They Look Like People (2015) Online

"They look like people" is one of those movies that makes you think rather than cringe. Its like a psychological drama/horror. The scariness of this movie can vary from individual to individual due to how they each interpret and think into it. There is great use of atmospheric sounds in this movie, which i personally love. I love the creeping and building sense of dread this movie offers. It is a little daring of the filmmakers to go for such a craved concept, yet on such a tight and low budget. This movie has no gasping or jaw dropping scenes, and there isn't much blood at all, but it still has great body and still feels very full. I couldn't look away the whole time. This movie has the ability to pull you in and not let up until your feeling less boggled by it. The character development was great. We really get to know them. I kept wanting to see how very creepy situations panned out between main characters. You can almost predict the outcome of this movie, but then you second guess yourself, and this happens multiple times throughout the movie. Overall I thought this was a pretty good movie with good acting and a very eerie vibe. I would rate it 6.5 out of 10 stars.

I was expecting a horror film but instead stumbled upon a nice psychological thriller. Kudos to the filmmakers and the cast. Well done across the board. Very realistic acting, got to care about all the characters. Had me wondering what I would do in all their situations. Mental illness is difficult to deal with, I know. This handled it with empathy. Again, we'll done!

Is the terribly troubled Wyatt (MacLeod Andrews) a complete nut job or are there really diabolically disguised monsters all about us intending to take over our planet? This is the unusually intriguing and engagingly executed premise driving the indy horror drama "They Look Like People".

Virtual feature flick newcomers Andrews, Evan Dumouchel and Margaret Ying Drake are uniformly superb as the main characters. They're manner of speaking and interaction is entirely innate and natural, when the scenes don't skew toward the SUPERnatural, that is.

This is a consistently compelling story being told here. One that serves to substantiate that we are all psychologically fragile to some degree and in our own way. It is how well we deal with these frailties, or moreover how those who care about us help us contend with our instability, that so often times determines the capacity to not just cope with, but ideally overcome, our individual challenges.

First time full-length film director Perry Blackshear writes and directs along with having a hand in just about everything else there could POSSIBLY be to do in making a movie. I suggest you put him on your radar. If "They Look Like People" is any sort of indication, this is a crazy creative talent we'll be seeing and hearing a lot more from in the years to come.

There are many low budget films that simply come off as vanity projects for those involved. Then there are low budget movies that are obvious labors of love, and that make every effort to work with their small budget to achieve something fresh, new and unique. This is definitely one of those films. The premise is simple, if a bit clichéd; A man with low self-esteem helps a friend (who is very sure of himself) during a time of need. The thing is, this friend believes that people are being replaced by monsters, and that a secret war is raging that no one but him is aware of.

The film does a great job in balancing the more outlandish elements of the premise with some very real and entertaining interaction between the two male leads. These men are great at what they do, and their chemistry is wholly evident in the ease in which scenes transition from lighthearted play to tension-filled dread. These two obviously got along during the production of this film, and it clearly shows in the final product (The one aspect in which many of these types of movies fail is not having a chemistry between their actors).

The special effects are sparse but work within the context of the film, and the direction might be simple, but again, I believe the film benefits from it. There are no fancy techniques, no crazy camera work to be found; this is a director working with a very select few talented people, and focusing on their interactions and reactions to the events in the film.

That being said, I am most impressed by the comedic elements, as they not only added a sense of levity to an otherwise somber film, but the actors were so convincing, you could not help by smile at their antics (Sock Wars brought a healthy dose of nostalgia). In the end, the film does what many others do not; it removes ambiguity, and allows the viewer to better understand the message behind the movie without the dreaded, "What was the point of all that?" that plagues many film endings.

Overall, this film is not going to win anyone over, as it does not do anything particularly well enough to garner the "art-house psychological horror" sub-genre any more fans, but to those of us that enjoy these types of movies, it is a welcomed addition. A solid effort all around, and the casting agent should be commended for choosing such a talented and charismatic ensemble.

Has someone go psychotic in the past ? I did.

