They’re Watching (2016) – Review

I’m going to make a confession to you all and I’m not the least bit afraid to admit it… I, Lacy Lou, am a reality T.V. junkie. So, imagine my surprise when I’m browsing through Netflix to find a new horror movie to watch and I come across one that says the plot is about a reality show gone wrong! I hit the play button instantly on They’re Watching, but did it make me want to watch to add it to my horror collection or did it leave me never wanting to watch a horror movie about a reality show ever again?

Released in theaters and on demand, March 25th, 2016, They’re Watching is a new horror comedy from the creative minds of Jay Lender and Micah Wright (Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Spongebob Squarepants) who both wrote and directed the film. Lender and Wright have paired up to do many projects with T.V. and video games, however, this is their first go at writing and directing a screenplay.

They’re Watching starts off with Becky (Brigid Brannagh) house hunting for a fixer upper in the foreign city of Moldova. With the help of her real estate agent Vladmir (Dimitri Diatchenko), she quickly finds the place she would like to fix up and call home, which happens to need a lot of fixing. A popular home improvement reality television crew: Greg (David Alpay), Alex (Kris Lemche), Kate (Carrie Genzel), and Sarah (Mia Faith) are set to do a follow up on the transformation of Becky’s house. They hear an urban legend of a witch that use to rule Moldova and are told never to speak of it to the locals. Soon after arriving, they realize the townies want them gone. Will they stay? Will they mention the witch? Or will they just hop the first flight back to the good ole’ U.S.A.?

What Works: 

Let me first start off by saying this movie is absolutely more comedy than horror but it works! Lemche seemed to be the brunt of all the bad things that happened, but he was hilarious and played the role to perfection. Without him, this movie would not have been enjoyable. It was a smart move with his character role. He’s always enjoyable to watch and if you don’t know who he is, you should. He’s starred in films such as Final Destination 3 and Gingersnaps. Also, a fun fact is that Lemche starred in Final Destination 3 with Ryan Merriman who also did a horror reality movie that we all know as Halloween Resurrection.

The opening sequence for They’re Watching has you hooked and makes you want to know how things got to that point. The setting of the film and locations were spot on. This movie also really gave you the feel of a house hunter’s international vibe and I believe it delivered what it was trying to accomplish. The ending line was perfect.

What Didn’t Work: 

Aside from the opening and the ending, the movie itself just kind of feels like everything is a filler and doesn’t really matter if it’s in it or not. The acting was over the top. Some bloody graphics were cool, but for two guys that help develop video games and cartoons I expected more. The twist was highly predictable, or maybe I’ve just seen one too many movies. However, I think everyone would be able to tell what was going to happen.

Final Verdict:

This movie was made to make fun of reality T.V. and found footage horror movies. It accomplishes that. The story was lackluster but still a fun ride as I waited to see how it was all going to end. As I stated before, you should watch this movie alone for Lemche’s performance. As for Lender and Wright and this being their first script and directorial debuts, I’m not over the moon but still pretty impressed and look forward to seeing what else they will come up with in the future. If you’re bored and have Netflix this is a fun movie to watch, of course, if you’re not afraid already that… they’re watching you! 😉