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- 2015
- Not Rated
- Dark Sky Films
- 1 h 24 m
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Dark Sky Films
- 1 h 24 m
Summary After their teenage son is killed in a car crash, Paul (Andrew Sensenig) and Anne (Barbara Crampton) move to the quiet New England countryside to try to start a new life for themselves. But the grieving couple unknowingly becomes the prey of a family of vengeful spirits that reside in their new home, and before long they discover that th...
Directed By: Ted Geoghegan
Written By: Ted Geoghegan
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Dark Sky Films
- 1 h 24 m
- 2015
- Not Rated
- Dark Sky Films
- 1 h 24 m
We Are Still Here
65
6.3
Where to Watch
Summary After their teenage son is killed in a car crash, Paul (Andrew Sensenig) and Anne (Barbara Crampton) move to the quiet New England countryside to try to start a new life for themselves. But the grieving couple unknowingly becomes the prey of a family of vengeful spirits that reside in their new home, and before long they discover that th...
Directed By: Ted Geoghegan
Written By: Ted Geoghegan
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
65
57% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
43% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
65
57% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
43% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Early scenes overplay the shock of these phantasms, but just as you expect Geoghegan to crank up the effects, the film mixes in some subtler scares.
Once the viewer finds him or herself comfortable with the idea that it’s going for mildly-spine-tingling rather than gut-punching and eyeball-violating, all holy hell breaks loose. Which in this case turns out to be a pretty hellishly good thing.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 53 User Ratings
6.3
45% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
45% Mixed
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
9% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 53 User Ratings
6.3
45% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
45% Mixed
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
9% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
The story that Geoghegan, along with Richard Griffin, creates is a melancholic blend of casual attitude, and sobering horror. There is no overstated approach to building the paranormal aspects of "We Are Still Here", or that all too familiar "your so dumb that I am telling you the scary part is coming" staging. The almost comfortable character interactions and dialog seem to echo the the loss and sorrow that the two main characters feel in the story, which create a relaxed viewing experience so when the suspense leads into the scares, they often are pretty scary. The acting and situations don't feel contrived or forced.
"We Are Still Here" does have an extra slice of the macabre with an "American Gothic"/"Twin Peaks" type of community that surrounds the country home with a dark, historical back story. Evil people do evil thinks when faced with evil. That is all I will say about that part of the story. Anyway it takes the paranormal, ghost story to another level of nightmare that doesn't happen often in films about haunting. Plus it begs for a sequel, and further exploration into the house's history and the evil within.
The special effects are pretty well thought out and executed. There are elements that pull from classic horror, which considering that "We Are Still Here" is a period piece set in the 70's, just helps create that creepy atmosphere that classic horror films seemed to have, that modern films often fall flat when trying to tap into. The creature effects are cringe worthy, and the chills are definitely effective. Actually if some of the cast weren't so recognizable, you would forget that this is a recent film, and think that you ran across good old horror from way back when! It is quite surprising just how well the production value, set design, and attention to detail "We Are Still Here" contains. Much like "The House Of The Devil", this flashback horror is entertaining, creepy, and - when it needs to be- chilling!
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Really enjoyed this little gem. Like It Follows, this one also had a retro feel to it. The story is neat and the movie kept me entertained throughout. The ending was something to really get excited about. Overall, definitely worth the watch! My only gripe is that it seemed too short. But that could've just been because I was sad when it ended.
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The new chiller We Are Still Here is the latest iteration of people unwittingly stumbling upon an ancient menace, and it succeeds more than it fails, thanks largely to the nice work of first-time director Ted Geoghegan.
Has its pacing problems, and the special effects are strictly of the cheesy variety, but it provides enough genuine scares to make it thoroughly enjoyable, especially if seen at a drive-in on a hot summer night.
Once We Are Still Here unsticks itself from hommage mode, it finds something cathartically funny inside the fearsome.
We Are Still Here will make you scream and make you laugh, and possibly leave you speechlessly gesticulating at a charred zombielike ghost in the background. But the peak moments are too few.
