Watch Fertile Ground

Fertile Ground is a horror film from 2011, directed by Adam Gierasch and starring Leisha Hailey, Gale Harold, and Chelcie Ross. The movie follows Emily and Nate, a young couple who move into an old farmhouse in the countryside to start a family. However, after Emily suffers a miscarriage, they begin to experience supernatural occurrences and haunted visions within their new home.

Emily and Nate are a couple struggling with the pain and grief of losing their unborn child, and they decide to move to an old farmhouse in rural America in order to start a new life. The house is old and creaky, but Emily and Nate quickly settle in and begin to focus on their plans for the future. They decide to try for another baby and hope to heal their emotional wounds.

One night, Emily wakes up to find herself covered in blood and trembling in fear. She is convinced that she saw a ghost, but Nate brushes off her concerns as a bad dream. However, strange things continue to happen around the house, and Emily becomes increasingly convinced that there is something paranormal going on. She begins to research the history of the house and discovers that it was once inhabited by a couple who experienced a similar tragedy to their own.

As the haunting intensifies, Emily and Nate become increasingly isolated and desperate. They seek the help of an eccentric psychic, who warns them that the ghostly presence in their home is not simply a lost soul, but a malevolent force that wants to harm them. The couple is faced with a terrifying choice: to stay and fight the ghost, or to run away and abandon their dreams of starting a family.

The acting in Fertile Ground is solid, particularly from Hailey and Harold as the central couple. Hailey brings a vulnerability and emotional depth to Emily, while Harold portrays Nate's inner turmoil and frustrations with sensitivity. The supporting cast is serviceable, but the focus remains squarely on the central couple.

The film's pacing is slow but deliberate, building tension and suspense as the haunting intensifies. The special effects are minimal, with most of the scares relying on eerie sound design and the use of shadows and darkness. The cinematography is moody and atmospheric, with the old farmhouse and surrounding countryside providing a suitably creepy setting.

One of the strengths of Fertile Ground is its exploration of grief and loss. The central couple is grappling with the devastating effects of miscarriage and infertility, and the supernatural elements of the film serve as a metaphor for the horror of losing a child. The film doesn't shy away from the emotional pain of these experiences, and the characters are given space to express their grief and come to terms with their loss.

However, the film's weakest point is perhaps its lack of originality. The haunted house genre is well-trodden ground, and Fertile Ground doesn't bring much new to the table. The storyline follows a predictable trajectory, and there are few surprises along the way. The film's reliance on jump scares and ominous music also feels a bit dated and formulaic.

Overall, Fertile Ground is a solid haunted house horror movie that offers some effective scares and a poignant exploration of grief and loss. While it may not reinvent the wheel in terms of genre tropes, it delivers a creepy atmosphere and compelling characterizations that make it worth a watch for horror fans.

Fertile Ground is a 2011 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.5.