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I See You Reviews

A hauntingly good puzzle of a film with twists you won’t see coming.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 23, 2023

In defter hands, a similar story might have some punch but, as is, this amounts to a big yawn.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 31, 2023

There’s some cleverness in its construction that might delight genre enthusiasts, yet a strong mid-section gets tainted by the painfully obvious opening and closing bits.

Full Review | Mar 27, 2023

It could have gone very wrong and, beyond a few conventions and effects, the result is positive. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 22, 2021

I See You is a completely unpredictable thriller - original, mind-numbing and totally twisted.

Full Review | Jan 2, 2021

I See You is a film to pick up if you're a horror fan, a noir fan, or a thriller fan. It offers up a variety of scares and stories that keeps it pacing and intensity throughout various twists.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Sep 16, 2020

I See You's success is due predominantly to the myriad of surprises that crop up within its second half...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 5, 2020

You can debate if the pieces of the puzzle actually fit in the end, but Adam Randall's sleight of hand direction and William Arcane's haunting score always keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Full Review | Jun 11, 2020

The director's smartest achievement, however, is the way that he shifts the narrative emphasis around, frequently via plot twists, minor and major.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 11, 2020

It does keep you guessing, however, and despite the odd clunky twist and swivelling point of view, ticks along with admiral confidence.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 7, 2020

If you're craving some thrills, this offers plenty of jump scares, neat visuals and a solid, grounded plot.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 19, 2020

It is technically and aesthetically flawless for an indie film delivering a good dose of family drama, crime, mystery and the occasional decent jump scare.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Apr 13, 2020

It's one of those movies where if you think back on it, it might not completely make sense. But man was it a fun watch. Highly recommended for fans of twisty thrillers.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 6, 2020

...there's so much atmosphere and tension in the slow roaming camera, punctured by the great sound design and key moments on the soundtrack. Even that frog mask is nightmarish.

Full Review | Dec 30, 2019

A stylish, twisty and eerie crime thriller.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Dec 14, 2019

I See You takes chances that I wish more films of this budget and style would take. It never lets you quite settle into what you think it is or isn't going to be.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 13, 2019

From clichéd plot devices to the somber score, what starts off feeling amateurish and tiresome becomes a crafty nailbiter.

Full Review | Dec 12, 2019

I See You is an impressive exercise in precision plotting.

Full Review | Dec 9, 2019

What's said about hiding in plain sight cannot be understated, which may be the film's scariest message of all.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 7, 2019

... steers its story in multiple directions with mixed results, although even when its central mystery becomes muddled, the film maintains a suspenseful undercurrent.

Full Review | Dec 6, 2019

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Film Review: ‘I See You’

Small-town child disappearances intersect with one family's domestic woes in this eerie, surprising thriller.

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

Film Critic

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The fact that it’s a very complicated matter even identifying the “I” and “you” in “I See You” is just a sample of the narrative tricks in this very tricksy thriller. Working from an impressive first produced screenplay by actor Devon Graye, Adam Randall’s film is an eerie suspense exercise that starts out looking like a supernatural tale — one of several viewer presumptions this cleverly engineered narrative eventually pulls the rug out from under. Saban Films opens it on 10 U.S. screens this Friday, while Paramount is handling concurrent home-formats release. Long-term viability as a streaming offering is assured, while the distinctive plotting may well lure offshore remake bids.

Philipp Blaubach’s probing, restless camera charges the very air with unseen menace from the start, as a 10-year-old boy bicycles home through a picturesque small-town, his progress down a forest trail violently curtailed by some invisible barrier or force. That sense of omnipresent malevolence continues even within the comfortable confines of the Harper home, where TV news reports soon note the aforementioned lad as the latest victim in a disturbing series of local child disappearances.

The atmosphere is already uncomfortable here for other reasons, however: Jackie Harper ( Helen Hunt ) is getting a very cold shoulder from both police-detective husband Greg (Jon Tenney) and teenage son Connor (Judah Lewis) for a transgression we realize after a while is infidelity. She’s very, very sorry, but nobody is in a forgiving mood yet, with Connor particularly incensed. Thus, when a series of odd occurrences commence — an entire drawer of utensils vanishes, family pictures disappear from the wall, etc. — the Harpers assume one another is responsible, or in particular that surly Connor is “acting out.”

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Meanwhile Greg and his colleagues (including Gregory Alan Williams and Erika Alexander) investigate the apparent renewal of youth abductions — which is rendered all the more disturbing for the fact that the person assumed responsible for a string of identical prior kidnappings/murders has been in prison for some time now.

As our suspicions grow that something malignant is stalking the Harpers in their own home, things take a turn with a surprise visit from the old flame (Sam Trammell) Jackie strayed with, and whom she now desperately wishes would go away. His arrival seems to spike the inexplicable domestic phenomena, fast turning one crisis into a worse one. But at around the 45-minute mark, “I See You” abruptly rewinds, replaying previously-seen events from the perspective of new characters played by Owen Teague and Live Barer. We may think their introduction definitively turns this from one kind of story into another. But, in fact, scenarist Graye isn’t finished upending our assumptions yet.

After his narrative strings are finally pulled together in a long, wordless final sequence, you may begin to reflect that the film’s primary separate plot elements aren’t really connected save by happenstance. But the perfect storm their collision creates is handled with such skillful assurance by Randall (“Level Up,” “iBoy”) that the proceedings never seen overly contrived or hyperbolic, as they easily might have. It’s a story with much disturbing content that nonetheless largely avoids explicit violence. Expectations are subverted on other levels as well — for instance, in the way that top-billed Hunt starts out as our primary viewpoint, yet her character gradually grows less and less central to what’s really going on.

Strong performances down the line provide psychological credibility to an astute overall package that manages to eke considerable sinister atmosphere from any number of perfectly pleasant locations in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. A particular plus is William Arcane’s unsettling score.

Reviewed online, San Francisco, Dec. 3, 2019. (Also in SXSW Film Festival.) MPAA rating: R. Running time: 98 MIN.

