Filmed at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic by Jacob Aaron Estes (who serves as the film’s director, writer, editor, cinematographer, producer, and co-star), He’s Watching is a tense thriller which absolutely transcends its FOUND FOOTAGE trappings and becomes universal as something EVIL takes root in one family’s home.
It begins with something ash-like falling from the sky. Soon enough, a pandemic takes root across the nation. It might even be world-wide, but all happy-go-lucky siblings Iris and Lucas Estes (playing fictionalized versions of themselves) know is that, within days, their parents are sick and, while they recover from this illness at some undisclosed location, they are left alone to care for themselves inside the family home.
At first, things carry on as normal. When boredom sets in, they turn their camera on and begin filming messages to their parents, encouraging them to get better. See? Normal. It's just two kids taking care of themselves, proving that they can do it with no help from adults.
But those messages soon become playful pranks on each other and then, at the height of their playfulness, the messages become utterly disturbing. It’s as if someone is filming them!
Suddenly, they both start receiving unsettling images and videos on their phones. With the incoming messages becoming increasingly nightmarish, Iris and Lucas realize something sinister has taken root in their home.
Featuring startlingly clever filmmaking and stunning debut performances from Iris Serena and Lucas Steel Estes, this nightmarish film builds into a visual feast as horror tropes are turned on their head and all hell breaks loose as the public health crisis continues to soar. There is no help available and, when the house begins to turn on them with electrical issues and so on, their fear mounts, gripping even the audience with thoughts of THE CLOSET CREEPER.
Jacob Aaron Estes serves as the film's director, writer, editor, cinematographer, producer, and co-star. The cast includes Gretchen Lieberum and all of its cast turn in solid performances which help push this ticking TIME BOIMB of tension and paranoia over the edge as an unexpected mystery deepens and the plot takes shape, all associated with mysterious video-within-video moments from someone else videoing them!
Originally created to stave off quarantine boredom, the creativity of Estes, who wowed audiences with Mean Creek and his Sundance 2019 darling Don’t Let Go, is endlessly impressive as he offers up one of his most personal and thrilling tales yet with solid scares and a mounting tension which never lets up.
He’s Watching lands on VOD July 21st from XYZ Films. Will you be watching, too?
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
Director: Jacob Estes
Writer: Jacob Estes
Cast: Gerald Davis; Iris Serena Estes; Jacob Estes
Genre: Horror
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: XYZ Films
Official Site:
Release Date: July 21, 2022
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: When happy-go-lucky siblings Iris and Lucas (playing fictionalized versions of themselves) are left alone while their parents recover from an illness, a series of playful pranks they play on each other escalate when they start receiving unsettling images and videos on their phones. With the incoming messages becoming increasingly nightmarish, Iris and Lucas realize something sinister has taken root in their home.
