Part of the
problem I have always had with haunted house movies is the logic behind the
family’s refusal to simply move out when the haunting begins, and We Are Still Here sidesteps this by
confining the horror action to the film’s climax. Once the truth about the
house is revealed, it is too late to escape and an hour of slow build-up
finally pays off with a chaotic final act. If only the journey to get to the
explosive ending were a bit more competently made, I would have an easier time
recommending We Are Still Here. As it
stands, the last twenty minutes make a great short film, while the first hour
feels like amateur filmmaking.
A remarkably
large amount of horror is about catharsis, redemption and healing, despite the
flashiness of the gore and horror violence. Haunted house movies are perfectly
paired for themes of loss and regret, with the idea that the dead remain to right
the wrongs of the past. After their son is killed in a tragic car crash, Paul
and Anne (Andrew Sensenig and Barbara Crampton) move to a secluded house in New England in an attempt to start fresh. This plan fails
horribly when the couple begins to suspect that the ghost of their dead son has
followed them to their new home. Coincidentally, the parents (Lisa Marie, Jacob
Lewis) of their son’s friend have experience contacting the dead and join Paul
and Anne to seek answers in the house.
Although
the elderly couple have hopes that the spirit in their home is merely their
dead son, it should be clear that there are larger forces at play by the way
that the locals treat their new neighbors. In typical haunted house fashion,
two neighbors show up on their doorstep for the sole reason of telling them
about the house’s history. Treated as the ultimate outsiders aside from the
exposition-setting visit, the community doesn’t seem to have much faith that
Paul and Anne will remain in the house for very long.
When the action
starts towards the end of the film, We Are Still Here throws all kinds of
horror arsenal at the audience. The haunting takes on physical forms that often
resemble demons or zombies rather than ghosts, allowing for a much higher level
of carnage than expected. This might have been even more satisfying if it
didn’t take an hour of mediocre melodramatic performances and predictable plot
twists to get to. Writer/director Ted Geoghegan uses his feature-film debut to
showcase his ability with horror and violence, while simultaneously showing his
weakness with actors and believable dialogue that’s not on-the-nose.
The Blu-ray
release includes a commentary track with Geoghegan and producer Travis Stevens.
There is also a behind-the-scenes featurette and two trailers for the film. The
high definition presentation helps some of the digital horror effects, though
it doesn’t have much impact on the first hour of the movie.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
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