Production: A Saban Films release of a Bankside Films presentation in association with Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, Kreo Films, Quickfire Films, Zodiac Holdings of a Zodiac Features production. Producer: Matt Waldeck. Executive producers: Ben Hecht, Stephen Kelliher, Phil Hunt, Compton Ross, James Atherton, Jan Pace, Robert Ruggeri, Mark Hamer, Dave McClean, Viviana Zarragoitia, Eric Fischer, Bill Schultz, Jordan Bayer, Matt Leipzig, Chris Sablan.
Crew: Director: Adam Randall. Screenplay: Devon Graye. Camera (color, widescreen, HD): Philipp Blaubach. Editor: Jeff Castelluccio. Music: William Arcane.
With: Helen Hunt, Jon Tenney, Judah Lewis, Owen Teague, Libe Barer, Greg Alan Williams, Erika Alexander, Allison King.

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‘i see you’: film review | edinburgh 2019.

Helen Hunt plays the unfaithful wife of Jon Tenney's troubled cop in director Adam Randall's puzzle-driven thriller about murder, abduction and family breakdown, 'I See You.'

By Stephen Dalton

Stephen Dalton

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A twist-heavy crime thriller spiced with horror and noir elements, I See You is such a finely crafted exercise in slow-burn suspense that its loopy plot contortions only seem absurd in retrospect. Headlined by Helen Hunt and Jon Tenney ( True Detective ), British director Adam Randall’s Ohio-shot third feature made its European debut in Edinburgh last month following its world premiere at SXSW in March. With a glossy look that belies its modest budget and slender 20-day shoot, this elevated genre exercise should enjoy healthy festival interest and decent commercial prospects. Saban has signed U.S. theatrical rights, though no release date has yet been fixed.

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Review: Smartly crafted horror-thriller ‘I See You’ deserves your attention

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It’s too bad that a suspense film as smart and unpredictable as “I See You” is being released so late in the year, at a time when most movie buffs are preoccupied with Oscar contenders. Director Adam Randall and screenwriter Devon Graye have delivered the kind of sly nail-biter that could use a little more open space on the calendar to build up buzz so it can get noticed by fans of imaginative, original horror.

Helen Hunt plays psychologist Jackie Harper, who’s trying to hold her family together even as her son Connor (Judah Lewis) keeps lashing out at her about her recent affair. Meanwhile, Jackie’s embittered, cuckolded cop husband Greg (Jon Tenney) is investigating a child abduction that’s putting their upscale suburban community on edge. Making matters worse, a series of mysterious incidents around the Harper home raises the possibility they’re being haunted.

The second half of “I See You” digs into the possible paranormal activity, via one whopper of a plot twist — best left as a surprise. The kidnapping is eventually explained too, in an ending that ties everything together too neatly.

Still, it’s rare to see a horror film so devoted to intricate plot mechanics and so concerned with driving to a satisfying payoff. Randall and Graye have made a movie largely about a privileged family with a lot to hide. And while the Harpers may deserve whatever is plaguing their house, that doesn’t make it any less terrifying to see the sins of their past come back as a string of dangerous traps, sprung by the filmmakers with clockwork precision.

'I See You'

Rated: R for violence and language Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes Playing: Laemmle Glendale, Glendale; also available on VOD

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Movie Review – I See You (2019)

December 6, 2019 by Matt Donato

I See You . 2019.

Directed by Adam Randall. Starring Helen Hunt, Jon Tenney, Judah Lewis, Owen Teague, Libe Barer, and Gregory Alan Williams.

Strange occurrences plague a small town detective and his family as he investigates the disappearance of a young boy.

Adam Randall’s I See You doesn’t play by structured narrative rules. Thanks to a script by Devon Graye, we’re treated to elements of a murder case that are purposely misplaced as to alter perspectives. A cheating housewife, local child disappearances, “Phroggers” – all pieces to a larger criminal puzzle sliced apart by slasher influences. Without subverting straightforward narration, Randall isn’t handed much more than home invasion influences endangered by true crime undertones. As is? Imagine splicing together Adam Mason’s Hangman with any syndicated missing persons procedural. One aspect better than the other, in my opinion.

The film mainly takes place within Jackie (Helen Hunt) and Greg Harper’s (Jon Tenney) household. Jackie spends her days pleading to be forgiven for cheating on Greg, while Greg is busy investigating a local string of missing child reports. Son Connor (Judah Lewis) lashes out with raw aggression at the mother who “ruined everything,” but as Greg’s case complicates, his entire family finds themselves sinking into madness. Jackie’s adulterous partner comes knocking, Greg’s detective work reaches dead ends, and Connor learns what “Phrogging” means. The hard way, no less.

To expose how each subplot intertwines would spoil anticipation, given how watching the same actions from different angles exposes details in an intriguing manner. What we’re essentially shown is the same 40-minute movie from two vastly varied viewpoints, both unraveling their own mysteries. One as a Harper clan member, when their domicile becomes an uncomfortable domain. The other from Alec (Owen Teague) and Mindy’s (Libe Barer) voyeuristic peeping, two professional “Phrogging” wall-livers who pick the Harpers’ affluent suburbia McMansion as their latest “pad.” For those unaware, “Phrogging” refers to vagabond types who sneak into houses and live out of sight for days at a time (sleeping in crawlspaces, hiding in guest rooms, so on).

Before following the Harpers’ uninvited guests, I See You could be any subgenre crime thriller. Which, in my mind, is fully intended. We’ve seen these beats before: appliances magically turn on, pictures go missing – noticeable stalker horror. Thematic darkness slowly creeps into focus as a killer remains uncaught and clues allude to possible suspects. It’s a lot of Helen Hunt getting yelled at, panicking as her homemaker mother attempts to temper outbursts with hot pancake stacks and fake smiles. Not the film’s more engaging half, but a curious depiction of broken families told with ample unease.

What’s revealed when Alec and Mindy’s narrative takes over is where my interest spikes. Red herrings expose themselves while Mindy attempts to teach Alec about “Phrogging,” yet her accomplice seems more entertained by tormenting the Harpers. Is that why he brought along his creepy “frog” mask? Of course. Yet there’s nothing conventional about Randall’s Housebound scenario, as an even more despicable reality builds into shape. Three different narratives collide while assumptions are torn to shreds in front of our eyes, like a lesson in cinematic command promoted by whoever’s telling the story at any given period.

