Louise (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) and Kasper (Peter Christoffersen) want to become parents but Louise is unable to have children. She seals a pact with her Romanian maid, Elena (Cosmina Stratan),to bear Louise's child, but things don't turn out as they planned.

What sort of feeling or anticipation do we get when we approach "Shelley"? At first, the name evokes thoughts of Frankenstein's monster, but we quickly see this might not be the best parallel. The plot is much closer to a modern retelling of "Rosemary's Baby". Not that we needed one, but the concept of "natal horror" can always make room for one more.

The dynamics of this film are noticeably different from "Rosemary". In that film, the threat was always external. Mia Farrow was terrified of her neighbors, her doctor, and sometimes even her husband as she continually felt boxed in. With "Shelley", it's almost as though things have been reversed. The threat now comes from within (the child itself) and we see events not just from the mother's perspective, but also from the outsiders (the "other" parents).

The idea is good, and they must be applauded for casting an actual Romanian in the role of a Romanian maid. This is sort of counter-acted by having Danish people speaking English, however. I presume this was done to boost the chances of international screenings and sales, but it seems inauthentic. This is probably a nitpick, but in this regard I have to be a purist.

The bigger question remains: Why does the couple live in the woods without electricity? The answer, of course, is this offers a great setting for a horror film. But it is not adequately explained by the characters. You might think an employee would ask why there's no power, but it never seems to occur to anyone. Are they Luddites? Is this a religious thing? Maybe a little mystery is good, but it seems silly to avoid the issue altogether.

Early reviews seem to be very divergent and often mixed. Rotten Tomatoes has the film at an impressive 100%, while IMDb gives the movie only 5.7/10, which is nothing to be proud of. It's too early to rely on either metric, so let's look at more concrete examples. Noel Murray walks that middle line, saying the film "becomes frustratingly vague in the middle" but ends up giving it a passing grade anyway. Neil Genzlinger feels similar, saying the film takes "a minimalist approach that is both intriguing and somewhat unsatisfying… Maybe expecting a horror film to have a point is expecting too much." He clearly wants to like the film but cannot fully commit to it. Alissa Simon is even less impressed, agreeing that the film is "unsatisfying", and also volunteering "underdeveloped" and "ludicrous".

For my money, the film is a decent horror film in its own right and will probably be popular when it hits Netflix or wherever it ends up. But it is neither one of the best on the festival circuit nor one of the best horror films of 2016. In the glut of movies coming out year after year, this is still better than average, but the average seems to be on a decline… so it doesn't take too much to get a C when we're grading on a curve.

"Shelley" debuted in February 2016 in Berlin, and has been making the festival rounds. Most recently it screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival in July. No rest for the wicked, however. Director Ali Abbasi is said to be already at work on "The Holy Spider," a film about Saeed Hanaei, an infamous Iranian serial killer. (Other sources have him directing "Border", which may be the same film under a different title.)

SHELLEY is a Danish 'evil baby' film so obtuse as to be a really frustrating viewing experience. It's a low budget and exceptionally long winded story, in which very little actually happens in the way of action or incident throughout the lengthy story. Instead this is a film all about mood and creepy notes on the soundtrack; it's all hints and shadows and very little of anything actually concrete.

I found it a slog to sit through, if I'm honest. The writers fail to make any of the characters interesting or likable so the story just sort of washes over you rather than involving you. There are a few effective horror moments but these really are few and far between. The film's almost complete refusal to offer answers or definitive plot events is very frustrating, especially at the non-ending. If you want an 'evil baby' film then there are plenty of better ones out there, even the clichéd American offerings.

Louise (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) recently had an operation and needs help around the small farm. Her husband (Peter Christoffersen) hires a house keeper/farm hand Elena (Cosmina Stratan). They have no electricity and Elena adapts to the rustic lifestyle. As the women bond, Louise confides she wants a child, but can't carry one. She has some frozen embryos. Elena accepts the offer and carries the child which after awhile, things change.

The DVD cover gives us the baby carriage/ "Rosemary's Baby" theme, but that is never developed in the film. There was some earth/pagan/ natural beliefs, but nothing that manifested itself as horror or supernatural, just people behaving badly. I was bored with the film and conversations and unseen action scenes. They show Cosmina nude while very pregnant. I don't know if this was special effects or the Demi Moore syndrome. I didn't feel I got closure, which appears to be the intent.

Guide: F-word. Nudity (Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Cosmina Stratan)