In less assured hands, Mother of Flies may have fallen in with a certain kind of elevated horror film, with a script defined by slightly overwrought cancer metaphors. Instead, the Adams Family does well to ground the drama in the reality of a father and daughter facing the latter’s mortality. There is a welcome sensitivity in the discussion of Mickey’s bodily autonomy as she subjects herself to Solveig’s painful methods (the witch argues they’re no worse than chemo), and the character’s dilemma offers a convincing answer to a horror viewer’s favourite question: why don’t they get out of there?

The fact is that Mickey is desperate, and Zelda Adams gives a tender performance that exposes the vulnerability under the patient’s determined, hardened exterior. Meanwhile, as a father struggling with the worst kind of helplessness, John Adams is equally captivating. He also provides comedic relief, and the scenes where Jake tries to engage in friendly banter with Solveig to no avail (like when he says he could use some coffee and she stoically sets about making him potentially poisonous tea) delightfully diffuse—and rebuild—the tension.