my thoughts on.... 'They're Watching'

As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
I legitimately had no idea what I was getting into, when I turned on 'They're Watching'. I knew very little about it and had intentionally kept it that way, so as to enjoy it with untainted eyes. What I'm going to say now is, if you want to experience it the same way I did, then stop this review now and go watch it. Currently it's streaming on Netflix and is only about an hour and a half. I'll be here when you get back.
* There may be minor spoilers ahead *
Okay, so if you're reading this, you've either watched the film or don't mind a little bit of spoilers. 'They're Watching' is strongly based on several different HGTV programs about people buying homes for the first time or fixer uppers or haunted mansions or whatever. There was no question what the basis for the overall premise was. This gave the film a grounding and logical explanation for the near found footage style or film making. However, they offer a bit more reasonable excuse why we're seeing the film at the end, since almost every involved is dead, but we'll get to that. Written and directed by Jay Lender and Micah Wright, this film isn't entirely sure what it wants to be. Jay Lender has primarily worked in television on such shows as 'Phineas and Ferb' and 'Spongebob Squarepants'. Micah Wright has mainly worked in video games, so right off the bat, you know you're in for something different. A horror movie with that pedigree has to have something to prove. Starring a slew of fairly unknown actors, sans Dimitri Diatchenko, whom you may not recognize his name, but look up his credits and you'll know the man. All of this actually works in the films favor, as it makes you care more about the characters, than the people who play them. The locations feel very genuine and you get nice sense of xenophobia throughout the film. All good things to have going on, if you're a film maker, right? Keep reading.

The movie begins with the ending. You literally see the death of at least one, possibly two main characters before the credits even begin to roll.... if there were credits. This entire film plays out exactly as though it was an episode of this home buying show, 'Home Hunters Global'. Once the initial shock of the violent deaths has passed, we skip back to before the film crew had arrived, as we see the original episode that started the whole journey. A young couple, Becky and Goran, are looking to purchase a small fixer upper in Goran's home town, a remote Eastern European village of 200 people called Moldova. The host, Kate Banks, shows them a run down and decrepit cottage on the outskirts of town that has seen better days. Surprisingly, Becky leaps at the chance to turn it into her dream home. Fast forward to 6 months later, as Kate and her crew are gearing up to go back and see how Becky has progressed with her project. We meet Sarah, a fresh out of film school intern type. Greg, a long time cameraman who had served in Afghanistan. And finally, Joe, a rather hap hazard producer who really doesn't like the idea of having to go back to this backwoods little town overseas. When they arrive, they surprised to be greeted by staring villagers everywhere they go and are even more surprised when they show up at the cottage and it's beautiful. Goran is out of town, but Becky welcomes them with open arms. Proud to show off all of the hard work she's put into remodeling her home. Upon further inspection, things start to turn a little strange as there are paintings of a witch burning and frogs in the cellar. They start to have stranger and stranger run in's with the locals as nobody seems to want them there, except Becky. From there, you're on your own. I'll have a bit more to say in a bit about what happens, but I'm hoping you'll have already seen the film by that point.
'They're Watching' isn't your standard found footage style film. From the basic use of the home remodeling show premise to the remote foreign location, it feels more like a regular movie than anything else. There are brief moments where you're reminded that it's all being filmed by the characters themselves, but it's never overwhelming or shoved down your throat. It's a subtle approach, let's call it. This may not be the most original take on the subject of witches and film crews stumbling on to something terrifying, but I have to admire the way that Jay Lender and Micah Wright have handled it. They made a very kinetic film going experience that kept me more than interested throughout the entire run time. I felt like I had a good grasp on what was going on and what would eventually happen (especially considering we saw the ending at the beginning), but I wasn't fully expecting the twist that happened in the third act. I wish that I could say that it endeared me to the film and made me want to see it again, however, it kind of turned me off. I don't want to give away the shift in tone and shocking moment that twisted the story around, but it's hard to not talk about it because it influences the viewers final feelings on the whole spectacle.

Let's just say this, after something specific happens, things go really sideways. Not in terms of the films plot, but in terms of the films special effects and the reality of what's happening. It's at this point, that I could start to see the film makers backgrounds starting to bleed through into the main plot. It's so cartoonish and somewhat silly that I started to wonder what the hell happened? Because we had such a strong first two acts, it made the ending have much less impact. I've never had a thing for films about witches, except for Rob Zombie's slow burner the 'Lords of Salem'. This movie reminded me why I feel that way. I honestly think that if the directors had just toned down the special effects more and maybe had a bit more humor sprinkled throughout the first half, the ending would have made more sense. Perhaps it was budgetary constraints or maybe just a desire to be a little bat crap insane at the end? The audience may never know.
Before I sum everything up that I'm feeling and give you my final rating of the film, I should say that I didn't hate this movie and in fact, I rather enjoyed it. There was some great homages paid to other films, along the way. Including my favorite, which was directly pointed at Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead' franchise. There was also some really great moments of shock and surprise and some good character development. I really grew to hate Kate, mainly because of the script and the choices Carrie Genzel made in flushing her out. There was a lot to really love about 'They're Watching'. However, it just never felt like it knew what kind of movie it wanted to be. Was it a horror film? A comedy? Perhaps a little of both? Which, when it's done right, can be amazing. (I'm looking at you 'Cabin in the Woods') This just never happened, in my opinion. It's almost as though the idea was to throw everything in, including the kitchen sink, and hope for the best. All in all, I'd give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars. A really strong outing for these film makers and I hope that it allows them to continue to make movies. They have a strong voice and plenty of real world experience to work from. If they can just harness it and focus that energy on a better overall film from start to finish, we may be seeing something pretty fantastic from them down the road. I would recommend checking this one out, if you're looking for something a little different and don't mind jumping the shark at the end.


If you'd like to see some other films about witches, check out: 'Lords of Salem', 'The Witch' or 'The Wizard of Oz' (I'm just saying, there's witches in that film)