A Slick Horror Show

This visually polished slice of hokum borrows well from "The Exorcist," "The Ring," "The Mephisto Waltz," "The X-Files" and even "Poltergeist." If the big finish of "The Unborn" is a bit of a damp firecracker, most of the scary moments work well enough, and some have not been revealed in the trailers.

Young Casey (Odette Yustman) is troubled by visions of a creepy little kid with a really bad haircut. He seems to have something to do with Casey's dead mother, though her dad (B-movie veteran James Remar) pooh-poohs the idea. At first. Then one of Casey's babysitting charges, another creepy kid with an equally unfortunate haircut, gets into the act. Before long, Casey has persuaded her best friend and boyfriend to help her find the truth about her past. It turns out that "genetic mosaicism" is at the root of the problem.

Jane Alexander and Gary Oldman are also on hand to add a little maturity to the proceedings.

The film is sparklingly clear throughout. Director David S. Goyer and cinematographer James Hawkinson give the Chicago locations a wintry feel. More important, a 19-member special effects crew does exemplary work. They use subtle distortions to show Casey's point of view, and the various monster effects involving big bugs, weird dogs and the thing in the medicine cabinet, look every bit as real as the bad haircuts. The often clunky, cliched script is not as effective, particularly in the stretch.

-- Mike Mayo

The Unborn PG-13, 96 minutes Contains violence, strong language and frightening images. Area theaters.