The Haunting of Helena

After a bitter divorce, Sophia (Harriet MacMasters-Green), a successful illustrator and her daughter Helena (Sabrina Jolie Perez) move to Italy, seeking a fresh start. They settle into a beautiful, old house which doubles as a muse for the upcoming book that Sophia is creating based on the retelling of their own familial story, a message about how love can bridge any distance, one that her daughter could identify with. Life in the countryside was tranquil and everything they could have hoped for, until an unseen darkness begins to emerge.

Helena, one imaginative, lively young girl, loses her first baby tooth and after placing it under her pillow, learns of the Tooth Fairy. However, the innocent modern fairytale soon adopts an eerie undertone as Helena tells her mother of a different version she has discerned — one about a mysterious and malevolent entity called the “Shadow Fairy”, who is also interested in children's teeth.

As Helena starts losing more teeth, her encounters with the Shadow Fairy increase, unsettling her mother as each encounter augments the family's chilling suspicion that the house they live in harbors a lurking horror unbeknown to them. Sophia thus embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind her daughter’s disturbing experiences, which are starting to blend fearfully into Helena’s reality and nightmares alike. This culminates as both Sophia’s and the audience's interest is piqued by an inscrutable fairytale about a sweet little girl named Selena, who had an unpleasant encounter with the Shadow Fairy.

Haunted by Helena's traumatic experiences and increasing terror, Sophie turns to Father Ennio (Jarreth J. Merz), a scholar engaged in investigating historical antiquities and ghostly phenomena. Skeptical at first, the priest eventually realizes that Helena’s fears are indeed rooted in an old, forgotten legend etched in the rich history of the town.

Father Ennio and Sophia desperately race against time to unravel the riddle of the Shadow Fairy's identity. Delving deeper into the town's folklore, they uncover pieces of a gruesome tale that casts a long, dark shadow over the town – one that has tragically intruded on their idyllic new life. While protecting Helena becomes Sophia's priority, she is faced with the realization that it might be more than just superstition shrouding their nocturnal foe.

Parallel to this, Helena is surrounded by her own battles with the Shadow Fairy, a predicament that is filled with suspense and dread. An eerie and enigmatic figure appearing in her nightmares leaves her, and the viewers, haunted and in anticipation of what might unfold next.

On the journey to uncover horrifying facts, they endure restless nights, eerie occurrences and a tumultuous reality that blurs the boundary between the waking world and the supernatural. The filmmakers blend intense moments of horror and suspense with softer moments of mother-daughter bonding, creating a complex and layered narrative. It’s from these woven-in narratives of human relationships that the film constructs its potency.

Sophia's struggle culminates in a desperate attempt to decode the tangled threads of history, legends, and her daughter’s terrifying experiences before it is too late. The film thus explores a riveting journey of a mother-daughter duo faced with unspeakable horrors while adding a chilling new twist to the traditional lore of the Tooth Fairy.

Set against the beautiful Italian landscape, the film displays an engaging visual style that amplifies the chilling narrative. Guerrero’s direction and Aaron's cinematography come together to create an eerie atmosphere that effectively sets up the suspenseful premise of the film.

As a horror film, The Haunting of Helena convincingly builds an atmosphere of dread and anxiety. However, it is also a story about a mother’s love, her ability to confront her fears and how far she can go to protect her child. It is a fresh take on traditional children's lore with a hauntingly frightening edge that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats, where reality intertwines with the darkest corners of our childhood fears and imagination.