There was a time, in my life, when I went completely psychotic. It is what the drugs and antidepressants mix did to me. Luckily, it was years ago and I'm sane now. But, God, it was such a nightmarish time. You just can't difference between what is real and what is not. Well, let me tell you, what this movie shows is the simply truth. Nobody that didn't go psycho in the past, or is passing through something like this right now, can understand, but, this movie, this is not work of fiction, this is the reality of going down in a psychotic attack. And yes, it's a very confusing time, and yes, the fantasy becomes reality, and yes, you hear and see things that are not there. Man, I just wish nobody that is reading had or have passed through this. I did, and after some years of therapy and medicines, I can say that I'm cure now.

This movie is a very good description of what is to become psychotic.

8/10

This is an excellent film.

I won't get into specifics, but the plot revolves around the platonic relationship between two male friends for a couple days in New York.

One of them is utterly unsure of himself, so he overcompensates. The other has a healthy amount of confidence and seems totally at ease with himself. One of the two also suffers from a mental illness, and it's probably not the one you would assume based on my brief description of their personalities. Over the course of the film their relationship is examined and tested.

The film establishes an atmosphere of dread very effectively, though this is punctuated by sporadic humor. The plot did not go in the direction I expected and I was happily surprised by the conclusion and the lack of ambiguity (I'm fine with ambiguity, but ambiguous horror movies about mental illness are a dime a dozen).

In terms of flimmaking, I think this is good. It doesn't rely on special effects or crazy action scenes to keep a viewer watching. There's a sense of suspense in every scene portrayed just through the acting. I think the two main characters worked well together, and reflected off each other is a healthy/unhealthy way.

A good movie doesn't need a big budget or fancy locations. It just needs good acting and a well-written story. I'm not so sure about the story here.

I have to admit I spent a lot of the time watching thinking, "WTF is going on?" That can be good but it was a bit too confusing in this film.

I was lucky enough to see this film as a part of the Sydney Underground Film Festival. I can certainly see why the word underground is used as this is not a conventional film at all, which is made immediately obvious from the opening scene. It certainly cannot be pigeonholed into one, two or even three genres, and has received comparisons to Darren Aronofsky's Pi, as it is a debut indie film made on a tiny budget. The plot is simple: Wyatt is visiting an estranged childhood friend, Christian, in New York City and it is immediately apparent that something isn't quite right. It seems obvious from the start that he isn't just visiting because he was in the area. In reality, he has fled to New York and has come prepared for what he believes is coming.

From the opening scene the atmosphere is thick and black, letting us know that something sinister is in the air, but we have no idea what it is exactly. Contrasting this, the movie has many humorous moments as the two friends catch up for what feels like the first time in a long while, though this is never explicitly explained. In fact, nothing in this film is clearly explained which adds further to the mystery of what is happening.

Wyatt and Christian have fun together, drinking, playing basketball; while having very candid conversations, mostly revolving around masculinity, as Christian at one point assures Wyatt that he isn't the man that he was ten years previous. The care-free nature of these conversations is yet another element that adds to the eeriness of this film as it contrasts with what is really happening. The dance this film has with different genres is done with a deft touch, and despite the complete lack of long takes, the film flows seamlessly.

Wyatt is receiving phone calls from an unknown source warning him of an impending war, telling him that no one can be trusted, not a friend, not a brother, not a neighbour. We don't know if he is hearing these voices in his head, if they are nightmares, or if they are real phone calls, but soon into the film he becomes convinced that people around him will begin turning into monsters; into demons. He begins to prepare in Christian's basement, stocking up on weapons to defend himself, weapons that he brought for the trip.

What we see, what we hear; we can never tell if Wyatt is delusional or if what he is seeing and hearing is real. I was truly on the edge of my seat for the last 20 or so minutes, for most of the movie in fact, and I am struggling to think of a title to compare this to as it is so unique and unnerving. The way the movie confuses the viewers as to what is reality does remind me slightly of Roman Polanski's REPULSION, and the two films certainly share a similar dark atmosphere, but other than this they couldn't be more different.

Another factor that creates the almost visible tension is the incredible sound editing/design, which is sublime and effectively puts us inside the minds of both characters. Whether it is a clock ticking, the sound of bees buzzing, or Christian's self-help tapes that he listens to on the subway to and from work, the way the sound is handled helps create a edgy and uneasy feeling almost immediately. This feeling is not only maintained for the entirety of the film but it magnifies, helped also by the complete lack of a soundtrack. The use of silence is also apparent and itself plays into the atmosphere that this movie manages to create.

