The New Daughter
| The New Daughter | |
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| Directed by | Luis Berdejo |
| Produced by | Paul Brooks |
| Screenplay by | John Travis |
| Based on | short story by John Connolly |
| Starring |
Kevin Costner Ivana Baquero Samantha Mathis |
| Music by | Javier Navarrete |
| Cinematography | Checco Varese |
| Edited by | Tom Elkins Robb Sullivan |
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Production
company |
Gold Circle Films
New Daughter Productions |
| Distributed by | Anchor Bay Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The New Daughter is a 2009 American horror film and the feature directorial debut of Spanish screenwriter Luis Berdejo. It stars Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero and Samantha Mathis. Based on the short story of the same name by John Connolly, it tells the story of a novelist and his two children who encounter a malevolent presence when they move to a house in the country adjacent to a burial mound.
John James (Kevin Costner), a recently divorced novelist, moves into an old house in the country with his teenage daughter, Louisa (Ivana Baquero), and young son, Sam (Gattlin Griffith). John and Louisa's relationship is strained; She accuses him of never loving her mother and ruining everything. On the family's first night in the house, Louisa hears strange noises outside her bedroom window. Unseen by her is a humanoid creature lurking outside on the roof. The following day, while exploring the surrounding fields and forest, the children come across a large mound. Louisa is instantly attracted to it, but Sam is reluctant to go near it. In town, John learns that his house is locally infamous for the disappearance of a woman who lived there. Upon returning home, he finds Louisa's pet cat mutilated near the house.
Louisa returns to the mound after school and, while relaxing in the sunshine, hears strange noises. As Louisa hears what sounds like approaching animal growls, the film jump-cuts to John cutting his hand while washing dishes. That night John finds a trail of muddy footprints leading from the open front door to the bathroom. Louisa is inside with the door locked, sitting in the tub as the shower washes her extremely muddied body. The muddy water is shown turning red with blood as it reaches the drain. Later that night, John finds Louisa sleepwalking. When he takes her back to bed, he finds a strange doll made from straw, inside of which is a dark ball containing a live spider. The next morning Louisa comes down for breakfast wearing a short dress and make-up. When John asks her about the doll, she claims not to have seen it.
Louisa is bullied by a preppy girl in the staircase of their school. Meanwhile, at home, John comes across a pile of muddy clothes in her bedroom. While investigating outside the house, he finds the head of Louisa's doll at the mound, and the bloody remains of a blackbird. John is called to come to pick up Louisa, who says she does not feel well. In the infirmary he passes the preppy girl, who had apparently "fallen" down the stairs and injured her arm. Sam's teacher, Cassandra (Samantha Mathis), gives John her phone number, offering her friendship. He is later startled to find a nest of spiders in the kitchen drawer where he'd placed the straw doll. That night John sees Louisa emerging from the woods, even though he had previously ordered her to be home by dark. He calls attention to scarring visible on the skin around her neck, but Louisa storms off without explanation. At dinner she eats in an animal-like manner, as if starved.
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