In Vitro (2025) review – cattle cloning and domestic drama

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at the Aussie Science Fiction Horror In Vitro (2025).

We have explained the ending to this one so if you are a little confused, why not head on over and check out our In Vitro Ending Explained article? Keep in mind, while our review is spoiler free, the ending explained isn’t so don’t read if you haven’t watched the film yet.

A familiar face for found footage horror fans

In Vitro is written by and stars Talia Zucker, the actress who played Alice in one of my all time favourite found footage horror movies – Lake Mungo. That’s pretty awesome and got me a little more hyped than most would consider to be actually reasonable. My fiancée thought it was Anne Hathaway from the front cover of the movie, but that’s why I always beat her in “guess the celebrity” quizzes.

Alice was, obviously, the focus of Lake Mungo but it seemed as though Zucker wasn’t featured all that much. The story was about her but she wasn’t really central to the onscreen stuff. It turns out, Zucker has been acting ever since and has also started writing for movies, too. That’s pretty awesome; I love to see found footage stars making the transition into full blown horror cinema.

Zucker takes on writing and acting duties here in this story that is set in the near future. Cattle raising has become untenable so the solution is to clone the cattle. When cloned, the cows age a lot faster making the turn over for meat much more efficient.

“It turns out, Zucker has been acting ever since and has also started writing for movies, too. That’s pretty awesome; I love to see found footage stars making the transition into full blown horror cinema.”

Layla (Zucker) and her husband Jack (Ashley Zukerman) own a struggling farm but things are about to take a turn for the worse when Layla realises just what Jack has secretly been cloning.

It’s set in the near future so don’t expect hi-tech thrills

It’s kind of strange to watch a science fiction based horror movie set in the future that really doesn’t feel very futuristic at all. In Vitro is set on a fairly bland looking cattle farm with little to separate it from films set in the present, or even in the recent past. It makes sense, though. Things don’t change all that much over time so expecting some cyberpunk style visuals is probably a bit unrealistic.

That’s especially true considering this movie feels fairly low budget. With a cast consisting of only three or so onscreen characters, In Vitro is about as bare bones as they come. The majority of the movie focuses on Layla and Jack’s difficulties coping with life on a rural farm and everything that entails.

Power cuts, poor internet signal, etc. As someone who lives in rural Wales, UK, I share in their frustrations. The couple are, understandably, dealing with some stress and their relationship is suffering as a result.

“In Vitro is more like a psychological-horror or even a modern folk-horror than a flash sci-fi film. Think of something like The Dark and The Wicked and you are on the right track.”

As the situation grows more desperate, it becomes clear that Jack has been looking at alternate ways to make money. Ways that are far from ethical. This eventually plays into the larger narrative later on when we are hit with a big reveal that the trailer goes some way to spoiling. Avoid it if you can and just go in blind.

With this being said, it’s worth mentioning that anyone expecting a full blown futuristic science-fiction horror movie will be a little bit disappointed. In Vitro is more like a psychological-horror or even a modern folk-horror than a flash sci-fi film. Think of something like The Dark and The Wicked and you are on the right track.

It’s an extremely slow burn

Nothing happens fast in In Vitro. This is a very slow burn horror that slowly hints at the underlying mystery as it plays out gradually over the course of the film’s runtime. There’s very little in the way of bells and whistles. It’s just a plain, raw, and unfiltered indie horror without anything in the way of flare. There are limited effects, limited thrills, and limited excitement.

“I could never shake the thought that it was all a little bit half baked… The worldbuilding was minimal, and the ultimate twist ending was fairly predictable.”

With that being said, there is a notable switch up point halfway through that changes the pace, slightly. The first half is something of a domestic drama replete with all the “struggling couple” stuff you might expect. While the second half is a drawn out cat and mouse thriller. While the chase stuff is occasionally tense, if not a bit routine. There is a distinct sense that In Vitro lacks ambition.

I could never shake the thought that it was all a little bit half baked. The domestic drama wasn’t entirely fleshed out, the chase scenes were a bit lethargic, the worldbuilding was minimal, and the ultimate twist ending was fairly predictable. The movie acts as something of an allegory for domestic abuse but even that feels a little lacking. Almost as if it backtracks on itself later on.

The characters are rather poorly fleshed out

There’s going to be a lot of people who tune into In Vitro and leave feeling a bit short changed. It is so slow and lethargic that it will probably lose a lot of viewers half way through. It doesn’t help that the characters aren’t very well fleshed out. We have minimal backstory and minimal insight into who they are and what they are doing.

We don’t even really know anything about the world the film takes place in. You are left to piece things together as you go which is fine but some will dislike the lack of character building.

With that being said, In Vitro is a very nice looking film. The Australian scenery looks fantastic and does a nice job of setting the scene. The farm feels pretty isolated and the variable weather lends a feeling of desperation. I am sure some people will enjoy the twist later on provided they don’t see it coming.

Acting from Talia Zucker was very good. I thought she did an excellent job but I can’t say the same about Ashley Zukerman who played her husband. He was extremely wooden, throughout, and robbed many of the events of gravity. He delivers every line with a “why the hell am I here?” sense of apathy. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t fully committed.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.