Things Heard and Seen is an unusual, psychological horror film where several tropes are turned on their heads, while the important beats are still captured. Domestic relationships, power dynamics, and identity are all explored in a way that respects the person as more than a victim and an archetype.
A Manhattan artist relocates to the country to appease her husband. Once there, she begins to uncover sinister secrets about both her new town and her marriage. The film is based on a novel by Elizabeth Brundage, entitled “All Things Cease to Appear”.
The film’s acting is one of its top strengths. Amanda Seyfried plays one of her deepest roles yet, which is not to be underestimated. She is not only able to play someone struggling in her situation, but also a woman who is brave, intelligent, and done putting up with what the other characters are pushing her way. It is a refreshing twist on where a film generally takes this type of plotline.
Not to let Amanda steal all of the credit, although she deserves much, standout acting is also seen by James Norton as the challenging George Claire, Alex Neustaedter as a helpful neighbor boy, Eddie Vayle, and F. Murray Abraham as the enigmatic Floyd DeBeers.
The cinematography and effects work hand in hand to enhance the subtleties in the film. Rather than relying on jump scares, lurking terrors will often be glossed over and passed by, tempting one to rewind to see if they really noticed what was in the frame.
Where the film suffers is being heavy-handed with its religious and spiritual layers. Especially in the final twenty minutes, some of the tension is lost by how much disbelief one is able to suspend. That final phase definitely reduced my rating by one full star. Otherwise, I believe they tied the spiritual aspects into the plot in a way that worked, before letting it go to increasingly absurd levels at the finale.
Nevertheless, the pacing is strong, especially when one factors in the empathy for the characters. I found myself shouting at the screen several times, truly invested in its outcome. The initially stereotypical ghost is also given an interesting function within the greater plot so that she receives more of a personality and a thought-provoking twist for the director to play with.
As in many haunted house films, the sets are rather limited to a few locations. Yet one thing that sets Things Heard and Seen apart is the establishment of the outside lives of its main cast. We get to see what the husband does for his livelihood, what his social veneer is like, how he acts both with and without his wife, and likewise for her character. Their identities inside and outside of their marriage are explored to great length, portraying the social commentary of marriage and many unhealthy relationships the author established within the original work.
For those who are fans of psychological horror, exploring potential mental issues, and deeper character analysis, Things Heard and Seen is a recommended film. However, one will need to give some grace to its ending.
More From Netflix
Dubbed the most evil house in America by demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, Long Island, New York has definitely piqued the curiosity of many horror fans… Life is a Train Wreck In the final days of 2022, most of us were looking toward 2023 with hearts full of hope, and faith that the moment those… Nightbooks begins with the story of Alex, who is obsessed with scary stories. Once his best friend decides he is uncool because of it, Alex makes the decision to burn… Susumu Nokoshi once worked for a top foreign financial company. He is now a 34-year-old homeless man, usually found around a park in Shinjuku. He then meets medical school student… While zombies have traditionally been mostly influenced by Western culture, the zombie sub-genre has been getting a resurgence these past few years thanks to South Korea. Zombies are some of… Even though the Asian horror movie craze is not as potent as it was back in the early 2000s, new titles have managed to make their way overseas and have…
Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House – Paranormal Documentary Review
White Noise (2022) Film Review – Arthouse Existential Horror Comedy
Nightbooks (2021) Film Review- Netflix Family Horror
Homunculus (2021) Team Review – What Would Your Trauma Look Like?
The Top 5 Most Memorable Zombies of Pinoy Cinema
Incantation (2022) Film Review – An Incredibly Competent Addition To Asian Horror And Found Footage Catalogs
Hello, I’m Quinn. Saying I’m deeply into fashion and Japanese culture is an understatement. We’ve renovated entire rooms of our house to dedicate to my collections of lolita and other Japanese fashions. I enjoy balancing the cute with the macabre, and the more disturbing it is, the more I’ll enjoy it. Thus, my love for Asian horror and manga was born. Thank you for taking the time to read my writings. I look forward to discussing films and aesthethics with you!