‘Don’t let him out’
The Whispering Man is a 2019 found footage horror film about a family that is disturbed by the titular demonic presence.
Directed by József Gallai (Spirits in the Dark; Moth; A Guidebook to Killing Your Ex; Bodom) from a screenplay written by Bálint Szántó, the Lazy Cat Films production stars Dávid Fecske, András Korcsmáros, Ágota Dunai and Dávid Kiss.
Plot:
After inheriting an ominous painting, a family soon becomes disturbed by a demonic presence known as The Whispering Man…
Reviews:
“The main problem we have here is actors having to act with a language that is not native to them. Sometimes they get away with this – unfortunately, the surrounding cast in this movie don’t manage to pull it off. I say ‘surrounding cast’ because the lead actor, Dávid Fecske, gives a good performance…but many of the surrounding cast struggle with their delivery.” Found Footage Critic
“The Whispering Man struggles with keeping up pacing and danger, there is little the trio of main actors can do with their limited resources. The standard radios turning on and off, bumps in the night, that sort of no-cost effect fills much of the screentime. The team does their best to coerce energy into their scenes and create some sort of stakes, but the scenes end up wandering around without momentum.” Horror DNA
“The screaming ab-dabs of the downbeat ending are entirely predictable, but the characters are more endearing than most of its kind and Gallai, while playing the horror straight, seems to be having fun – as evidenced by the on-screen warning of “Do not approach the painting…” Horrorscreams Videovault
“The found footage format works well […] and though the acting is sometimes a bit stiff there’s a good sense of camaraderie among the characters, especially between Mark and Abel. The initial buildup is perhaps a bit slow, but by the last 20 minutes I could hardly look away from the screen.” The Movie Critic Next Door
“The Surreal Project has it all, slick filming style with you in the thick of Marks investigation as he trolls the scenery of Hungary’s creepy old buildings, with the sound effects happening at the right time and the “What the Feck” moments really make you hide away.” Road Rash Reviews
” …a very effective little shocker, as it doesn’t use its found-footage approach as an excuse to being lazy in terms of storytelling and aesthetics, but it spins a rather tense yarn really using its approach to get into the mindset of its lead character, especially when he’s more and more gone, and otherwise telling a fine tale of demonic possession.” Search My Trash
“The first half is weaker, especially when it comes to dialogue. Robotic conversations defeat the illusion found footage needs to achieve to submerge us. Nobody talks this way. But, when this thing gets going, it takes no prisoners. This is creepy stuff!” Tales of Terror
“The script by Bálint Szántó hits all the genre’s expected plot points in a quickly paced and efficient manner. Running only 73 minutes there isn’t time to waste. So we’re spared the endless talky scenes that ruin a lot of films like this. There are plenty of dialogue scenes, but they tend to fill their purpose and then let the plot move on.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
Already available to rent or buy on-demand, Wild Eye Releasing is releasing The Whispering Man on DVD on June 30, 2020. Buy: Amazon.com
Cast and characters:
Dávid Fecske … Mark
András Korcsmáros … Tommy
Ágota Dunai … Dora
Dávid Kiss … Abel
Rob Oldfield … Peter
Marcsi Nagy … Anna
György Boldog … Security Guard
Filming locations:
Buzsák and Veszprém, Hungary
London, England
Technical details:
74 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.78: 1
Audio: Stereo
Working title title:
The Surreal Project