The small budget is slightly evident – the acting is very solid but it isn't anything outstanding, while the movie utilises only one main set. This doesn't detract from the quality of the film though, in fact it adds a claustrophobic layer to the film, on top of everything else. The camera-work is also done on the cheap but is extremely effective, with a focus on facial close-ups and short takes. For a debut film though, what really shines along with the sound editing is the script. It is sparse but to the point.

Overall, for the money it took to create it, this really is quite something. Its dark nature won't appeal to the mainstream, but I imagine that is the idea of this festival. Personally, I was leaning forward, waiting on every word, every action, unable to predict what was going to happen next. This film firmly marks the arrival of a new director – Perry Blackshear – to keep a close eye on, as if this is what he can create with his first film on a self-described micro-budget, I cannot wait to see what he will do with his second attempt.

This is a film like no other, further proving my theory that the smaller the budget, the higher the level of creativity. Amazing stuff.

www.epilepticmoondancer.net

This is totally an Indy movie, an OK one, but hardly a 9 or 10 out of 10. There seems to be a phenomenon on IMDb that Indy movies have these incredible reviews written about them most likely by people connected to the film. Hopefully that's not the case, but it's crazy that every review so far is raving. It's an OK film, the acting is OK, at times a little amateurish; the filming is OK, at times trying to be a little too artsy for me; the story is OK, but not a ton of depth to it. I wish there were two scales on this site, one for Indy films and one for mainstream. I would have given it a little higher maybe if it was being rated as with other Indy movies, because there's a glut of them on IMDb that seems to have incredible ratings and are horrible. This one is better than many I've seen. Rated against mainstream movies this leaves a lot to be desired. If you like Indy films watch it, it's OK.

No, it's not a horror movie. It's a psychological drama, and one that's not very well done. It feels like a film from a novice who's trying too hard to be clever while at the same time emotionally deep and not delivering the goods on either because he doesn't yet have the life or professional experience to do so successfully. I found it boring rather than suspenseful and my mind kept wandering. The lint on my living room carpet was more engaging at times. It seems to be an early film from someone who may or may not develop into an interesting filmmaker. It's just too soon to tell from this. But there are a few moments in the film to make one hopeful. On the other hand, if this is a filmmaker who's been around the block a few times, a career re- assessment seems overdue.

I was constantly on edge watching this film, waiting for the seemingly inevitable hatchet to drop (sometimes literally).

Describing any part of the plot feels like it would spoil the experience, because that's essentially what this film is; an experience. The worst part is it is filmed and acted in such a way that is highly realistic, exacerbating the tension.

the basic plot, without spoilers, is that the character Wyatt is receiving phone calls at night from a distorted voice telling him of "them". they look like people, but they're bad and must be killed. It is unclear whether this is true or not, or if Wyatt is suffering some manner of schizophrenia, and the fact that it could be one or the other only seems to enhance the terror

This film was so bad on both a technical and storytelling level that I felt compelled to create an IMDb account to review it. I am usually not someone who feels so inclined to express their thoughts for everyone to see, but I think everyone needs to know what they are getting in to.

I'll start on the positives. I honestly don't understand where all the raving reviews came from, but I will admit that the acting in the film isn't the worst I've ever seen. These actors are not Birdemic level bad, but they aren't more than a few notches higher. The comedic moments in this film are the only saving grace and that's why I rated it a 2 out of 10. I laughed a few times. The problem is that the enjoyable moments are way too far apart and they are only brief moments.

Every other aspect of this film is horrible. I'm talking god awful to the point where I wanted to stop watching within the first 10 minutes. The movie feels like it goes on for an eternity even though it is only 80 minutes. The pacing is so bad that it was hard to stay awake while watching it. The script is nonsense. I know that it's supposed to be a metaphor for mental illness and you're supposed to wonder if the events are really happening or if they are in his head. The problem is that there are no interesting moments exploring this concept, and the whole film seems like a waste. It's not clever at all.

