‘Terror is lurking’
He’s Out There is a 2018 American home invasion horror thriller film directed by Dennis Iliadis (Delirium; The Last House on the Left, 2009) [as Quinn Lasher] from a screenplay written by Mike Scannell (See No Evil). It was co-produced by Bryan Bertino (director of The Monster; The Strangers) and Adrienne Biddle (Stephanie; The Blackcoat’s Daughter).
The movie stars Yvonne Strahovski, Justin Bruening and Abigail Pniowsky.
The soundtrack score was composed by Nathan Whitehead (Delirium; The Purge: Election Year; The Veil; The Purge: Anarchy; The Purge; Skarecrow aka Dark Harvest 3).
Plot:
On vacation at a remote lake house, a mother and her two young daughters must fight for survival after falling into a terrifying and bizarre nightmare conceived by a psychopath…
On 24 September 2018, He’s Out There was released on DVD in the UK by 101 Films. It has also been shown on Netflix.
Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk
Reviews:
“Aside from the visuals, the rest of the storytelling didn’t work too well, either. […] In fact, everything that went into the establishment of a tense and frightening atmosphere was dialled way too high from the get-go, ironically resulting in an atmosphere that’s too loud and trying too hard to actually be effective…” Allusions of Grandeur
“Where He’s Out There excels is in the way it gradually builds up a growing sense of unease and danger. […] At times it’s difficult to endure a screeching girl and a killer should never have to explain himself. Despite this, He’s Out There is an immersive horror which plays on the terror of hopelessness instead of relying on throwaway jump scares.” Backseat Mafia
” …He’s Out There doesn’t offer anything new. And the high contrast, overexposed lighting can be a major distraction. It does, however, offer great moments of brutal kills and violence that’s unexpected in a movie where almost half of the cast are children. The masked killer is creepy…” Bloody Disgusting
” …He’s Out There starts well and unfolds with some increasing tension, the second half goes out of control, and turns the film into a mess with easy-to-figure killer with no motives, loads of annoying screaming, and typical genre tropes. Strahovski is a really captivating lead, though.” CineMarvellous!
“Limited by too few people in one isolated location, He’s Out There quickly runs out of things for everyone to do. Three failed escape attempts result in the same outcome of simply retreating back to the house […] Even though it is often uninteresting and always unoriginal, I wouldn’t say He’s Out There is so irredeemable as to merit complete disownment.” Culture Crypt
“It is a better movie than The Strangers: Prey at Night in as much as it has a plot, a bit of an explanation for why the killer is doing what he is doing and performances that are genuinely distressing in places but by the time the Halloween-esque ending comes around you cannot shake the feeling that you’ve seen this all before. Despite that, though, He’s Out There never feels like a chore to sit through…” Flickering Myth
“You may not be frightened, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be invested. There’s also some legit dumb fun to be had from this shamelessly old-school offering, with the pacing being fairly persistent from when darkness falls until that turgid last ten minutes. But the main thing that makes He’s Out There such a mess is so little of it seems to matter.’ Horror Cult Films
“What’s especially effective here is the way everyone, including the heroine and the killer, act credibly within the limitations of the contrived situation … Laura can take care of herself, even with a madman about, but has to do so while looking after ailing, unpredictable, demanding kids…” The Kim Newman Web Site
“Certainly there is something fairytale-like about the killer’s modus operandi, whether it is the mythic red threads that he leaves to guide his prey through the labyrinthine forest, the tea parties he sets up in imitation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, or his love of dolls and mannequins – all suggestive of someone whose development is so arrested that his mental age is much the same as that of his young quarry.” Projected Figures
“The story is simple with a killer attacking a family. A more complex tale might have made this movie a mess to follow. The only scares that make sense are the physical attacks that don’t happen until the final act. That end fight scene is basic and realistic and I mean that as a great compliment.” Without Your Head
Main cast and characters:
Yvonne Strahovski … Laura – The Predator; I, Frankenstein; Dexter TV series
Anna Pniowsky … Kayla
Justin Bruening … Shawn – The Monster Project; Ravenswood TV series
Abigail Pniowsky … Maddie – Channel Zero TV series; The Midnight Man
Ryan McDonald … Masked Man
Julian Bailey … Owen – Supernatural TV series
Stephanie Costa … Store Clerk
Filming locations:
Canada
Technical specs:
1 hour 29 minutes
Film facts:
The film’s working title was Scarecrow.
Trailer:
Related:
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