The job of newswriting for CHUD is nothing if not taxing on your general pop culture/geek culture breadth of knowledge. Personally, I get kind of bummed when I read that a film is based on something from a “noted” or “acclaimed” author, and I know next to nothing about the person. So while I can tell you that I’m about to reference a film based on a short story by “noted” horror writer John Connolly, I can’t honestly tell you why he is so noted, other than his full-length books would make for great gothcore band names (e.g. The Killing Kind, The Unquiet). But that’s not all this film has going for it.
The New Daughter is based on a Connolly short story about a single dad who moves his children to a remote farm only to find his daughter acting stranger and stranger. The key to the weirdness appears to be a mound out in one of the surrounding fields. Starring as the daughter is Ivana Baquero, the lovely young lady who starred in CHUD-pal Guillermo Del Toro’s masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth. This also marks her first English-language role, and that means increased exposure here, which is fantastic. The film’s being distributed by Gold Circle Films, who have shepherded a number of smaller theatrical releases including White Noise and Slither. As of right now, however, there’s no director attached. We’ll surely keep you posted.