Review of We Are Still Here (2015) by Johnny T — 07 Jun 2015

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.