'The Unseen' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an slightly intriguing premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.
It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'The Unseen' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend and it is a sleeper.
Lets start with the sole positive. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky.
Unfortunately, it is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm.
Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting that made it very difficult, impossible even, to engage with the fragility and grief of the characters.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done.
A lot of 'The Unseen' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.
There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy in its execution of the more psychological elements, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, inexperience seems to be all over the film, and the music doesn't really fit.
Altogether, another very bad film. 2/10 Bethany Cox
Amaurosis
2017
Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Amaurosis
2017
Action / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
Gemma and Will are shattered when their son dies in an accident. Gemma blames herself and starts to have panic attacks that affect her eyesight; her point of view is viscerally shared with the audience. At the same time, Will believes he is hearing his son's voice calling out to him. To escape their grief, Gemma suggests they take up a new acquaintance Paul's offer to stay at his Lake District country getaway. Gemma, helped by ex-pharmacist Paul, tries to stop her panic attacks with medication. Will, believing in the supernatural continued presence of his lost son, returns home to be with him. This leaves Gemma alone with Paul who appears to be developing genuine feelings for her welfare. Love, grief, and the frailty of the human condition are all brought to the fore as Gemma Will, and Paul are caught up in a descent into violence, first psychological and ultimately physical.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Dull fragility
WATCH OUT FOR FAKE REVIEWS...this is NOT a scary movie
First...most of these other "great" reviews are from people who "happened" to join IMDB 3 weeks ago...and this is the only movie they have reviewed...you can figure that one out...I can say that didn't just join because out of all the movies they have seen, they had to leave a review on this one...check out the profiles of the other reviewers to see what I mean, there are a few legit ones.
52 minutes in and this is soooo boring....so far it's about a couple dealing with a tragedy and how they cope with it...it is NOT scary...it is NOT riveting...I'm out...not worth watching because I was looking for a good thriller and this is faaaaaaaar from that. Maybe another time when I was looking for something slow...today is not that day.
Drama...not horror, not riveting...bleh....
Tough Momma - psychological thriller, a bit like "Malice"
We were struggling to think of the last "serious" film we'd seen, when The Unseen came up. It seems like an emotional drama at first, but builds momentum and earns its psych-thriller badge for sure. For those who saw Malice with Alec Baldwin / Kidman / Pullman, this is modern and quite different, but made me feel similar ups / downs and overall enjoyment. Also nice to have a female protagonist.