6 Pregnancy Themed Horror Movies - Horror to Put You Off Parenthood
Welcome to Knockout Horror and to another Horror Movie List. Today we are taking a look at 6 Pregnancy Themed Horror Movies. Most of the movies can be found on streaming services as of this writing. What better list to check out if you happen to be expecting? Actually, if you are in that position, you may want to give these movies a miss. Some of them are sure to pile on some added anxiety. Hell, at least one of them is seriously shocking given the context. Probably not a great idea.
These lists are going to come in rather slowly. I only want to add lists featuring movies I have actually reviewed. I have no interest in turning this site into a content farm. I want my lists to be simple and catered directly to actual horror fans. With this in mind, expect them to be added slowly but consistently. I won’t engage in clickbait or any of the slideshow crap that is so common.
6 Pregnancy Themed Horror Movies
As mentioned above. Today’s movies all share one thing in common. They all focus on pregnancy or new parenthood. This is a fairly common theme in horror. You will almost certainly be able to guess at least one of these films. It is, after all, one of the most iconic horror movies of all time. Inspiring generations of horror filmmakers to come. Its influence can be clearly seen in a few of the other movies on the list.
Pregnancy and new parenthood offers tons of opportunities for horror scares. Be it visceral depictions of violence or simple psychological torment. The vulnerability of young babies and the demands of early parenthood are prime horror fodder. The movies we are looking at today attempt to channel these very things. Some of them are successful. Others, not so much. Without further ado, let’s take a look. I have reviewed all of these movies so click the links to check out my full opinion.
6. Baby Ruby (2022)
Baby Ruby follows the story of popular blogger Jo. Having recently become pregnant. Jo is missing her old life. When she finally gives birth. She begins to become suspicious of the people around her and their intentions towards her child.
This is an interesting horror movie that places the focus on societal pressures faced by new mothers. Unfortunately, it never manages to live up to the potential of its compelling, and important, narrative. Acting is a mixed bag, the direction is weak, and the film suffers from a number of plot holes and continuity issues.
This is a movie that never really manages to take off. Still, if you are looking for pregnancy horror with a slightly different approach. Baby Ruby is a fairly decent option.
What’s the Score?
We awarded Baby Ruby a painfully average 5/10. IMDB users were even less effusive with an average of 4.8/10. Rotten Tomatoes, ever the outlier, has the movie with a rather nice average of 69% Fresh.
5. Delivery: The Beast Within (2013)
Do you fancy some Found Footage Pregnancy Horror? Why the hell not. The found footage genre has found its way into every facet of horror so why not this one? Delivery: The Beast Within acts as something of a mix between Found Footage and Mocumentary.
Focusing on a couple that have been trying for a baby. Delivery starts off as something of a Reality TV show. Things go horribly wrong, naturally. It then quickly transforms into a documentary showing unaired footage from the reality TV show. It’s an interesting presentation and the story is rather engaging. Hinting at issues of mental illness and demonic possession. It’s a fairly well tread formula. Delivery’s tendency to drag its feet isn’t helped by the lack of scares. Still, this is an interested concept presented in a pretty unique manner.
What’s the Score?
We awarded Delivery: The Beast Within an above average 5.5/10. IMDB users were, once again, a little less generous with an average score of 5.3/10. Rotten Tomatoes has the movie at a certified fresh rating of 71% with an average of 5.6/10. The audience strongly disagreed with a 31% rotten score and an average of 2.8/5.
4. Grace (2009)
Following a similar premise to Delivery. Grace follows the story of a couple who have been trying for a baby for a long time. After two miscarriages, Madeline and Michael seem to have finally found some success. That is until a horrible accident changes everything. A child with an insatiable thirst demands much more than simply love and affection.
Grace explores the limits of what a parent will do for their child. Borrowing heavily from other similar movies. Grace doesn’t really do anything new but some of the horror is fairly effective. Terrible acting and some lacklustre direction mar the experience a fair bit. Still, this is a fairly decent movie that’s worth checking out if you enjoy the subject matter.
What’s the Score?
