![[Movie Review] HE’S WATCHING](https://www.nightmarishconjurings.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/hes-watching-still-scaled-e1658880163457.jpeg)
The film starts rather abruptly as we witness a strange substance falling from the sky which sparks a pandemic. We see familiar images of people wearing masks and spending all their time at home, so right away the director establishes a level of familiarity with the audience. Iris and Lucas, a teenage girl and her younger brother live alone, and the opening sequence drops hints that the parents became sick and must recover before returning to their children. Their now independent children resourcefully fend for themselves and have an ongoing video diary they use to stay close with their ailing parents. However, even within the first five minutes, we know the not-talked-about disease only affects adults, leaving the children at home where they become the target of something more sinister than a virus. When objects appear in strange places, and Iris finds eerie recordings on her camera, she assumes Lucas is being a dickhead and pulling pranks as a way to entertain himself. But then the creep level rises beyond the capabilities of even the cleverest little brother. Flickering lights put the siblings on edge, but then a note appears warning them of the Closet Creeper.
The first act comes off as quite disjointed as the scenes seem to jump from one to the next with little connection, but this is because the director is offering us a few perspectives. Both kids film their points of view and make confessional-type videos hoping their parents will hear their troubles. But another perspective sneaks in as we get surveillance-type shots of the house’s exterior and witness slow creeping nighttime footage. These scenes create growing levels of anxiety in the audience as we can see and hear the children but cannot actually warn them of the lurking danger. This third viewpoint also presents some very bizarre moments of surreal depictions of the villains stalking Lucas and Iris. And as all three narratives weave together, we realize the unseen presence is pitting the kids against each other which causes the tension and aggression to rise.
Both kids turn to some form of art to bring them comfort, but at the same time completely enrages the other sibling. Lucas practices the piano and records the songs as a way of connecting with his uncommunicative father. Iris paints and records artsy videos. The discordant sound of the piano begins to grate on the ears, and the artwork grows increasingly more disturbing. At first, the level of annoyance resembles any normal bickering between siblings, but the name-calling soon becomes replaced with serious threats. Not only does the tone of the film grow darker, but the interior of the house also changes once the story becomes limited to this one location. The spookiness gets spookier, and the film keeps the story interesting despite the very limited space.
HE’S WATCHING does fantastic work with creating atmosphere, but the third act seems a bit jumbled with the large exposition dump. The rising action of the mystery keeps you engaged, but the resolution seems forced and creates a pretty drastic change in the pacing, going from fast-moving action to dark snail-paced exploration of household items. The story plays off as disjointed with the various perspectives, but the realistic portrayal of squabbling siblings, unsettling Lynchian imagery, and a haunting score, allows the film to pull off some solid aspects of found footage and haunted house horror.
HE’S WATCHING is now available on VOD from XYZ Films.
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