Review of We Are Still Here (2015) by Brett B — 26 Jan 2016

One of the great pleasures of watching a lot of horror movies is when you go into one knowing virtually nothing about it and then being legitimately taken aback, surprised, and entertained by what you've found.

WE ARE STILL HERE is just such a film, a haunted house story with a few extra quirks and wrinkles that succeeds in doing what few movies do: it made me genuinely uneasy. The film seeks to truly frighten the audience, not merely jolt or surprise them with jump scares (although there certainly are a few of those).

It's a classic sort of setup - a couple grieving the death of their son moves into an old house with a dark history; it's no spoiler to say that ghosts are involved, but they aren't only a piece of the puzzle, nor are they the only source of danger for the characters.

The relationship between the leads feels realistic and emotionally honest, and occasionally even brings about some nice moments of humor. As for the ghosts, the movie contains some of the creepiest representations of them that I've seen in a long time, as they often exist as dark figures at the edges of the frame or scuttling through the background.

The movie is not without its fair share of gore (some of it borderline over-the-top... but in a kind of fun way), but overall it feels much more like the classier haunted tales of old than it does some gruesome, exploitation sleazefest.

It is also a movie soaked in atmosphere, something that is ramped up by its chilly, wintry setting and very fine cinematography. It's easy to shock an audience, but it's harder to unnerve them, but this film more than met that test for me.

I don't want to oversell it, but WE ARE STILL HERE is a fantastic little horror movie.