We gave Grace an above average score of 6/10. IMDB users disagree slightly with an average user score of 5.2/10. Rotten Tomatoes are feeling very generous with a 71% Fresh rating and an average score of 6.6/10. The audience strongly disagrees with a 31% rotten rating and an average of 2.7/5.
3. The Womb (Inang) (2022)
The Womb is an Indonesia horror movie that plays as something of an Asian version of Rosemary’s Baby. Young woman Wulan is heavily pregnant. Unable to afford to raise a baby. She seeks out an elderly couple that are willing to adopt the child. In exchange, they allow her to live with them. All seems fine until Wulan begins experiencing strange events.
The Womb is extremely slow paced and, for much of its run, feels extremely familiar. Lacking in scares and extremely predictable. There is still a few decent moments of tension and a fairly engaging plot to, hopefully, keep you interested. Acting is decent and the Indonesian scenery makes for interesting visuals. Still, the slow pace will certainly put some off. This can be a tedious watch with little in the way of surprises.
What’s the Score?
We gave The Womb a respectable 6/10. A score which IMDB users are, as of this writing, almost perfectly inline with at 6.1/10.
2. Inside (2007)
Inside is a brutal horror movie from the 2000’s New French Extremity sub-genre. Following the story of Sarah, a heavily pregnant young woman who recently lost her husband. Inside sees Sarah attempt to fight off the home invasion of a maniacal woman desperate to take something precious from her.
Inside is a ruthless movie. Incredibly violent and featuring a few scenes that are sure to shock. I wouldn’t recommend this one to anyone who is actually pregnant or is a new parent. It touches are troubling subject matter and pulls absolutely no punches. A fantastic performance from Beatrice Dalle propels the movie to more than the sum of its parts. A difficult watch but a decent one. We covered this movie during our Awful Advent 25 Days of Christmas Horror feature.
What’s the Score?
We awarded Inside a decent 7/10. I would have given it a higher mark but this is a difficult recommend. IMDB users are just a shade below us with an average score of 6.7/10. Rotten Tomatoes was offered even higher praise with an 83% Fresh Rating and an average score of 7.5/10. The audience score is 75% Fresh with an average of 3.8/5.
1. Rosemary’s Baby
So this is a pretty obvious one, right? When talking about Pregnancy Themed Horror, what other movie could possibly come to mind? Rosemary’s Baby is the quintessential Pregnancy horror. Following the story of Rosemary and her quirky neighbours. This is one of the most important horror movies of all time. Inspiring generations of filmmakers, it is hard to overstate its impact on horror as a whole.
Featuring a slow building sense of paranoia and tension. Rosemary’s Baby doesn’t try to overwhelm with scares. It prefers to unsettle the viewer and force them to invest in Rosemary’s story. It is fantastic stuff and a perfect example of Hollywood’s 60’s media Satanic Panic. It’s a bit slow for some people. It can feel a bit cheesy in parts, as well. Still, this is one of the best horror movies of all time and deserves its roses. This movie featured as our Halloween review in our K-O-Ween 31 Days of Halloween feature for 2022.
What’s the Score?
We gave Rosemary’s Baby an excellent 8.5/10. I would have rated it a little higher but it’s not my personal favourite horror movie of all time. It’s not a movie I would want to overstate for younger viewers who may not see the appeal. It is not for everyone.
IMDB users have the movie a little below that at 8/10. Rotten Tomatoes was extremely positive with a certified Fresh rating of 96% and an average score of 8.8/10. The Audience score was almost equally as positive with a Fresh rating of 87% and a score of 4.1/5
And That’s Your Lot
So that’s 6 Pregnancy Themed Horror Movies that are worth checking out. Some of these were pretty obvious. I mean, we couldn’t not include Rosemary’s Baby. Would it really be a listicle without a bunch of things you have already seen before? Nope, originality does not exist when it comes to lists. There will likely be a follow up list to this one in the future. There are definitely plenty of similar movies to this. For now, though, we are done.
Thanks for reading. There are more lists coming in the future. In the meantime, why not check out our Horror Movie Reviews or take a look at some Ending Explained articles? I am adding to the site practically every day of the week so check back often.
