The Captive

A kidnapping scheme goes horribly awry in this witty supernatural thrill ride, the first horror outing from Burgoyne (The Teleportation Accident, written as Ned Beauman). Anticapitalist collective the Nail is intent on exposing the perfidy of the Woolsaw Group, “the largest public service outsourcing company in the UK,” whom they blame for increasing the misery of the populace. New recruit Luke has an especially personal grievance: his sister died in a Woolsaw Group–controlled mental health institution. The Nail plots to abduct Adeline Woolsaw, heir to her family’s empire, and hold her for ransom, not realizing that she is heavily pregnant. Mere hours after the kidnapping, Adeline gives birth to Percy, an infant with unpredictable and uncanny powers. She’s willing to collaborate with the Nail to keep Percy from her parents, who have diabolical plans for their grandchild and plenty of resources to track him down. Burgoyne keeps the action brisk and the repartee sharp in the ensuing game of cat-and-mouse, as Luke and his Nail-mates realize the potential to weaponize Percy’s talents and the Woolsaws resort to increasingly desperate stratagems that invite scathing satire of their plutocratic overreach. This refreshingly modern spin on the infernal child theme deserves to stand beside such genre classics as Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen. (Sept.)