You can absolutely tell this is a seriously low budget film. They didn't try to make this film look or sound good at all. I know how to light a scene, and almost every scene in this film looks like an amateur who hasn't learned proper lighting. The camera angles are weak and add no motivation or subtext to any of the scenes. The audio is awful throughout the entire film. You can hear the exact points where they fade out audio clips. The obviously just threw on exponential fade effects on everything and hoped it would sound okay. There are many times outside where they ADR audio and it is very out of place. I don't even think they had room tone for half of the scenes. The editing is GARBAGE. Who ever edited this film doesn't understand anything about editing or creating smooth transitions from scene to scene. It was always jarring in the worst ways and audio was badly cut between transitions.

I hate when people give films like this a pass because they're "low budget". The fact is that you don't need a high budget to fix any of the problems this film had. If the script was better and they had more competent people working with the same equipment this movie could have been decent. They didn't even spend any money on special effects. Literally every "scary moment" is just created through suspenseful and creepy audio noises (which weren't really good). Knowing that this production is considered an actual film that was won awards and is available to stream on Netflix is just frustrating and pathetic. Sorry I had to be so mean about it, but it's the truth.

In New York, the shy Christian (Evan Dumouchel) likes his chief Mara (Margaret Ying Drake) but is afraid to invite her to date with him. When he stumbles upon his old friend Wyatt (MacLeod Andrews) that is passing by New York, Christian invites him to stay in his apartment. Christian does not know that Wyatt is a psychotic man that believes that people are turning into evil creatures and the war between humans and these creatures is close. Further, he suspects that Christian is one of these creatures.

"They Look Like People" is an overrated lame and boring low-budget movie. The quantity of good reviews in IMDb is suspicious and most of the reviews might be fake. Time is irreversible and impossible to retrieve; therefore think twice before spending watching to this garbage. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Body snatchers is kinda the theme, but it's more of a nice little reunion.

While the movie screams "indie," the performances weren't that bad, mostly from Not Jimmy Fallon. That plus the interesting "is it real or is it med time" storyline kept me going.

Basically, there's a reunion of two childhood friends and while one is successful and attempting to continuously improve his life, the other is a drifter/warrior of sorts. As the story progresses, it appears they have the perfect straight/gay marriage.

I liked it. It's nothing huge, but it's a good look at what the drifter is going through. Plus it had some incredibly tense scenes with him, mostly alone in the basement.

Worth the mere 80 minutes it showed us.

***

Final thoughts: Boy, was I tricked beforehand. I was told this was a well-received horror movie. In a sense, and in that person's defense, I guess it could be considered horror. Maybe, horror-lite.

This movie cures Insomnia hands down. Most of the movie was filmed in some cheap ass apartment and some random basement. The acting wasn't bad but this movie was missing a cohesive plot. It didn't flow. I think it probably cost about $800 bucks to make this flick. So basically this guy thinks that people around him are aliens. In the end we realize that Wyatt is mentally ill and hears alien voices in his head directing him to prepare for the battle. The only Aliens in this film are the people who made this sh*t. He and his friend hug it out and then it goes straight to the credits. Who ever directed this film should go get a job serving french fries. The overly positive reviews are from people who are connected to this film on a personal level. Bogus Reviews for a Boring Movie.

I grew up in the 70's and 80's and was blessed to grow up with some of the best horror movies ever made. Therefore, it's easy to be harsh on some current horror films. But to my surprise, I've been watching some really good films. This is one of them.

It's an excellent indie horror/psychological drama film. Loved the tension and dread you feel while watching. It is a slow burn but in a good way. If you are into psychological drama/horror films, this one is definitely for you. Others films like it, The Machinist, The Babadook, Creep

They Look Like People shows why Horror sometimes works best on a low budget. The film ends up focusing more on the psychological aspect of horror while maintaining a mood thick with suspense and dread mixed with some truly beautiful cinematography and sound design, especially in some moments which use ASMR to great effect that help bring a sense of calm to an otherwise tense film. It must also be mentioned that the actors do a fantastic job of feeling real and honestly likable with the two main characters sharing a friendship that almost feels like everyone's relationship with your best friend. They Look Like People does so much with so little and ends up being a film that will leave you guessing till the end and thinking way after it's done.

