Shudder Saturday: They Live In The Grey (2022)

Michelle Krusiec plays Claire, a social worker who is also clairvoyant, a "gift" that has her constantly on edge. She is plagued by visions in her own home, where she lives alone after separating from her husband (Ken Kirby), and also feels very much weighed down by the grief of losing her only child. When tasked with evaluating the home life of a young girl (Sophie, played by Madelyn Grace) who has been developing lots of bruises and scratches, Claire soon sees a woman (Mercedes Manning) who may well be a spirit causing the problems. Despite Sophie's parents (played by Ellen Wroe and Bernard Bullen) being aware of their problem, it's not the kind of thing that most people can accept, or believe, which means that they may still see their child taken away by the Child Protection Service.

Written and directed by Abel and Burlee Vang (who were last behind the camera for the silly, and fairly average, Bedeviled), They Live In The Grey is quite a step up for the film-making duo. It's well put together, the acting is excellent throughout, and it tries to mix some standard jump scares with a sense of melancholy throughout, especially when we see flashbacks to Claire's happiness before tragedy strikes.

Sadly, this is also a bit too derivative, and the runtime (just a shade over two hours) doesn't help. I am sure you can already figure out the modern cinematic works that this calls to mind, which saves me from naming a couple of them, but that wouldn't be so bad if the third act felt stronger. Knowing what the movie is aiming for, however, makes things a bit predictable and disappointingly neat and tidy.

Krusiec is very good in the main role, able to convey the sense that she is struggling to help people while constantly having to evaluate her surroundings and keep track of what is real and what isn't. Grace puts in another decent performance, already impressing me with her range displayed in this and Don't Breathe 2. Wroe and Bullen do well to avoid going too big with their performances, especially considering one or two of the main scenes that they're involved in. Kirby delivers a decent supporting turn, Manning is an enjoyable spirit, and there are some more good moments that feature the likes of Kevin Indio Copeland and Krystle Martin.

There are more positives worth mentioning. The music by David Williams is a very appropriate accompaniment to the visuals. There's some crisp and lovely cinematography from Jimmy Jung Lu (although some moments are deliberately "murky" as characters struggle to stay away from potential frights). Nothing feels mishandled when it comes to the technical side of things.

I'd definitely recommend this to horror movie fans. Just be warned that you need to have a bit of patience with it, and you might not be happy at how familiar it feels at times. It's definitely well done though, and I think the main storyline and the well-staged scares outweigh the negatives.

7/10

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Don't Breathe 2 (2021)

Stephen Lang returns in the role of “The Blind Man” in what may be, despite strong competition, one of the most unnecessary and unpalatable sequels in recent years. Because the last time we saw The Blind Man, he had been up to all kinds of nastiness.

Lang’s character is now the guardian of a little girl, Phoenix (Madelyn Grace). He saved her from the burnt shell of a house some time ago, and has been raising her ever since. He has also been teaching her some survival skills. Those skills come in handy when Raylan (Brendan Sexton III) and his gang break in to kidnap Phoenix. Raylan claims to be her real father, and he is offering to correct the lies that she has been told by her blind parental figure. Does Raylan have his own agenda though?

Director Rodo Sayagues makes his debut here, moving up from his successful producer role, but keeping himself safely in the company of Fede Alvarez, who helmed/co-wrote the first film and helped co-write this one. Sayagues tries to keep things in line with the first film, but he cannot overcome the major hurdle that most people thought about when this was first announced. How do you get people rooting for such a bad guy? Okay, you make his potential enemies worse, but that’s not enough to erase the memory of just how depraved our new “anti-hero” is, or once was. 

Lang is as good as he usually is here, and his performance is on par with his performance in the first film, but he is fighting against weaker material here. Taking the character out of his own home, as it does just before the halfway point, makes it harder to just accept his apparent super-powers. The fact that it is Lang manages to just about keep it believable though, as I know he could still kick my ass without needing to have full use of his eyes. Grace is good as the plucky young girl in jeopardy, and Sexton III is a decent baddie, supported by Adam Young (in a role that may as well be named “main henchman”). There’s also a small role for Fiona O’Shaugnessy, who makes a strong impression with the limited screentime given to her sinister and cruel character.

There are a number of individual moments here that work well, most of them involving Lang delivering some serious pain to people who sorely underestimate him, but this never feels like it has enough going for it to work for an entire film. Even the visual style, although cool and fitting at times, becomes stale and repetitive before the end credits roll.

Some people still managed to enjoy this. Personally, I don’t see the appeal.

5/10

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