I See You is best when posturing in full horror mode, be it lurking figures or visions of a true monster. As alluded to, Alec’s frog mask – this monochromatic face with bulgy eyes; “Momo Challenge” reminiscent – gets used as an accent on a hooded figure. Skulking around, provoking that slasher vibe I mentioned above. Whether the lurking deviant has any connection to Greg’s suspect remains the script’s biggest question, but that doesn’t stop paranoid cast members from conjuring up a palpable sense of dread and discomfort. Plotted expectancies that benefit from out-of-the-box illustrations. Certainly never wasting setups where tension comes full circle.

For a beast with this many heads, I See You somehow keeps each mouth from snapping at the others. It’s a film that hinges heavily on third-act execution, as what you’re fed turns out to be nothing but misleading optics and tasty lies. Maybe not the most unexpected by the time police tape is cleaned away, but Adam Randall’s wrangling of multiple subplot offshoots ensures a beguilingly nasty journey. What’s said about hiding in plain sight cannot be understated, which may be the film’s scariest message of all.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Matt spends his after-work hours posting nonsense on the internet instead of sleeping like a normal human. He seems like a pretty cool guy, but don’t feed him after midnight just to be safe (beers are allowed/encouraged). Follow him on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd (@DoNatoBomb).

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I See You (4/5) – Movie Review

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Dec 6, 2019 | 4 minutes

I SEE YOU is a new horror drama which covers both “phrogging” and a serial killer of young boys. This is a movie that really packs a punch within a relatively short runtime. Impressive and very entertaining. Read more in our full I See You review here!

I See You is a new horror movie with elements of crime and drama genres. The story covers a few different stories that all come together in the end. It might feel like a drama-thriller at first, but ultimately, I See You becomes a horror-crime movie!

Also, the cast is quite interesting and the actors deliver some amazing performances. Something that becomes especially important as the movie changes style and vibe a few times. If you think this movie is a bit slow at first, then don’t be fooled. The real story is absolutely wild – as is the ending!

Continue reading our I See You review below.

The cast of this horror movie

I See You has a very interesting cast which leads with Helen Hunt ( Mad About You ) for the first part of the movie. I hate having to say this, but I was so distracted by her face that I must mention it. I’m not sure what she has done (or why) to her face, but it just looks off. I mean, it’s difficult to truly read her emotions and that’s never good. She has good moments but overall she was not memorable.

And not just because it’s hard to even recognize her – or relate to her emotional struggles – though that didn’t help.

Her son is played by Judah Lewis, who was pretty damn awesome in the Netflix horror-comedy The Babysitter . A movie I would definitely recommend checking out if you like horror-comedies that go crazy. You can read our review of The Babysitter here! Also, he was in the teen horror movie Summer of 84 which also had some great moments.

Also read: Our review of the horror movie Summer of 84 here >

Jon Tenney ( season 3 of True Detective ) plays the man of the house. He’s also a police detective investigating the disappearance of young boys in a case that looks similar to one 15 years ago. In the previous case, most of the boys turned up dead while those who escaped helped convict the killer.

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About The Author

Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!

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I See You (Movie Review)

Sophie's rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ director: adam randall | release date: 2019.

Much has been made in the last few years about the effects of streaming distribution on the cinema landscape. The expansion of viewing options has created opportunities for movies that may have never seen the light of day to find an audience. With all of these options though, it’s to be expected that things will get lost in the shuffle. I See You is just one such title. Released in the second half of 2019, I See You caught my attention when it was recommended by a critic I respect, Noel Murray . On its face, I See You might look like just another straight-to-streaming horror movie, but it is definitely bringing something to the table.

Written by Devon Graye and directed by Adam Randall, I See You is set in a small Ohio town, along the shores of Lake Eerie (how appropriate) where young boys have started to go missing. The disappearances seem to parallel an earlier series of murders, but a man is already in jail for those. Our lens into the story is through Detective Greg Harper (Jon Tenney), who is working the case. As his investigation leads him deeper, strange occurrences start befalling him and his family. They start finding things in different places than they were left and hearing people in the house when they believe they’re alone.

For a relatively new director, Adam Randall, and cinematographer Phillip Blaubach prove that they have a great eye for visual tension. The movie features several drone shots - which have become so prominent over the last several years any filmmaker, despite their budget, can throw in a birdseye shot of a car winding down a road. In I See You , however, the drone shots are used to great effect. The Harper’s live in a house that is right on the water, and we get a few shots of their home from above, where it appears to sit on a precipice between the clean suburban order of their neighborhood and the uncontrollable chaos of the waves. We also get a number of shots that feel like a disembodied POV, creating a sense that the audience is along for the ride whether they want to be or not. Even when a traditional camera is employed, the film manages to create some really memorable sequences. A scene where a child appears to be ripped from his bike in slow motion, as though being plucked by an invisible hand, is a particular stand out.

Horror has long chosen places and apparent truths that we take for granted as secure in order to show just how vulnerable we really are. Think about John Carpenter's Halloween and the way it made the sleepy suburban street a hunting ground. I See You carries on in this tradition, following the Harper's as they begin to feel less safe in their home and the chaos that churns outside starts to creep ever closer and even inside their own walls.

I See You is a thrill ride from start to finish. The story will keep you guessing and the tension will keep you on the edge of your seat. With options that feel limitless, this is a movie that you don’t want to miss. Cue this movie up and see how safe you feel in your own home once you’re done.

Contributor

Sophie's introduction into the magic that is the horror genre was watching Halloween at a party in high school, and since then she's never looked back. She may be the wimpiest horror fan you have ever met, but she won't ever let that stop her!

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What To Watch Next?

A child has gone missing and a small-town detective must find the kidnappers. But all is not what it seems especially as when somebody or something is lurking in his house. I See You is an eerie thriller with plenty of twists to keep you hooked.

A child has gone missing and lead investigator Greg Harper is on the case. At least that's the premise of I See You , the horror film that is more thriller than anything else.

