CERT: TBC | DIRECTOR: ROB HEYDON | SCREENPLAY: DONALD MARTIN | STARRING: ADAM BRODY, AMANDA CREW, ZOE BELKIN, SHIELA MCCARTHY | RELEASE DATE: TBC

After the loss of their son during birth, a grief stricken couple, especially the mother, are faced with dealing with the creepy girl next door, Isabelle.

Grief in Horror media can be a powerful took and can be used to devasting effect. 2017’s STILL/BORN is a prime example of how a mother losing a child is such a haunting and emotional experience. However, Isabelle never manages to reach the dizzy heights of its peers despite having a strong first act.

The story follows Larissa (Amanda Crew) and Matt Kane (Adam Brody) who move into a new home in preparation for starting a family. Shortly after the move, Larissa meets her strange neighbour who lives a mysterious life with her disabled daughter Isabelle who spends her spends staring out of the second floor window until Larissa suddenly miscarries. After returning home, Larissa who is clearly suffering with grief and depression begins to notice strange occurrences and is convinced that Isabelle is the cause.

After a strong emotional start which is well acted and competently crafted, the film unfortunately falls completely apart, almost as if a switch has been flicked.

Firstly, there are little to no scares. The tension is completely drained away by common horror tropes such as no sound before a cheap loud bang. Couple that with weak writing that disengage the audience and the foundation entirely washes away.

Not only that but at several points throughout the runtime, the editing is so poor and jarring that you think you accidentally skipped over a scene. The final act also dramatically lets the film down. Isabelle herself is not at all creepy or unnerving and super-imposed red eyes onto a lacklustre CGI model is incredibly disappointing.

With better films on the market, Isabelle misses the mark but has solid acting throughout which is at least something positive.