason, but it soon is boring. Nothing happens, besides her seeing ghost, who do nothing but being their. Even the breathing sound in paranormal activity is scarier than this, after it happened twice. Wasted potential A.Since she found this kinda box, the story gets interesting about the people who lived there before and later on, they find a skeleton in their yard.Nate turns kinda like Jack Nicholson in the Shining and you have this unseen, only mentioned panting on which he is working and you get hinted to many times. But later on, when it's revealed you get, yet again, disappointed... Wasted potential B.Emily gets pregnant again and stops taking her pills, now *hit is getting serious... You at least hope so. But, no, the ghost still appear, do nothing and then are gone. Nate works on his painting and behaves still weird.The way in which the story is told, won't help to let you fell like it's needlessly stretched. It's repetitive and leaves a feeling of "buying time" so the film won't end after 30mins (which would have improved it to at least 6.5 starts in my opinion...).At their housewarming party Emily gets again one of those "psychomoments" and the first really mysterious thing happens. A friends dies, which is something you think would have a deeper impact on the story but isn't mentioned to much. When you recycle those boring ghost presence, make it so you think at least they'll do something. Wasted potential C.Now, finally, the end is in sight. But again, you get not a good, tight packed end which is thrilling or scary. You get the long, boring, every-move is predictable ending, which is a classical horror film ending. In the ending I see wasted potential D.The final scenes of the film are not needed if you didn't fall asleep during the final, but just in case you did, it will kinda explain it to you.Making a good horror film is hard, yes. Especially with ghost, since the genre is overloaded. But when you got such a good idea, decent actors and wasted potential don't make a film needlessly longer so you can get it to be a long-running film. This film would have been a real gem as short film, it saddens to see, how it was stretched and many things clearly made to make it easy to understand, which kind of lead to a really "see-through" storyline. In the end a film you can see with someone who is easy scared and can't take to much gore. When you see it as a couple maybe a bit more scaring than as single.

I rated FERTILE GROUND as high as I did purely on the outstanding performance of Leisha Hailey. She was genuine, gritty, elicited sympathy, reacted honestly, and just did an outstanding job.Was the plot derivative? YES it was. But, how many horror movies are truly based on new ideas? Aren't they all derived from our own fears and experiences?FERTILE GROUND was just another episodic adventure into the nightmare world of one woman.It's been a long time since I've seen such a good performance; and, I really think Leisha Hailey carried the film. Her makeup, hair and wardrobe were perfect for a "relocated city girl." And, the setting was perfect - old house, lovingly updated; but, not too much so.The maple tree was allegory for the deteriorating relationship between the two; and, the nightmare scenes blended reality, ghost, and dream just right. Nothing was over the top; not too many effects. All around, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Better than most I see on the SyFy channel, that's for sure!

When Emily (Leisha Hailey) has a miscarriage of her baby, she decides to move to the countryside with her husband Nate Weaver (Gale Harold) to live in an isolated ancient house that had belonged to Nate's family. Sooner Emily is haunted and has dreadful visions of fiends and discovers that she is pregnant again. Further she learns that pregnant women have been murdered in that house and Nate is possessed by the evil spirit of his ancestor."Fertile Ground" is an unoriginal and mediocre collection of clichés. I do not recall how many similar films I have seen until today with practically the same story and clichés. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "After Dark: Semente do Mal" ("After Dark: Seed of the Evil")

Fertile Ground is one that was released by After Dark Originals. So that means that it is something special, something on his own. When Fertile Ground starts you will be surprised to see some nudity from the first second. But don't think it's gratuitous, it do adds to the film. I don't really know where to place it because it is a slow builder with not that much of horror in it. It's all about having a miscarriage and the influence it has towards the couple. They decide to move to another place which belongs to the husbands family. There the woman is confronted with the past via a ghost. Slowly she's becoming mad and think it's all in her mind because she had that miscarriage and is again pregnant. But is it? As I said before there isn't that much of horror it's more a ghost story with towards the final part of this flick some cruelty. So you really have to dig a lot of talking before things go awry. Nevertheless, it never bored me due the excellent performances by the couple. If you like for example The Others and stuff like that than this is your piece of cake. Luckily no CGI was used (except for a hand appearing on a window) for effects which adds towards the flick.