However, it quickly becomes clear that there is far more to the story than simply finding the young boy.

The Harper's live in a huge house, but dysfunction in the family is rife. Jackie Harper (Helen Hunt) has had an affair, and the tension is palpable. Her son hates her and her husband is sleeping in the guest room.

But all the while something or somebody is lurking in the house watching the drama unfold. Strange occurrences such as pictures getting removed from their frames, the tv turning on by itself etc…happen every day. But with so much in-fighting, none of them has noticed.

Halfway through I See You the narrative changes and we get to watch the story unfold again, this time from another perspective. Essentially the mysteries and puzzles of the first half are answered in the second half.

And this is where the thrills get ramped up. Not everything is as it seems. The twists come thick and fast and as the search for the missing child continues the body count starts to rack up.

I See You Official Trailer

Is I See You Worth Watching?

I don't want to give away any spoilers, so it's tricky to really get into the heart of the film.

But I will say that it really isn't a horror movie. Sure, there are a few jumps and a couple of “I didn't see that coming” moments, but overall it is very much a thriller.

Jon Tenney ( The Best Of Me ) as Greg kept the movie going with a pretty decent performance as a man trying to hold it all together.

However, the rest of the cast didn't have a lot to do. And I'm not sure what happened to Helen Hunt, but her expressionless face was kind of distracting.

That said, the score of the entire film really brought it to life. The creepy music added that nervy vibe that always let you know something was amiss with the family.

From director Adam Randall, I See You is an eerie suspenseful movie that was peppered with genuine surprises.

Definitely one to watch if you like the genre.

I See You Movie Cast

Helen Hunt as Jackie Harper, a wife so consumed by family drama she doesn't notice what's happening in her own home

Jon Tenney as Greg Harper, a small town detective trying to solve the case of a missing child

Owen Teague as Alec

Judah Lewis as Connor Harper, Greg's son

Libe Barer as Mindy

Gregory Alan Williams as Spitzky, Harper's partner

Erika Alexander as Lieutenant Moriah Davis

Allison King as Officer Grace Caleb

Adam Kern as Window Repairman

Jeremy Gladen as Tommy Braun

Teri Clark as Mrs. Braun

Nicole Forester as Mrs. Whitter

Clever Twist Telling The Story In Two Halves
Eerie And Suspenseful
Solid Performance From Jon Tenney
Helen Hunt Was Distracting
Movie Felt Rushed

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘I See You’ on Netflix, A Generic Home Invasion Flick With One Good Narrative Gambit

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I See You (2019)

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Hacks’ Season 3 On Max, Where Deborah And Ava Try To Rebuild Their Friendship As Both Of Them Have A Lot Of Career Success

Where was ‘i see you’ filmed the horror movie’s filming locations, ‘i see you’ ending explained: helen hunt’s twisty horror thriller is now streaming on netflix, starz ‘blindspotting’ season 2: trailer, release date, what we know.

Though I See You was released in theaters back in 2019, it’s burning up the Netflix charts in 2023. What’s behind the surging interest in this horror flick? Surely having Oscar-winner Helen Hunt on a tile helps cut through the noise on the platform. But there’s more than just star power here – and Hunt is far from the main attraction, even if she’s the selling point to get some users to press play.

I SEE YOU : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: I See You opens with quite a sight: a 9-year-old boy knocked off his bike in the woods like he’s hit some kind of force field. It sets the backdrop for the film’s tensions nicely with several missing kids hanging over the Harper family. Luckily their house is big to make room for all the animosity they feel toward one another! Mother Jackie (Helen Hunt) committed an act of infidelity prior to the events of the film, angering her police detective husband Greg (Jon Tenney) but most of all their angsty teenage son Connor (Judah Lewis).

As if Greg’s investigation into the disappearances isn’t enough new drama to bring into the mix, strange things start happening around the house. Things go missing. People get locked into rooms. Items fall from the roof. Jackie’s old flame returns. (Maybe the final one is unrelated.) It’s unclear to the Harpers if they’re being invaded by strangers, haunted by a ghostly presence, or just tormented by their own family members.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: While not nearly as sadistic as something like Funny Games or Panic Room , there’s a similar vibe with a menacing presence terrorizing a family in their private domicile.

Performance Worth Watching: Not the Academy Award winner Helen Hunt, believe it or not! (Though I’m sure she got a nice check for her brief bit of filming.) It’s rising star Owen Teague as Alec who proves the scene-stealer of I See You . He’s really got the creepy, crawly young male characters down … but he always provides an interesting hint of humanity just when you think they might veer toward cliché.

Memorable Dialogue: “What’s the point if we don’t make them question their sanity a little?” (Any further context omitted for spoiler’s sake.)

Sex and Skin: Of all the things to see in I See You , there’s nothing in the sensual department.

Our Take: There’s a big second-act reveal in I See You that’s worth leaving unspoiled. It might not redeem the movie necessarily, but it’s arguably the only reason to watch it at all. This twist reframes everything we’ve seen before by essentially playing back what we’ve already seen happen to the Harpers from a different perspective. It’s clever and interesting, but the first half is just excruciating enough that it’s hard to justify sitting through just to get to the back half. Director Adam Randall relies on all the genre hallmarks – the ominous phantom camera, disembodied ironic music – to disguise the thinness of what I See You has to offer. And Devon Graye’s screenplay, while not without its flashes of inspiration, ultimately goes one twist too far.

Our Call: SKIP IT. I See You is nothing that hasn’t been, well, seen before. There’s some cleverness in its construction that might delight genre enthusiasts, yet a strong mid-section gets tainted by the painfully obvious opening and closing bits.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist, and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.

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‘the idea of you’ dreams up a romance built around very familiar ideas.

If “Notting Hill” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” had a baby, it would look something like “The Idea of You,” a May-August romantic pairing of Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. Nicely played by the leads, this tale of a 40-year-old woman swept off her feet by a 20-something boy-band star amounts to playing the genre’s hits while following all the same old steps.

Destined for Amazon, it’s a competent date-night or gals’-night movie for those who don’t want to leave the house – Chardonnay optional, but recommended – which makes practical sense, landing as it does in a middle ground that has struggled at the box office.

