A safe horror film the faint of heart can survive.
read more
A moogai is a child-stealing spirit, with it’s name taken from the Bundjalung word for “ghost” – a boogeyman, if you will. Within the context of this film though, writer-director Jon Bell utilises the creature of ancient lore to represent the Stolen Generations, giving Australia’s true horrors a supernatural spin. Starring Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt, Tessa Rose, Clarence Ryan, Toby Leonard Moore and Bella Heathcote.
The Moogai begins with a scene set when the Stolen Generations were ripe Down Under. Aboriginal children playing amongst themselves in an open field begin to scatter when they hear the warning whistle from their elders – two men from the Australian government have driven by in search of the kids. Back then (approximately early 1900s to 1970s), Aboriginal children were removed from their families in a bid to convert them into a white citizens over time. A little girl manages to hide but unfortunately, finds herself in the Moogai’s cave instead. Her sister comes looking just in time to see the Moogai snatch her away.
Cut to present day: expectant mother, Sarah (Sebbens), has everything good going for her – a beautiful home, a promotion at work, a loving family. This all comes crashing down after an unsettling visit from her birth mother Ruth (Rose) causes her to induce labour. It’s all downhill for Sarah after she gives birth to baby Jacob. She begins seeing things – dead hatchlings when she cracks eggs, snakes in Jacob’s crib, ghostly children, and eventually ghastly Moogai hands reaching for her baby. Her hysterical and temperamental behaviour puts her children at risk, forcing her unassuming husband Fergus (Wyatt) to have her admitted.
Sebbens gives a convincing performance of a woman slowly losing her sanity but the lack of emotions from her scene partners makes hers feel too over-the-top at times, otherwise a solid performance the film is unworthy of.
There is genuine horror that belies the film but it unfortunately feels underbaked, as if holding back on its true pontential of reaching Babadook-level heights. The character design of the Moogai itself lacks the scare-factor that would keep viewers up at night. Seeing a pale white man in a suit looking for young children with a false sincerity was far more eery than seeing the monster in all its body-contorting glory.
The Moogai plays it too safe by only feeding into its viewers trepidation with conventional horror tropes that can be sniffed out from a mile away. If only it trusted itself better to deliver a more memorable film for the genre.
read less