I was completely surprised and moved by this movie as I wasn't sure what to expect from a Netflix title. I have to say though that it was a good experience and the acting and bonding by the two main characters was phenomenal. I have never heard of them as actors and have never seen them in any other film. I had a general uneasiness throughout the movie and the story was good enough to keep me focused and determined to see an outcome. If there is an example out there for making a movie on a low budget while delivering unique horror this would be at the top of that list in my mind. The finale had me biting my nails and the ending had my eyes watering as the friendship between the two had reached a tear-jerking climax. Its the type of payoff that I wasn't expecting and left me with a sense of hope. I recommend this film because I am an avid horror fan, but also love good films in general and mostly lean towards the non- mainstream genres. The film may not be everyone, but was definitely a good film for me. Thanks for reading and hope this helps your choice of watching this film.

Promises much, delivers little. It looks really nice and is quite intriguing in ways, but eventually you realise you're just being strung along. Chances are you'll fight your way through assuming that there must be some grand revelation, some amazing moment when everything falls into place and you suddenly realise the sheer brilliance of the film. Instead a couple of blokes hug in a basement and the film ends.

Kinda like "brokeback mountain" meets a watered down boring-ass version of "they live", except that I've never seen brokeback mountain, and all I know about the film is some blokes hug in it at some point or something.

Anyway, this film sets its pace in the first few minutes and tricks you into thinking something might happen, but it don't. Watch the first two minutes of the film, and the last two minutes and you've seen everything you need to see.

Some people will absolutely love this film, however, so be it. It just did nothing for me. Kinda reminds me of that book by Joseph Heller called "Something Happened" where nothing happens.

OK, I went into watching this with very high hopes. I read a few previous reviews that went on and on about how wonderfully suspenseful and gripping this film is. But I gotta say I was extremely disappointed. This was easily one of the most boring and lack luster movies I've ever watched. The two lead actors are very talented, and created a believable friendship the average viewer can relate to. However, with very little background on these characters, we are left wondering about A LOT of their history. There are tiny glimpses into their past together, but nothing substantial the viewer can hold on to in order to better understand the foundation of their friendship.

The men play off of each other somewhat well, having completely different personalities and stations in life. Wyatt is a mentally ill drifter who ends up in the same city as his long lost friend, Christian. Christian is a successful businessman who has apparently transformed his life from negative to positive in the past few years. Sensing he has no place to stay, Christian tells Wyatt he's going to stay at his place for the time being. The dichotomy between the two characters is somewhat interesting. After awhile though, their hum drum conversations just become dull and bland. I found myself daydreaming at times and wondering when the heck the movie was actually going to pick up.

Wyatt hears voices that tell him people around him are turning into evil demons, and blah blah blah. This goes on for awhile until I just wanted to pull my hair out. Apparently he thinks they are going to rise up soon and there's going to be some kind of war. He prepares for the war in the basement of the apartment building where he's staying with Christian. These scenes also drag on endlessly and made me wish I had never committed to watching this thing.

I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say, it's extremely anticlimactic and not worth anyone's time waiting for. This was a very poor attempt at a "scary" movie that also attempted to have some deeper meaning. It failed miserably at both. I generously gave it a 3 out of 10 because there's maybe two scenes that are sorta kinda creepy. But please, do not waste your time watching this dud.

Excellent low budget, independent movie. They Look Like People is a shining example of how a filmmaker can produce an interesting, quality movie with actual suspense. The characters in the movie were interesting and the acting very good. The topic is mental illness. We are given the perspective from inside the head of a mentally ill person, who hears voices telling him to do things to protect himself from alien entities, who appear to be human. There are no flashy special effects, no high speed action scenes, just typical situations that a mentally ill person and his friends might find themselves in. Realistic suspense is created by the potential actions of the ill person toward his unwitting friends. These days, it's hard to find a movie that keeps me awake but They Look Like People kept me awake and entertained me. Really good psychological drama. Did I mention how wonderful Margaret Ying Drake is in this movie? She is truly special.

