Tubi Original – Bed Rest (2022) spoiler free review
A pregnant woman moving to a new house being haunted while no one around her believes her sound familiar right? From horror classics like Rosemary’s Baby (1968) to modern takes like American Horror Story: Murder House (2011) bring this well known trope with their own twist.
A pregnant woman on bed rest begins to wonder if her house is haunted or it’s all in her head.
Film synopsis
The cast includes Melissa Barrera (Scream 5) as Julie Rivers, Guy Burnet (Pitch Perfect 3) as Daniel Rivers, Kristen Harris as Julie’s OB-GYN, Erik Athavale as Dr. Meadows, Edie Inksetter as Delmy Walker, Kristen Sawatzky as Melandra Kinsey, and Paul Essiembre as Dean Whittier. Originally scheduled to be released theatrically on July 2022 the film was officially released on Tubi on December 2022.
My opinion
Bed Rest follows Julie and her husband Daniel that are just moving in into their new home. During an argument Julie falls down the stairs, and by the doctor recommendation, she’s forced to lay in bed for the remaining 8 weeks of her pregnancy. The film follows Julie day by day as the finds ways to entertain herself since she remains in bed all day. Little by little Julie starts to become more anxious and paranoid as weird things start to happen. From seeing a kid in her patio to quickly disappear to seeing things move she starts to believe that something wants her baby.
More than just being a film about a haunted house Bed Rest is also a film about grief. Julie gave birth to her death son and for 5 years she hasn’t being able to let it go, affecting her mental health during the pregnancy. Unfortunately, the film is unable to deliver something memorable or interesting. We see Barrera’s character day by day doing nothing while nothing is really happening. Instead of building up the tension and paranormal encounters to end it in a confrontation between Julie and what is haunting her the film doesn’t picks up until the last fifteen minutes.
The film doesn’t gives time to the events to develop they just happen one behind the another lacking a tense or scary atmosphere. What saves the film is Barrera’s performance giving a convincing portrayal of a woman grieving for her dead son while trying to protect her daughter inside her. She’s able to make the viewer care for her and feel sorry for her situation. Bed Rest had the potential to be a good horror triller but got stuck half way thru.