‘Things Heard & Seen’ is a 2021 horror thriller written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini and is available on Netflix since April 29th. Based on the novel All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage, it stars Amanda Seyfried and James Norton.
This is one of those films that pop up on your recommendations list on Netflix and catches your eye immediately. You see some big names on the cast and you just want to watch it.
The movie is by no means a masterpiece or a genre subversion. It just a nice, fun 2 hour watch.
Let’s dissect this thing so you can decide for yourself whether or not you want to watch it. But be warned, we are talking some spoilers ahead (for the first act of the movie at least).
Be sure to read more of our reviews by clicking here!
Plot Summary
Catherine and George Claire are a young couple that live in Manhattan with their young daughter Franny. They move upstate after George lands a teaching position in a college.
Catherine starts noticing strange things in the house. Ghostly presences and weird noises. George dismisses her comments, as he believes these are just delusions derived from her anorexic tendencies.
George becomes a superstar teacher of sorts amongst his female students specially. After meeting one in a library and pursuing her, they start an affair.
Eddie and Cole are two brothers who live nearby the Claire’s and offer cleaning and maintenance jobs for the house. Catherine later learns that they used to live in that house, until their father killed her mother and then committed suicide.
This is as much setup as I can give without spoiling major details that will come at play ahead. As you can see, the first act is intriguing and lays the groundwork for an interesting thriller/mystery with some horror elements. Unfortunately it lands short on that not long after the plot begins to unravel itself.
Now we get into the big spoilers, so if you haven’t watched it and are interested, this is the time to stop reading.
Big Setups, Medium Payoffs
The crux of this film is mainly that, it tries to balance horror thriller with some drama and it falls a little short at both fronts.
Regarding horror, ‘Things Heard & Seen’ doesn’t rely on jump scares, which is nice since it can come across as cheap. However, there is barely a moment when you feel actual dread or even scared. Even if it is indeed enjoyable, the way the movie is presented in the first act, you think you could expect some twisted turns with big scary elements driving the story. Instead, there are only a couple of scenes that try to play on the tropes of the horror genre.
Regarding the more dramatic elements, both spouses begin affairs with other people, sensing their marriage is breaking down (mainly because of George being a deceitful douchebag). However, there aren’t any big payoffs after the affairs are discovered, just more discontent on the part of the couple.
Also, George goes from being a liar to a full-on murderer sociopath. There are some indictments of this being thanks to the evil spirit of the house influencing his decisions. However there is no setup for this, so it is just speculation.
So, we are left with a movie that tries to do some horror, then switches to drama/thriller, and then an ending that mixes some of both.
It’s Still Good Though
Nonetheless, the initial setup made for an intriguing and interesting experience. This is a movie that people who aren’t keen to watching horror films can actually endure watching.
The performances were amazing. We all know basically Amanda Seyfried can do no wrong at this point, and James Norton really pulled the nuances of playing the good husband at first and then the sociopathic turn.
The cinematography was also great, as it was shot in beautiful upstate American landscapes. The hints and revelations we get throughout the film keep you engaged at all times.
Although ‘Things Heard & Seen’ is probably not a movie you will rewatch and maybe not even recommend, it certainly won’t let you down and give you something entertaining to watch on a regular Saturday evening.
Score: 7/10
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