Cheated on and left by her husband, Soléne (Hathaway) is a successful art-gallery owner who gets roped at the last-minute into squiring her teenage daughter and the kid’s friends to Coachella, where her ex has purchased a meet-and-greet experience with the members of August Moon, whose following might lean more toward the tween crowd.

A reluctant attendee, Soléne has the ultimate meet-cute moment with band member Hayes (Galitzine, of “Mary & George” and “Red, White & Royal Blue” renown), stumbling into his trailer thinking it’s the restroom.

After some awkward banter and obvious chemistry – which with the benefit of hindsight is about as good as the movie gets – Hayes shows up unexpectedly (by her, that is) at Soléne’s gallery, telling her shyly, “I feel like I don’t meet people like you very often.”

Nicholas Galitzine (center) plays a boy-band star in

For a pop star, he’s an endearingly sensitive soul, which doesn’t do much to quell her reticence, due both to their age gap and his fame.

Romance and complications ensue, with writer-director Michael Showalter ( “The Big Sick” and “Spoiler Alert,” sharing script credit with Jennifer Westfeldt) adapting Robinne Lee’s novel in part by relying on the customary montages to handle some of the heavy lifting. If only the garnishes were a little less tired, including the prying paparazzi and Reid Scott as Soléne’s no-right-to-be-bent-out-of-shape ex.

All that really leaves, then, is the interplay between Hathaway and Galitzine, with the latter (starring in his second Amazon movie in a year’s time about a romance complicated by fame) performing double duty on the songs. The problem is however well they might work in terms of rooting for them as a couple, it’s hard to avoid the very real issue that the world he inhabits and indeed people in general can be pretty lousy.

“The Idea of You” will likely be most satisfying for those who choose not to sweat the details, enjoying the scenery and fantasy wrapped up in it. Think of it as one of those movies that really reinforces the adage there are no new ideas, just fresh versions of old ones set to different beats.

“The Idea of You” premieres May 2 on Amazon’s Prime Video. It’s rated R.

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the idea of you.

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Tell me if this sounds familiar: A romantic couple, one American, one British, one the proprietor of a small, very narrow business, happy with family and friends but lonely and a little lost, one a global superstar, but lonely and a little lost. Both are spectacularly beautiful. And there’s a reason the star has to visit the ordinary person’s home, where a disgusting beverage is offered, plus a gift of a painting that carries a lot of meaning and constant predatory paparazzi.

Yes, you will recognize a lot of the elements of “ Notting Hill ” in “The Idea of You.” It is a glossier but lesser work from writers Michael Showalter (who also directed) and Jennifer Westfeldt , whose better films have more texture. Here, they work from a beloved novel by Robinne Lee . The book's Amazon blurb reads, “included on The Skimm's 2020 list of Eight Books Both You and Mom Will Love.” Perhaps they erred on the side of fan service, hoping that their stars would fill in what the script was missing. They’re partially right. Anne Hathaway , playing the “older woman” of 40, is still as dewy as she was as an ingenue, and rocketing-to-stardom Nicholas Galitzine is a swoon-worthy Prince Charming. They do their considerable best, even when the screenplay limits them to longing glances, steamy embraces, and heart-breaking partings.

Hathaway plays Solène Marchand, owner of a small art gallery in the trendy Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles and a divorced mother of Izzy ( Ella Rubin ), a high school junior. Solène's ex-husband, Daniel ( Reid Scott ), who is better at spending money on Izzy than spending time with her, has purchased VIP access passes for Coachella so that Izzy can have a meet-and-greet with August Moon, a boy band she has not loved since 7 th grade. At the last minute, Daniel bails on the festival for a business trip, and Solène has to abandon her plans for a solo camping trip to take Izzy and her friends to the concert.

That is where Solène somehow mistakes a singer’s trailer for a port-a-potty, this story’s attempt at a meet-cute. The singer is poor little rich boy Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), who has been a pop sensation since he auditioned to be a part of a boy band when he was 14. He is drawn by Solène’s combination of normality (not recognizing him) and stunning beauty (I mean, it is Anne Hathaway). He tracks her down at her art gallery, buys everything in it, and, because he is constantly hounded by press and fans, they go to her home for lunch, where they share some stories about their trust issues (and then a kiss).

So far, so good. But this is where it goes from a barely plausible fairy tale to a big, juicy target for one of those YouTube snark-fests about plot holes and character implausibility. Despite being alive in 2024 and Hayes’ experience for nearly half his life with constant attention from fans and media, they somehow think Solène can go on tour with the band through Europe and smooch in public with no one noticing. While they did inch his age up four years from the novel’s 20, somewhat diminishing the oooky factor, they don't give Hayes much of a personality other than that of lost, sensitive guy whose immediate, unwavering devotion speaks only of his perfect boyfriend-ness. Never of, oh, I don’t know, undifferentiated neediness; his feeling of abandonment by his mother; any thought he might have about someday wanting children; any issues of generational disconnect; cultural, developmental, or life experience.

Solène’s character is just as thinly developed (still hurt by her ex, adoring her daughter – though very cute when they sing along to St. Vincent in the car), enriched by her support for local artists, and, later, understandably unsure about whether a relationship with a pop star seven years older than her daughter is a good idea. But Hayes has even less to work with. His only traits are being in love with Solène and maybe wanting to write some songs. It's worth mentioning that the songs in the film, both original and needle drops, are quite good.

If they gave Oscars for bringing underwritten characters to life, Hathaway and Galitzine would be contenders. Though many in the audience may find more satisfaction from the sweet revenge on her cheating ex than the romance, as implausible as it is, we cannot help rooting for Solène and Hayes to find a way to make it work.

On Prime Video now.

Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com.

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Film credits.

