Film Review

DAUGHTER Review

Dave reviews Lightbulb Film Distribution’s DAUGHTER, available to download and keep now on digital platforms.

Published

9 months ago

March 20, 2023

Daughter is distributed by Lightbulb Film Distribution, directed by Corey Deshon, the film stars Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow), Vivien Ngô (Queen Sugar, Wyrm), Elyse Dinh and Ian Alexander. It had its world premiere at FrightFest in August and will be released On Demand and Download in the UK & Ireland from Feb 20, and Australia & NZ from Feb 22.

Synopsis

Daughter sees a young woman is inducted into a bizarre family as their new surrogate daughter.

Review

I love nothing more than a psychological thriller. The kind of horror movie that stays with you longer after the credits have rolled. With that in mind I was excited to dive in to Corey Deshon’s Daughter.

The trailer for sure peaked my interest. But sadly the film itself never quite managed to get off the ground. There’s a lot of potential wrapped up in its premise but it’s flat execution left me waiting in anticipation for a gruesome event which never came.

The story centres on a small family. From the outside everything appears normal but behind closed doors this family is as dysfunctional as it could get. A young girl is kidnapped and bound in the basement of a small country home. In a case of severe Stockholm syndrome she’s told if she behaves then things will get better. But all that stands before her is a bleak future, confined to the restrictions of the house. Casper Van Dien plays the perfect twisted father to this family. Portraying a calm persona throughout but inside you know this man is twisted to the core.

Daughter was my first exposure to the work of director Corey Deshon. He for sure created an eerie atmosphere which is consistent across the film. The direction of travel also feels constant throughout. Something about the final edit just left me unable to grasp exactly what message the film was trying to give the audience.

Verdict

Although I felt the film was a disappointment overall I will give credit to the direction and the acting of the key characters but for me not something I’d be rushing to watch again anytime soon.

⭐⭐