Imagine with me being a director, and being brought an interesting script. Interesting in the sense that it is about a sixteen-year-old girl with mysterious powers. Clearly it is paying homage to Carrie but it is more about finding the family you never knew than the powers themselves. Would you take it in a drama fueled The Spell direction or the balls to the wall last 15 minutes of Evil Speak route? Where we find Julian Richards’ Reborn is somewhere right in the middle.

Reborn tells us the story of a reportedly stillborn baby that the mortician finds to be very much alive. Found on a dark and stormy night the baby grows up to be sixteen-year-old Tess (Kayleigh Gilbert). Tess, as we discover, has the power to control electricity and yearns to know the mother she has never met. Meanwhile, Lena (Barbara Campton) is an actress struggling to get back into the Hollywood spotlight and overcome the grief of the miscarriage she had long ago. How will their paths meet up and who will die in Tess’ pursuit of her mother?

During the Q and A Julian described his film as a “meta, Elevated B movie” and he is right on point. From the filming style, to the characters, and acting this strikes me as a long lost 90s movie. If you were perusing your local Hollywood Video you would find this sitting in between I Know What you did last summer and The Sixth Sense. This comparison, however, comes with all the pros and cons of a horror movie from that decade.

That acting, for the most part, is competent with two actors having some dodgy moments. Michael Paré who plays Dect. Marc Fox feels like his only character trait is he is the detective. Nothing surprises him, nothing of this electric girl alarms him, he is just the man on the force. Kayleigh Gilbert on the other hand, who plays the electrokinesis Tess, could do with a bit more subtlety. It is always clear what emotion is going through Tess’ head because it is acted so loud. That said, here physical acting is extremely well done with some visuals of her movements being quite spooky.

Aside from a moment or two a bland acting and a CGI special effect looking off, I see this playing well for most audiences. This one is recommended for the fan of the “youth with mysterious power” subgenre, or a completion of lost 90s and 2000s horror. In the end, if you are looking for an amusing time with a girl zapping people in Hollywood, give it a watch.