''They Look Like People'' is a 2015 independent
psychological horror
Psychological horror is a genre, subgenre of horror fiction, horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and Mental state, psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre freque ...
film shot, edited, written, produced and directed by Perry Blackshear. It was his
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. It premiered on January 25, 2015, at the Slamdance Film Festival, where it won a special jury award. It stars MacLeod Andrews as a man who believes
humanity is being secretly taken over by evil creatures.
Plot
Close friends Wyatt and Christian, who have drifted apart, reunite in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, where Christian invites Wyatt to stay at his apartment. Wyatt has withdrawn into himself, having recently broken up with his fiancée, while Christian, who's also broken up with his fiancée, attempts to counter his insecurities with bodybuilding and aggressive machismo. As the two old friends bond, Christian invites Wyatt along on the date he has with his supervisor, Mara, calling ahead and asking Mara to invite her friend.
Wyatt and Christian arrive to find that Mara's friend Sandy has fallen and injured herself. Wyatt examines Sandy and recommends she go to the hospital. Wyatt, Christian, and Mara spend the evening in the waiting room until Sandy's release, and Mara gratefully thanks Christian for staying. As Mara walks Christian to the subway, he fails to take the initiative to kiss her goodnight. Wyatt reassures Christian that Mara is probably still interested in him despite the end of the evening. After Christian falls asleep, Wyatt receives an anonymous phone call, where a muddled voice tells him he only has time to save himself, and he must leave the city and prepare for demonic invasion.
Wyatt confers with a psychiatrist about his fears of psychosis, but cuts the session short when he becomes convinced the psychiatrist himself is possessed by demons.
Mara and Christian continue seeing each other. Wyatt receives subsequent phone calls, this time in Mara's voice, alerting him to ominous signs of the apocalypse and the demons' nature, specifically how they infect humans. Wyatt stockpiles weapons in Christian's cellar and alternately contemplates both suicide and the murder of passersby he believes possessed.
With his newfound assertiveness, Christian believes himself to be in line for a raise, only for Mara to reveal that he has been fired. A note on his computer, signed by his coworkers, accuses him of being an asshole. Christian returns home to find Wyatt waiting for him. Before he can say anything, Mara visits. At first angry, Christian apologizes and invites her in. The three chat amicably, and Christian leaves to get a specific tea Mara wanted. Wyatt invites Mara to explore the house and takes her downstairs to show her his weapon stash. Wyatt asks her for further information on the demonic invasion, alluding to her voice on the phone. When Mara realizes Wyatt's seriousness, she flees. Christian returns, disappointed that she left. Wyatt becomes highly agitated and rants about the coming demonic invasion. Christian calms him down and sets him up with a psychiatrist, the same one Christian went to when he attempted suicide.
Wyatt accosts Mara, trying to apologize, and she lashes out in self-defense, injuring him. Seeming remorseful, she helps him clean up, but he is horrified when she transforms into a demon. Wyatt runs away and finds Christian preparing to join the army to conquer his insecurities. Wyatt convinces him to leave the city and prepare for the coming apocalypse. Christian agrees, as long as Wyatt attends his psychiatric appointment. As Wyatt sees omens of the apocalypse, he instead insists they barricade the basement. To show his trust in Wyatt, Christian allows himself to be bound and gagged in case he is possessed. On the hour of the apocalypse, Wyatt becomes convinced Christian is possessed and prepares to kill him as he watches Christian transform. At the last moment, Wyatt realizes he is hallucinating, and recognizing Christian as truly human, frees him. Christian remarks that he has finally conquered his insecurities by facing death, and the two embrace.
Cast
*
MacLeod Andrews
MacLeod Andrews is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He has won 15 Earphone Awards and 2 Audie Awards, as well as acting awards.
Personal life
Andrews was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and graduated from Middlebury College. He ...
as Wyatt
* Evan Dumouchel as Christian
* Margaret Ying Drake as Mara
* Mick Casale as Psychiatrist
* Elena Greenlee as Sandy
Reception
The film holds an approval rating of 92% on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.52/10.
Horror websites ''
Fangoria
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released i ...
'' and
Dread Central
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...
both wrote positive reviews for the film; Dread Central's Ari Drew wrote that it was "a deliberately paced and subdued stunner of a film that succeeds above all in its genuine approach of concern and respect for its realistically horrifying subject matter."
Film School Rejects
Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, prod ...
praised the film for its treatment of mental illness, commenting, "It's rare to find a genre film that takes the time to explore the human behind the madness while still providing thrills".
Screen Anarchy
ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
and
SciFiNow
''SciFiNow'' was a British magazine formerly published every four weeks by Kelsey Media in the United Kingdom, covering the science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction, horror genres. It launched in April 2007, with the print publication ceasing i ...
also gave the film positive reviews, and both felt the actors and the director were highlights.
References
External links
*
* {{IMDb title, 4105970
Films about mental health
2015 films
2015 horror films
2015 directorial debut films
2010s English-language films
English-language horror films