This movie is less of your traditional horror movie and more of a deep, psychological thriller. Part of what can be so appealing to me about smaller, lower budget indie films like this is that they really rely more on subtleties to get their message across (and to achieve an awesome atmosphere) rather than special effects or dramatic camera shots. This was Perry Blackshear's feature film directorial debut, and he also wrote, shot, edited, and produced it, so… bravo, dude, and I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

The movie follows recently reunited childhood friends Wyatt (played by MacLeod Andrews) and Christian (played by Evan Dumouchel), and you get a good sense of their personalities — and their relationship — right away. Wyatt is the more withdrawn of the two, having recently broken up with his fiancé, and Christian, while suffering from some obvious self-esteem and depression issues (and also recently coming out of a relationship), overcompensates with his outspoken air of confidence and machismo, spending lots of his time at the gym. The two, despite having not seen each other in what we assume is a long while, fall right back into their old habits, for better and for worse. Their connection is endearing and, while awkward at times, you really believe the earnestness of their acting.

We soon come to realize that Wyatt is being warned about, and preparing for, an impending battle with some kind of demons… and while this is literally happening, it's obvious that these are his own demons he's battling. Hiding in plain sight, hard to see at first but once they make themselves known, they're impossible to ignore. His spiral into the depths of this battle is palpable, and the paranoia and claustrophobia that it creates is disturbing to say the least. You really feel like you're there with him as everything closes in around him. It's hinted that he suffers from schizophrenia, but it's never clearly stated, so the ambiguity adds to the overall confusion and fear.

As him and Christian go into the battle together, the thing I loved the most was Christian's willingness to just put aside any judgment and doubt and go with his friend into the unknown. You aren't sure whether this is because Christian is succumbing to his own depression or if he's just reminiscing about a past life, but his boldness is admirable (even while you're a little scared for him). The unease I felt while watching him in the climax of the movie was intense — you're cringing and hoping and… then it's over. Awesome.

I don't know why people would rate this movie as good. I am normally not that fuzzy, and it's rare that I give really low ratings unless it's utterly garbage. With They Look Like People I had high expectations. I didn't knew what it was about, didn't want to read anything about it before watching. That's how I like it, to be surprised. I just wanted to watch a nice mystery horror like this one was categorized in. And it had an appealing title. I really thought I was in for a treat. But I was wrong. It's a boring movie. I even fell asleep for a couple minutes. Normally I would just rewind to the part where I fell asleep so that I could see what I missed. Now I just asked my wife if something happened. The answer was no, still the same boring stuff. So I just sat it through till the end. And I was glad it finished, but also a bit mad I wasted my time with this one.

"They Look Like People" kicks off with one of the most effective and frightening opening segments I have seen in a "horror" film in a long time, maybe ever.

I say "horror" with quotations because apart from a couple great scenes of genuine freakiness, the film is set up more like a character study than a slasher.

You can tell this picture had a very low budget, but it is a solid passion project from the creators, and still comes across the screen as being a bigger picture than it is.

By the end of the film, the meaning behind what was being shown does a complete 180, turning from a thriller/horror film, to a study of mental illness and true friendship.

At this time, this one is showing on Netflix, so watch while it's easily available.

I didn't have many expectations going in on this film which is why I enjoyed it. I really wish people would stop rating films based on their disappointments in a film not pandering to one genre or theme; it's a bit brut and to call anything that explores more than one genre "pretentious" is absurd.

The 2 main actors playing Wyatt and Christian have a very authentic chemistry on screen. This is exactly how I act when I reunite with a good friend that I haven't seen in such a long time. They're friends but reserve their adversity because it's hard to know where to start on such heavy subjects.

There are moments of complete silence that for whatever reason make you squirm with anxiety. The moments of dread are toned down with scenes of authentic humor. There's never a disingenuous moment in the film and everyone in the film is human + relatable.

I didn't find any moment in the film predictable as the tone blends in-and-out of bleakness, creepiness and light-heartedness.

This is a psychological drama about friendship and the horrors of dysphoria. If you're a fan of films that rely heavily on its characters like 28 Days Later or The Babadook, you should check this one out; just don't expect it to be a 'terrifying thrill ride'.. seriously, this is one of the reasons the IMDb message boards got discontinued.