This slow-burning horror, following a kind but determined satanist couple and their self-defeating desire to bring back their deceased grandson, is the kind of film that begs a second viewing. I didn't appreciate it the first time I saw it, but the second time around, the strong acting skills, special effects and underlying tragedy of the story won me over. Anything For Jackson somehow evokes an outpour of empathy for this couple of kidnappers, as it becomes more apparent the gravity of the losses they faced, and the lengths they went to in order to overcome them. Fans of Supernatural, Roxy Hunter and Hard Core Logo will instantly recognize Julian Richings as Henry, and Sheila McCarthy works very well with him in the role of satanist grandmother Audrey. Up-and-coming actor Josh Cruddas is memorable as the narcissistic satanist bum, Ian, a childish but obsessively devoted helper to the protagonists, and Yannick Bisson and Lanette Ware compliment every scene they're in. As a dark comedy and occult horror, Anything For Jackson works strangely well. While not perfect, and at times campy, it's a well-made and quite unforgettable story worth checking out.

Audrey (Sheila McCarthy) and Henry (Julian Richings) kidnap a pregnant woman. They lost their grandson Jackson and are looking to remake him by putting his spirit into the unborn child. The two Satanists and others have tapped into evil powers beyond their control.

The focus of this movie is Audrey and Henry. For me, they hold no rooting interest. I'm not rooting for their success and the movie loses much of its tension. Otherwise, there are some fun self-kills and some spooky spirits. The lead should have been the pregnant girl. That's not to say that McCarthy and Richings aren't great in this. They are terrific veteran actors. Richings is especially experienced as a horror staple. I love him as Death in Supernatural. I can see why the camera focuses on them. Focusing on the kidnapped girl is much more restrictive. Overall, there are some very fascinating aspects of this indie horror but I'm not invested in the leads' goals and struggles.

Audrey (Sheila McCarthy) and Henry (Julian Richings) didn't start out as Satanists*. But once their grandson Jackson dies, well, their lives have changed. They want him back no matter what it takes, no matter who gets hurt, even if their first rule is that the pregnant woman they have taken, Becker, is not to be harmed.

There's no way this can end well for anyone.

Director Justin G. Dyck has somehow already figured out what older horror makers have gleaned, but at a much earlier age. He's directing plenty of holiday movies like Christmas In the Rockies and Christmas Wedding Planner, movies that are full of innocence and joy, while also making a movie where a kindly older couple bakes cookies when they aren't bringing animals back from the dead. I'd blame writer Keith Cooper for being a bad influence, but he's also written several similar films like A Very Country Wedding (with Dyck directed) and My Dad Is Scrooge.

The closer the couple at the heart of this film gets to a reverse exorcism - putting Jackson's soul into the place of an infant's consciousness - the more people die in increasingly horrific, if not comedic ways. They also have a circle of black magic users, whose leader Ian may not have their best interests in mind. Imagine that.

This film seems like The House of the Devil, if we emphasized more with the Ulman's than with Samantha. Sadly, where that movie picks up steam and blows you away with its ending, this one wildly shifts tone in the last few minutes and closes with an ambiguous ending that felt less like closure and more like filmmakers wondering how to finish things.

Imagine if Rosemary's Baby didn't end the way it did after all that build.

That's why this is a pretty good movie - struggling for great - but the end just felt like a ton of monsters being thrown at the viewer and the focus being pulled from who we care about to someone who hasn't been the protagonist. It's hard to care about someone more than the people we've been told to care about, you know?

That said, this remains heads and shoulders above most of what passed for horror in 2020. I definitely think its worth a watch.

*By this, we mean the kind of Satanists that this movie claims are Satanists. We all know The Church of Satan has nothing to do with this kind of thing, but would possibly appreciate the dark choices and black humor of this movie.