A home improvement show heads to Moldova for a segment on an American woman who has renovated an old house in the woods, finding that old legends and some superstitious townsfolk’s have some serious issues with her being there.
Lauded as being written by the people behind Call of Duty: Black Ops and Spongebob Squarepants, They’re Watching is a dark comedy masquerading as a horror film, shot on low budget-looking video and starring mostly unknown actors. Written and directed by Jay Lender and Micah Wright, the tone is very tongue-in-cheek with some obvious references to other films in the genre. In a similar vein of found footage, it has a strong independent film feel (it’s produced by Best Served Cold Productions) and a television show look.
For those who don’t know, Moldova is a small, landlocked country between Ukraine and Romania (where the movie was actually filmed) in Eastern Europe, formerly of the Soviet Union and as such, seems a perfect fit for the setting. Boasted by the trailer as a country where old and new are still at odds, the young people facing off against old legends is not a new plot device but seems like a good fit here. The town and its people are heavily drawn from old European archetypes, which is surely the point, and one aimed squarely at satire (the clip ends with one desperate crew member shouting, “Will somebody tell them we’re Americans!”). If you’re a fan of of this type of movie, it looks to have some fun with the tropes (cabin in the woods) and yet still have plenty of frights.
They’re Watching releases March 25, 2016
Directors:
Jay Lender, Micah Wright
Writers:
Jay Lender, Micah Wright
Stars:
Brigid Brannagh, Kris Lemche, Carrie Genzel