The Idea of You (2024)

115 minutes

Anne Hathaway as Solène

Nicholas Galitzine as Hayes Campbell

Ella Rubin as Izzy

Annie Mumolo as Tracy

Reid Scott as Daniel

Perry Mattfeld as Eva

Jordan Aaron Hall as Zeke

Mathilda Gianopoulos as Georgia

Meg Millidge as Claire

Cheech Manohar as Jeremy

Raymond Cham Jr. as Oliver

Michael Showalter
Jennifer Westfeldt

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'New Life' Review: A Tense Horror-Thriller With a Twist You Won't See Coming

John Rosman’s feature debut twists one of horror's most overused tropes to create a deeper emotional character journey.

The Big Picture

New Life is a bold movie that offers a fresh take on overused tropes.
The film explores themes of solidarity, adversity, and the power of hope in the face of chaos.
New Life skillfully uses contemporary concerns, such as corporate greed and cyber surveillance, to enhance its background story and add depth to its thriller narrative.

This review was originally part of our coverage for the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival.

New Life is a genre-bending movie that defies simple definitions. At first, writer-director John Rosman 's feature debut presents itself as an engaging cat and mouse game played by Sonya Walger and Hayley Erin that doesn't seem like it will add something new to spy thriller conventions. As it turns out, though, that's part of New Life 's charm, with big second-act revelations pushing Rosman's feature straight into horror territory and changing the story’s stakes. While getting into the major twist would completely spoil the film, it's worth noting how the filmmaker takes one of the most overused tropes in horror and approaches it from a new angle. That alone would make the movie a standout, but New Life has much more to offer .

The film opens with an image of a young woman covered in blood , sneaking through the streets of suburbia while constantly looking over her shoulder. The woman, Jessica (Erin), is being chased by people with guns, all dressed in suits. Her only chance to escape is to go North and do whatever she can to remain hidden until crossing the Canadian border and starting a new life for herself. While Jessica is on the run, Elsa (Walger) is ordered to take over the hunt for her. Once a prominent field agent, Elsa has been recently diagnosed with ALS, and her body is slowly refusing to respond to her will. She hides her condition from her colleagues and hopes that bringing Jessica in might help prove she can still do her job.

New Life (2023)

In a dramatic series, a recently widowed woman struggles to rebuild her life in a small coastal town where she finds new beginnings and complex relationships. As she connects with the local community, she discovers that healing comes in many forms and sometimes unexpected places.

In Jessica’s segment of the story, New Life tells a tale of solidarity, as she is lucky to cross paths with people who offer help without expecting any explanations about her past. She’s then free to build something new after evading whoever's chasing her. Elsa’s story echoes that of Jessica, as the agent is forced to upend her life due to the limitations of ALS. So, on one level, Rosman’s movie is about the chaotic elements of life where everyone must choose how to deal with adversity either by embracing hope or giving in to despair. That theme is echoed throughout both main characters' storylines, as Jessica and Elsa fight to reclaim the life that has been taken from them , either by other people or by unfair diseases.

'New Life' Boasts a Pair of Excellent Performances

As a character-driven story, New Life can only work thanks to Eron's and Walger's commitment to their respective roles . Even as Jessica and Elsa are on opposite sides, they both have to deal with secrets and mistrust, which gets reflected in how they keep their pain concealed and hold everybody at arm's length. Eron and Walger help give both women emotional layers by using body language to convey the complex feelings they cannot talk about openly as we observe their reactions to curveballs that are thrown their way as the plot unfolds. Walger, in particular, helps give the ALS storyline more weight by masterfully capturing the frustration and fear that comes with the diagnosis while maintaining the facade of gritty antagonist that her hunter position demands. This offers audiences an intriguing drama, which improves when New Life plays with genre conventions to subvert expectations.

At first, New Life doesn’t explain why Jessica is running away , nor does it reveal who Elsa’s contractors are. All we know is that two women who never crossed paths before have their lives uprooted by the chase. This narrative framing allows audiences to explore each character’s internal struggle. In addition, the movie also makes a statement about the dangers of technology.

As Jessica travels the country, she must do so while avoiding electronics. Meanwhile, Elsa’s army of technicians scour the web for clues of her prey’s whereabouts. With dynamic editing that adds a welcome and fast-paced energy to Rosman's compelling direction, New Life uses images of surveillance cameras, official government transcripts, and social media to showcase the alarming web of cyber surveillance we are all trapped in. As much as Jessica wants to vanish, there are just too many digital footprints people can follow to learn more about her . There’s a never-ending flow of information surrounding human lives, making it almost impossible to believe privacy still exists when street cameras can track people’s every move without alerting them.

'New Life' Takes a Turn That Brings Everything Together

That scary thought elevates the classic woman-on-the-run film, painting a grim picture of the power wealthy companies can have over people’s lives. Once New Life reveals why Jessica is on the run, that message immediately underscores how corporate greed often gets in the way of individual safety and privacy, regardless of the dangers it presents to us. So, even though these themes are not the movie's main focus, Rosman's writing skillfully uses contemporary concerns to polish up New Life 's background story .

It would be a disservice to the film to comment on its genre-bending twist. Still, it’s important to emphasize how the horror elements introduced in the second act add to the tense atmosphere of the thriller, tying Jessica’s and Elsa’s personal journeys closer than either could have anticipated. Rosman’s script is also clever enough to avoid tonal dissonances by smoothly adding these new components without losing track of the main story, at least until the end. The third act of New Life could have been cleaner, as some of the plot points that come with the horror portion of the movie get in the way of the thoughtful exploration of ALS that the film does through Elsa. Even so, despite using genre conventions both for its thriller and the mysterious horror story layers, New Life feels fresh and innovative , presenting a mix that works so well that it’s a wonder no one ever tried to do something similar before.

New Life is a bold, genre-bending feature debut with excellent performances and great writing.

The film provides a new take on a familiar story, upending our expectations in the best way.
Sonya Walger and Hayley Erin each give great performances, providing emotional layers through every aspect of their body language.
The twist brings everything into emotionally resonant focus, showing how our two characters were more similar than they were different.
The third act could have been cleaner as certain horror developments don't always connect with the more thoughtful elements of the film.

New Life is now available to stream on VOD in the U.S.

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‘I Saw the TV Glow’ Review: Moody, Interesting, No Fun

This movie is clever, cool, and a slog. its world is nightmarish not in the way that most horror movies are but in a way that resembles an actual nightmare..

