‘Baby Ruby’ Director Bess Wohl On Portraying The Horrors Of Motherhood
Time and time again we’ve seen pregnant women and new mothers undergo all sorts of horrors, from demonic rituals to brutal C-sections. And it makes sense since birth and raising children are, in fact, terrifying on their own. But we’ve seen the iterations of the same narrative ad nauseam, especially in regard to monstrous motherhood. But with her new film Baby Ruby, writer and director Bess Wohl wanted to tap into a new side of pregnancy horror, one that isn’t afraid to confront the violent reality of postpartum depression.
Read the full synopsis:
Jo (Noémie Merlant, Portrait of a Lady on Fire), is a successful lifestyle entrepreneur who’s happily pregnant, awaiting the arrival of her first child. But soon after Jo welcomes her baby Ruby home, something starts to feel off—even though she’s assured it’s all perfectly normal. Is something wrong with her? Is something wrong with Ruby? And why are the seemingly perfect neighborhood moms so desperate to befriend her? As Jo fights to protect herself and her baby, she is plunged into a waking fever dream where everyone is a threat and nothing is what it seems. At last, she must confront the truth of her own darkness and contend with the ultimate human sacrifice: the one mothers make for their children.
Dread Central spoke with Wohl about her take on motherhood horror, working on film vs. theater, and more.
Watch the full interview:
Baby Ruby is available now on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD.
Categorized:Interviews
