Delivery: The Beast Within plays like a found footage twist on Rosemary’s Baby. The found footage horror genre began in earnest with 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust. This Italian horror movie follows a documentary crew who draw the gory wrath of a tribe of cannibals, and it proved so shocking and convincing that director Ruggero Deodato later had to prove in court that his actors hadn’t really been murdered while filming. The Blair Witch Project would be the film that popularized found footage though, with the micro-budget project becoming one of the most successful independent movies of all time.
The surprise success of Paranormal Activity gave the genre another shot in the arm and led to a glut of found footage movies. In addition to countless Paranormal Activity sequels, there was Diary Of The Dead, Cloverfield, REC, The Houses October Built, and many, many more. Sadly, a lot of producers simply used the format as an excuse for cheap jump scares or to mask a lack of budget, which hurt the genre’s reputation. There have been some solid entries in recent years, however, such as the Unfriended duology.
Delivery: The Beast Within unfortunately isn’t one of the better examples of found footage, but it at least attacks the idea from an interesting angle. This Brian Netto (Parker) directed movie follows a couple whose pregnancy is being documented by the crew of reality show Delivery, but it quickly becomes clear all is not well. Mother Rachel’s (Lauren Veil) personality starts to change and she argues constantly with husband Kyle (Danny Barclay), and distortions and odd occurrences with the footage itself suggest a demonic presence surrounding the pregnancy.
Delivery: The Beast Within is conceptually solid, taking the psychological horror blueprint of Rosemary’s Baby and injecting some reality TV into it. It’s also admirably restrained in many ways, with little in the way of cheap jolts and suggesting maybe mental illness is the root of the issue. Delivery is also more intriguing than rival demon baby found footage movie Devil’s Due from 2014, but the problem is it’s far too restrained. With little in the way of scares or overt horror for most of its runtime, it can feel quite drab and lifeless, despite solid performances. Instead of building slow-burn dread it’s often just plodding, and while the build eventually delivers, its a little too late.
For those horror fans seeking a new tweak on a well-traveled formula, Delivery: The Beast Within might be worth checking out. If not, the 2014 miniseries version of Rosemary’s Baby starring Zoe Saldana (Guardians Of The Galaxy) might be a better option.
Next: Rosemary’s Baby 2 Exists! What Happens In The Sequel
