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Shelley is a Danish horror thriller movie released in 2016, directed by Ali Abbasi and starring Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Cosmina Stratan, and Peter Christoffersen. The movie tells the story of a young Romanian woman named Elena (Stratan), who becomes a surrogate mother for a wealthy Danish couple, Louise (Petersen) and Kasper (Christoffersen). As Elena's pregnancy progresses, she begins to experience strange and terrifying visions that drive her to the brink of madness.

The movie opens with Louise and Kasper living a peaceful life in their isolated country home in Denmark. When Louise learns that she's unable to have children, the couple decides to hire a surrogate mother to carry their child. They find Elena, a beautiful and sweet Romanian girl who agrees to carry their child for a hefty sum of money.

At first, everything goes smoothly – Elena moves in with Louise and Kasper and begins her pregnancy. However, as her pregnancy progresses, strange things start happening to Elena. She receives mysterious messages on her phone, sees strange apparitions, and experiences extreme pain during the night. Elena's behaviour becomes erratic, and Louise starts to suspect that something is seriously wrong.

As the story unfolds, we learn that Louise and Kasper have a tragic history – they lost their young son in a car accident, and Louise is struggling to come to terms with her grief. She becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea of having a child of her own, to the point where she will do anything to protect the one growing inside Elena. Meanwhile, Kasper becomes increasingly distant, haunted by his own guilt and unable to connect with his wife.

The tension builds throughout the movie, as Elena's pregnancy becomes more and more complicated. Louise becomes increasingly controlling, and Elena starts to fear for her own safety. As the due date approaches, Elena's visions become more vivid and terrifying, and she starts to suspect that there's something seriously wrong with the child growing inside her.

Shelley is a slow-burning, atmospheric movie that gradually builds tension and horror. The movie explores themes of motherhood, grief, and the dark side of human nature. The acting is superb, particularly from Petersen, who delivers a nuanced and powerful performance as the emotionally fragile Louise. Stratan is also excellent, conveying the pain and terror of a woman caught in a nightmare.

The direction and cinematography are also top-notch, with Abbasi creating a stylish and eerie atmosphere that captures the isolation and loneliness of the Danish countryside. The movie's sound design is also excellent, with a haunting and unsettling score that heightens the tension at key moments.

Overall, Shelley is a powerful and disturbing horror movie that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. It's a movie that will appeal to fans of slow-burning psychological thrillers, and anyone who's looking for a movie that explores the dark side of human nature. Highly recommended.

Shelley is a 2016 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.3 and a MetaScore of 62.