Anne (Barbara Crampton) lives in a small town married to Jakob, the church pastor who enjoys helping others within the community. But for Anne, things could be a lot better, especially when it comes to her marriage with Jakob. Over the last thirty years, their marriage has become something that doesn’t seem to carry any real strength as it used to.
But little does Anne know, something huge is about to change in her life. Soon Anne catches up with an old friend from high school and they go to the old mill for old times sake. But while the two rehash the past, Anne is attacked by an unknown person leaving her covered in blood. Anne is unsure what’s occurred, but when she goes home, she discovers several changes in herself.
At first, Anne lacks interest in eating food, but somehow, she has been given an increased burst of energy and a desire to change her overall appearance. But despite the new changes and improvements all around, Anne learns very quickly that something is living inside her, which carries a thirst to drink blood and perhaps even harm others.
Jakob’s Wife has a positive setup. We understand Anne’s present life fully, and through subtle moments on screen, it’s evident that she’s unhappy in her marriage with Jakob. Still, enough details are given to the viewer and its great character development. From here, the film carries on with many mysteries, including on earth happen to Anne and, more so, what is she becoming and who is behind it all. These questions were rather welcoming, and it was exciting to share this new experience with the lead Anne.
Elements including visuals and make-up designs are most pleasing here. As Anne makes changes to her appearance, there’s a fun level of creativity on display. Naturally, the film builds towards some major reveals and a finale that includes a blood bath and gore. I was thankful to see the film wasn’t interested in holding back on moments of horror and effects, and these moments won’t disappoint those seeking a film with lots of blood and guts.
Performances are great, with Barbara Crampton delivering and creating a wild character that goes on an emotional rollercoaster ride of changes physically and mentally. A pleasing transformation occurs for Anne, and I felt the actress nailed her role, making it fun too. The supporting cast is also great, with only a couple of characters that feel more cheesy and weaker than the core cast. The musical score was hit and miss for me as some moments made the film feel cheap. On the other hand, sound effects were entertaining, especially for those who love gore and moments of horror. The pacing was generally great, but while the runtime is quick, I did feel it drags during the film’s third and final act.
Overall, I certainly had a good time with this film. I knew very little going in but soon found myself being either shocked or surprised at multiple moments. This horror film delivers on the level of being crazy and wacky along with some nice added mysteries. The performance of leading actress Barbara Crampton was awesome. I loved seeing how energetic and enjoyable she was as she changes and transforms into an unknown monster. Jakob’s Wife is fun, random, and loaded with generous amounts of grossness and horror bound to please many movie lovers worldwide.
6.0/10
6th August 2021
Written by Peter Walkden
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