Of course, you can’t really make a movie that combines elements of the metaphysical, zombie and haunted-house genres without a few splatter-movie clichés, but Mr. Geoghegan makes them creepier and more unpredictable than I thought possible.
We Are Still Here is a decent horror story with a ghost element. It didn't feel fresh, or groundbreaking, in-fact very 80s yet modern vibe to it. Despite it not being groundbreaking, it's a solid horror film to watch with a horror fan. You'll likely forget about it in years to come, but you won't have wasted time watching it.
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Stiff predictable horror antics, but decently creepy practical effect and ironic humor. There's not much variation of gimmicks on We Are Still Here, it focuses on simple haunting with a bit of twist near the end. The narrative plays out slowly and there's barely any thrill aside for a couple of scenes on latter half. Acting and visual are proficient enough, but the film's better aspect is its over the top make-up and effect. In this case the excess of gore does present better and more eerie spectacle than any psychological angle it barely able to capitalize on.
A middle age husband and wife move to an isolated house on cold rural landscape. They have just lost their son, so the mourning hasn't passed yet. After a few days they sense something reside on the house, wishful thinking dictate that it's their son trying to comfort them. Unsurprisingly, turns out the house itself prays for victim. The premise is as formulaic as they come, using typical possession or haunting development seen in other horror movies.
Cinematography isn't half bad, for first half it creates multiple shots of the house and the natural surroundings. They are showcased with wide points of view which are considerably effective in setting the atmosphere. Acting from the leads are good, although there's a bit of shaky performance by the supporting cast as they tend to be overly dramatic or speaking with drab unemotional lines, which to its defense is partially for irony purpose. The film's strong suit isn't on building mental tension, it's the shock value from the effects.
Honestly, from the slow first act it doesn't fascinate much. The usual blare or jump scare aren't potent, they are not even that many of them. A few sequences are laughably comedic, they can only be intentionally and actually nicely done. It does ramp up significantly with tons of bloody scorched practical effect later on. This may not be a refined psychological terror and a clever way to wrap things up, but the overabundance of the gore surprisingly works. It gets the job done in appropriately ugly manner.
Since the film isn't that lengthy and the build-up is timid, its only saving grace are the startling dead, which might please some fans but probably not everyone, and timely comedic value of the old genre.
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Interesting set-up, with an appropriate early pacing. There was a simplistic story that provided enough to draw attention, but the positives stop there.
It quickly goes off the rails with over-the-top death sequences, which due to little tension being established, and poor practical effects, come across as cheesy rather than frightening. The acting was average at best, and characters are easily forgettable. The town never becomes as disturbing as Goeghegan hopes it to be. The directing also fails to portray the creepy nature of the setting, which may have otherwise added tension.
By the end, it became a joke. So disappointing from an initially intriguing premise.
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We Are Still Here is something of a mess to be quite frank. A film set clearly in the early 80's and the cinematography shows. Though it has things going for it , like a decent story and look and feel, I honestly just could not get into this movie. Being someone who is very open minded about horror films ( I must be one of the rare who believe The Blair Witch Project is still something of absolute brilliance), I expected this movie to really shake it up and wow me. I was thoroughly disappointed. The acting was sub-par at best and the characters just didn't resonate well. This I believe could have been alleviated had this had a stronger cast, however it just felt muddled and comical at times when I felt the story was getting intense. It was just a sloppy film and I couldn't wait for it to be done. And then after watching, I cursed myself out for spending the time to watch it . The ghosts were definitely scary enough, and the film certainly felt like a time piece........They just did not mesh well together and instead of being something unique and scary, it was disappointing and tiring. I would only rent this if you are really into ghost stories. But for as much hope as I had in this film, I am just glad it is over and that I can hopefully deter anyone from wasting their time and money on this ........Trust me............
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Production Company
Snowfort Pictures,
Dark Sky Films
Release Date Jun 5, 2015
Duration 1 h 24 m
Rating Not Rated
Tagline This house needs a family.
Awards
Fright Meter Awards
• 7 Nominations
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 5 Nominations
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
• 2 Nominations
