Leofwine_draca
THE BABY'S ROOM is another strong contender in the short series of Spanish made-for-TV ghost stories released under the banner of 'Films to Keep You Awake'. Previously I'd watched BLAME, a quite wonderful exploration of abortion, so I was looking forward to seeing this one. It's not quite up there with the standard of that movie, mainly thanks to the rather predictable storyline, but it IS still a good, well-made film, and far better than many American 'haunted house' movies of recent years.The storyline starts off predictably enough: a young couple move into a creepy old house and strange events befall them. There are a combination of two factors here, one of which I liked, the other I didn't care for as much. The element I liked was that the ghostly events are played out from the past, and the only way to see them is through a baby monitor, which acts as some kind of 'gateway' between realities. This leads to plenty of creepy moments as the protagonist witnesses slayings and strangers on the tiny black-and-white monitor although the rooms are empty to his own eyes. It reminded me a lot of the THIRTEEN GHOSTS films, in which the characters could only see spirits through some special glasses; the idea is much the same and handled just as well on a much lower budget (in comparison with the Hollywood remake, at least).The other plot strand involves nobody believing the protagonist. I found this pretty tired. There is one neat change, a role reversal which sees the husband dismissed as neurotic rather than the wife, but otherwise this is typical stuff we've seen done dozens of times before. Still, the film boasts good acting, from both the two lead actors and the amusing character actors who make up the supporting cast. The restrained direction from Alex de la Iglesia – the guy who made the outrageous DAY OF THE BEAST, of all things – also wins points and it's one of those films where the low budget works in its favour, adding to the mystery and atmosphere. Not a classic, by any means, but this has the same kind of style you'll find in bigger and better films like THE ORPHANAGE.
mereiriz
I'm a huge fan of horror. I've seen the classics (The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, The Shining, etc.) and I've seen the not-so-good offerings of today's cinema (The Haunting, Paranormal Activity, etc.). I wanted a change and I decided to look away from Hollywood for a time. I'm so glad I did! After discovering Rec, I decided to try other Spanish movies. I was hooked immediately with what I found. One of my favorites out of all the Spanish movies is this one. The Baby's Room is everything a horror movie should be: creepy, intense, not too gimmicky. The tension builds slowly, but steadily. I found myself getting closer and closer to the TV to grasp every detail, only to retreat myself forcibly in one particular scene. Spanish being my first language, I really enjoyed the dialogue. I don't know what will be people's reaction to the translation when watching it in English or with subtitles. Sometimes this can make a big difference. But, if you like horror and are in for something different, try this one!
Lawson
The Baby's Room was apparently released as a TV movie in Spain but deemed good enough for a limited international DVD release. And it is really good, for a TV movie that is. It's got a TV budget so it's a good thing that it's not a horror that's reliant on special effects.The movie features a cool, creepy story about a couple with a newborn who move into a house. The couple start feeling something's odd about their new place but it's not until they set up a baby monitor that they realize what it is.I'm quite fond of Spanish horrors, I find. They take time to establish the characters and suspense, and though this movie isn't as polished as say, The Orphanage, I think the director, Alex de la Iglesia, is still one to watch out for. Hopefully he gets a bigger budget with his next horror outing.
DVD_Connoisseur
"The Baby's Room", to use the episode's English translation, is a chilling tale of supernatural terror set in a creepy old house. Using modern day appliances to enhance the fear level, director Álex de la Iglesia really delivers the goods.Unpredictable, spell-binding and more than a tad frightening, this is great television.Javier Gutiérrez is top-notch as the man-on-the-edge, Juan, whose encounters with the "other side" are memorable and hair-standingly unsettling.Recommended for fans of the macabre, "The Baby's Room" scores 7 out of 10.
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