Sometimes calling a film “challenging” is code for “I don’t like it, but I don’t want to sound stupid or uncool for not liking it.” My challenge with I Saw the TV Glow is that almost everything I dislike about it is done on purpose, and effectively. As a piece of art, I can’t deny that it works. Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun transported me to a realm of deep, humming, ambient despair, and I did not enjoy my time there. I Saw the TV Glow is a “mood,” an atmospheric journey with loads of bixsexual neon lighting and a very hip soundtrack. It’s received loads of praise from other critics, which I will not directly contradict. But I found I Saw the TV Glow to be an unforgiving slog, a film that occasionally piqued my interest but ultimately left me disappointed.

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This horror-infused coming of age story opens in the mid-1990s when quiet kid Owen ( Ian Foreman as a preteen, Justice Smith as a teenager and adult) meets gloomy older kid Maddie ( Brigette Lundy-Paine ). Maddie is a die-hard fan of The Pink Opaque , a horror-adventure show about a pair of telepathically-linked suburban teens who help each other fight demons. But The Pink Opaque seems to be more than just an escape from their dreary home lives and abusive fathers. There’s a strange connection between the show and its viewers. Is the show becoming a part of them, or are they part of the show?

The Pink Opaque is two parts Buffy the Vampire Slayer , one part Are You Afraid of the Dark? and one part Twin Peaks , a show with a clever conceptual hook presented in an unnerving lo-fi idiom. This is also a fair description of the film it’s nested in. I Saw the TV Glow could definitely have fit into a more mainstream mold, had that been filmmaker Jane Shoenbrun’s aim. There’s a version of this film that’s built like a more typical Buffy installment, with a faster pace, a more physical menace to combat, and a cleaner resolution. As it stands, it most closely resembles “Restless,” an episode of Buffy made up almost entirely of surreal dream sequences. It’s slow, eerie, deliberate, and really wants to be taken seriously.

The world of I Saw the TV Glow is nightmarish, not in the way that most horror movies are but in a way that resembles an actual nightmare. The pace of each scene is drawn out to maximize discomfort. There are long spaces between each line of dialogue, and every word out of Owen’s mouth is a struggle. Watching anyone try to communicate in this film is agony, and while that’s certainly the intent, that doesn’t make it less painful. I found Justice Smith’s stuttering, wispy performance to be infuriating, though almost certainly he’s performing as directed. Brigette Lundy-Paine absolutely nails the role of an edgy teen who has made “depressed and misunderstood and smarter than you” their entire personality and who I would cross a busy street to avoid having a conversation with. Both of their characters feel like real, suffering outsiders rather than spit-shined cinematic avatars of teenage angst, and while that’s an achievement, it’s also a reminder of why media usually exaggerates adolescent wit, foolishness, or both for the sake of entertainment. The real thing sucks as much to watch as it does to experience firsthand.

The awkwardness and displeasure do serve a purpose. Schoenbrun puts us in the shoes of a young queer person who feels out of place, hollowed out, uncomfortable in their own skin. Owen identifies strongly with Isabel ( Helena Howard ), one of the female leads of The Pink Opaque , but is afraid to embrace what this connection might mean. He lives in fear of his father (Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst ), a silent statue of a man nearly always photographed from a distance or from low, obscure angles. His mother (the always excellent Danielle Deadwyler ) is not long for this world, which will leave Owen with nothing worth holding onto. And yet, he remains paralyzed, too afraid of being judged or rejected by a world from which he is already completely alienated. It’s an evocative portrait of gender as a prison from which no one can simply be released — you need the courage to escape.

While there are supernatural elements and otherworldly imagery, most of the horror of I Saw the TV Glow is of the existential variety. Schoenbrun repeatedly teases more overt supernatural elements, but these otherworldly horrors remain ambient—ever-present but backgrounded. This is creepy, but it’s also disappointing and essentially leaves the film without a third act. There’s no thrill, no relief, no fun whatsoever. It’s pure bummer.

Being unpleasant isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and certainly hasn’t kept I Saw the TV Glow from winning a lot of critical praise. The film is “cool to like” in the way David Lynch movies are cool to like. It requires more patience than a mainstream motion picture, it doesn’t answer all your questions, and it’s not supposed to make you feel good. The thing is, Lynch’s movies are that way because their author is a genuine weirdo who doesn’t want to be understood. I Saw the TV Glow is too transparent a film to operate on this level. It makes too much sense, has too legible a plot and too obvious a message.

Art films always have a greater allowance for being unpleasant than a commercial movie might have. However, on some level, the experience needs to be more rewarding than it is punishing.

‘I Saw the TV Glow’ Review: Moody, Interesting, No Fun

SEE ALSO : ‘Under the Bridge’ Review: A Miniseries That Interrogates the True Crime Genre

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‘Wildcat’ Review: Seeing Flannery O’Connor Through Her Stories

Ethan Hawke teams up with his daughter, Maya Hawke, for an unconventional and somewhat muddled portrait of a singular author.

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A woman reads a letter at a country roadside mailbox labeled O’Connor.

By Brandon Yu

Bedridden and anguished, the writer Flannery O’Connor is visited by a priest (Liam Neeson in a cameo) in “Wildcat,” starring Maya Hawke. Tormented by spiritual agony and the systemic lupus that would kill her at 39, O’Connor, a lifelong Catholic, beseeches him: “I long for grace,” she cries. “I see it, I know it’s there, but I can’t touch it.”

There’s the seed of a good film in this scene, but the filmmakers can’t quite latch onto it. These intriguing wisps of ideas — about O’Connor’s struggle with faith and purpose — never coalesce into a coherent portrait in the movie (directed by Maya Hawke’s father, Ethan), which is presented as being based on O’Connor’s short stories.

The film is meant to animate her life through her work, with its observations about religion, violence and society’s hypocrisy, but that adventurous conceit can’t be fulfilled without some elements of a biopic. What we are left with is a movie that flits between incidents from the life of this National Book Award-winner, writing on the family farm in Georgia, among other places, and a distracted supercut of her particular, and often darkly comic, brand of Southern Gothic fiction. Half-sketched and sometimes hard to follow, the stories glimpsed here ultimately fail to produce a fully legible or consistently engaging arc of what must be a roiling inner world.

