A comedy-horror that explores the biblical theme of “the sins of the father,” writer-director Joe Lam’s The Fetus is a fascinating body-horror nightmare. Maddox (the great Bill Moseley) is a Vietnam Veteran. Plagued with PTSD from shooting his buddy in a friendly fire mishap, he opens a portal to another dimension. A demon named Cerise(Amy Arena) makes an arrangement with him. And thus do we cut to the present day.
Alyssa (Lauren LaVera) and Chris (Julian Curtis) have been shacking up for some time. One night while deep in lovemaking, Chris forgets to don a condom. What results is the title creature, the fetus growing in Alyssa’s womb. After a tense few moments, culminating with Alyssa passing out in Chris’ bathroom, Chris agrees to take Alyssa to see her father, Maddox.
Rosemary’s Baby was the first film to deal with a demonic pregnancy, and The Fetus turns the concept on its head with a heady dose of gallows humor. This is a delightfully demented horror comedy. While it’s not quite as gross as the glorious Scared Shitless I reviewed some weeks ago, it does lean hard into the grotesqueness of pregnancy. It’s a wild riff on body horror. Here is a growing baby within Alyssa’s womb who wishes to feed on human blood. Just that conceit on its own is distressingly funny. Much like a more traditional pregnancy, Alyssa suffers from intense food cravings. However, her child demands food that is full of blood. From raw steak to blood splatter in a toilet, Alyssa’s unborn child makes wild demands of her.
“Here is a growing baby within Alyssa’s womb who wishes to feed on human blood.”
This is a confident production. The cinematography is still and focused. The use of light and shadow is haunting in a freakishly funny way. I greatly enjoyed the interplay between the old cuss that is Maddox and Alyssa’s boyfriend, Chris. It fascinates me that Maddox, who really didn’t get along with his fellow humans, feels entitled to treat Chris like crap. While we learn that Chris has his own issues to deal with, his are far more mundane than the bloodthirsty half-demon he has sired into existence.
This is the sort of film Halloween was made for. A weird, wild, kooky, and deranged piece concerning the horrors of an entity growing in your womb. Indeed, were I to be planning a Halloween program of films, The Fetus would fit in quite naturally.
I love that Bill Moseley was called upon to portray Maddox. Here’s a man who had appearances in House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, and Repo! The Genetic Opera. Those are but a few entries in his long and glorious C.V. Moseley brings such depth of emotion to Maddox. It’s clear Maddox loves his daughter. At the same time, he has an arrangement with the demon to uphold. This conflict powers much of the runtime of The Fetus. And Moseley there plays it with surly aplomb. Truly a great acting turn.
The Fetus is a creepy, weird, and wacky film. If you like body horror or just need a deep, dark laugh, check it out. It’s available on streaming and is absolutely perfect to watch from Halloween to Dia de Los Muertos. Grab your family, your rare steak, and enjoy.
"…the sort of film Halloween was made for."
