The Daisy Chain

Just a nice film. The location was really good, characters was just ok, the plot was basic. It wasn't creepy a lot. The ending was kinda weird. That movie really remind me of "Orphan".

The Daisy Chain is a pretty decent "spooky kid" thriller that kept me watching and interested throughout. It focuses on the experience of a couple (the wife is pregnant) who move to rural Ireland (or is it Wales? ) to escape the big city and the traumatic miscarriage of their first child. They eventually adopt a young girl named Daisy after her baby brother and parents die under mysterious circumstances.

It was well acted and well scripted as well. I found the atmosphere of the setting to be creepy and dismal enough to add to the general feeling of doom and gloom. I've got a soft spot for movies about dark children, and this one did not disappoint.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it's not filled with cheap scares or gore. I think that "creepy" is probably the word most often used in comments on this page, so I'll stick with it. My one complaint is that I found the ending to be less than satisfying, but I suppose that is fairly minor overall.

If you like films without unanswered questions and ambiguity then this film isn't for you. I normally like to discuss these ambiguities and unanswered questions with other but this films ending was very unsatisfying. It left a gap hard to fill. The scenery was pleasing and was generally well acted. The movie was dependent on the charm and eyes of Daisy. I can't deny that she is charming but the film is a little to in love with her. The plot is predictable. Predictable plots are fine if the ride to the conclusion is enjoyable enough. Despite the charm of the film, the solid acting and lovely Irish scenery this film is seriously lacking. When a film is lacking something I can't help comparing it to other spooky child films.

If you like gore then this one isn't for you. This film is about suspense and human drama. This film is very accessible for those with a low horror tolerance. If horror film were based on curries then this would be tikka masala.

What a strange and beautiful film this is. An intelligent horror with the underlying themes of motherhood and loss. A movie that reminds us all of what it is to be an outsider in a tight knit community and what it is to be different. Morton plays outsider and expectant mother Martha who has lost her first baby through cot death. Pregnant at the time of filming this is a brave choice for Morton who looks amazing!!! Steven Mackintosh plays the steady school teacher husband Thomas. A departure for Mackintosh and one that shows just how wide a range he's capable of playing. Into their lives comes a young girl called Daisy. This role is played by Marie Anderson who's first film this is and although mostly silent throughout she is riveting. She sets Morton and Mackintosh against one another as she inhabits their every waking hour and we slowly start to fear for their unborn child. The wildness of the landscape adds an eerie dimension against which the story is played out. Is Daisy the uncared for child that the community have abandoned or is she the fairy changeling that some say she is????

One of the main problems with The Daisy Chain is that it can't seem to make its mind up whether Daisy is just an autistic girl that bad things happen to people when they're around her, or really a 'fairy changling' with mystical powers to eradicate anyone who takes her fancy. The film is somewhat muddled on this point, and you get the impression this is more down to confusion at the screenplay level than a genuine attempt at making her origin open-handed.

Sadly, there are multiple other flaws here too. Like the pacing, which is all over the place and sometimes make the film hard to follow. And the acting, especially as regards the underwhelming reaction in a small community to so many killings at once. Mhairi Anderson who plays Daisy is good, but Samantha Morton and Andrew Mackintosh are mostly just there for the paycheque, and as for the supporting cast they're... not great.

Basically, this is nothing more than a tolerable horror which doesn't really convince on any level and which is destined to remain an also-ran. There are plenty of better entries in the creepy child genre, so why not take a look at them instead? Here's a good one to start you off: The Omen (not the remake, obviously). 4/10.