Maya Hawke’s performance, in turn, is muddled; she can be strong as O’Connor, but in the fictional pieces, her portrayals are often reduced to clumsy caricatures. The period re-creation is striking and helps generate occasionally spellbinding imagery, but the enduring sense of the film is of a family project that is by turns frustrating and briefly enlightening.

Wildcat Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes. In theaters.

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A policeman and his doctor wife have some marriage problems and the son blames the mother. For his job, the policeman investigates a case of a missing boy. The possible kidnapping looks like some cases from a few years ago.
When a 10-year-old boy goes missing, lead investigator Greg Harper (Tenney) struggles to balance the pressure of the investigation and troubles with his wife, Jackie (Hunt). Facing a recent affair, great strain is put on the family that slowly gnaws away at Jackie's grip on reality. But after a malicious presence manifests itself in their home and puts their son, Connor (Lewis), in mortal danger, the cold, hard truth about evil in the Harper household is finally uncovered.
As phroggers, who are people that secretly squat inside occupied houses, teenagers Mindy and Alec infiltrate the suburban home of police detective Greg Harper, his counselor wife Jackie, and their teenage son Connor. Although Mindy insists on drawing no attention to themselves while hiding inside the house, Alec begins mentally messing with the Harpers by removing photographs from their frames, turning on televisions, and urinating on Greg while he sleeps. He also hides Jackie's favorite mug which has sunflowers painted on it. The family vaguely wonders if there may be a paranormal presence haunting their home. Connor and Greg remain angry with Jackie in the wake of a revelation that Jackie had an affair. Still coming to terms with how to handle their marriage moving forward, Greg throws his phone through a window in frustration. When a repairman arrives to fix the window while the Harpers are not home, Alec convinces Mindy to let him in since he doesn't know she doesn't live there. Jackie comes home surprised to find the repairman in her house. Jackie's confusion grows when he explains that her daughter let him inside. Jackie reports the repairman to the police after discovering that her silverware is missing, although Alec actually hid it. Lieutenant Moriah Davis assigns Greg and his longtime partner Ray Spitzky to investigate the disappearances of Michael King and 12-year-old Justin Whitter, the latter of whom mysteriously vanished while riding his bike through the woods. At the crime scene, the detectives discover a green pocketknife like those used by Cole Gordon, a man they sent to prison for killing six other boys years earlier. Although Greg and Spitzky consider they are dealing with a copycat, Davis has the duo track down Gordon's two surviving victims to ensure that Gordon's defense attorney doesn't push to reopen the case. They go to see previous victim Tommy Braun. When Tommy turns to look at Spitzky it's revealed that his face is horribly disfigured. Tommy then begins whimpering and yelling. Spitzky listens to his original interview with Tommy. Tommy says that he disfigured his face himself after being in the little house in the trees. Tommy says it's a magic house that disappears. Spitzky asks what that means and Tommy says it means that Spitzky will never find the man. Jackie's lover Todd comes to the Harper house to profess his love for Jackie. From the roof above, Alec smashes Jackie's sunflower mug on Todd's head. Jackie presumes it was thrown by Connor. She takes Todd into the basement to treat his wound. Jackie leaves Todd alone while she drives Connor to school. Mindy decides that she and Alec need to leave the house immediately. She goes to the basement to retrieve the backpack she had hidden there earlier, but is forced to hide when she sees Todd is in the basement. Greg returns home unexpectedly and finds Todd in the basement kneeling in front of a cupboard as he looks for a cloth for his head wound. From her hiding spot Mindy silently witnesses Greg murder Todd by hitting him in the head from behind with a bat. Mindy grabs her backpack and prepares to leave but is forced to hide again as Jackie returns and finds Todd dead from a head wound. Fearing that Connor will be held responsible because of the mug she presumed he threw, Jackie convinces Greg to help her bury Todd's body in the woods. While his parents are out, Connor finds the missing silverware inside the washing machine. Connor then receives an anonymous message asking if he knows what "phrogging" is. Connor finds disturbing phrogging videos when he searches the term online. Wearing a frog mask, Alec captures Connor. Catching Alec in the act of tying up Connor, Mindy expresses her terror at the psychotic person Alec is becoming. A struggle ensues between Mindy and Alec. Mindy hits her head and falls unconscious. Alec puts Mindy in the back of Greg's vehicle and attempts to drive away but has trouble getting the vehicle to start. Greg and Jackie return home from burying Todd's body and Alec hides to avoid being seen. Jackie and Greg find Connor bound and gagged in the bathtub with a green pocketknife stuck into a bar of soap beside him. Before Jackie rushes Connor to the hospital Greg tells her he will find the person who did this to Connor. Alec is still hiding in the garage and is horrified to see Greg get in his vehicle and drive away with Mindy still unconscious in the back. Mindy quietly recovers in the back of the vehicle where she finds Justin Whittier's jersey and other evidence to indicates that Greg has been the one abducting and killing boys. When Greg stops, Mindy escapes into nearby woods. She calls 911 to report the killer, which summons Spitzky to investigate, but the connection drops out before her phone's location can be traced. Mindy finds a hidden trailer where Greg imprisoned Michael King and Justin Whitter. The boys tell her that Greg said he is going to kill them and is outside digging a hole to bury them. They beg Mindy to free them. As she tries to free them Greg comes up behind her and suffocates her with a plastic bag. Greg finds Mindy's camcorder documenting all of the phrogging she and Alec did inside the Harper house. Enraged, Greg heads home to hunt for Alec, taking Mindy, who's still alive, with him. When Greg arrives home he takes Mindy in the living room, tells her to stand up and shoots her with his service pistol. He takes a second handgun from his pocket, turns, and shoots two holes in the wall to make it appear as though Mindy shot at him and he killed her in self defense. He then wipes his fingerprints from the second gun and places it in MIndy's hand. With his service pistol in hand, he begins searching the house for Alec. Alec hears the shots and takes an ax from the wall of the garage. He sneaks through the house and finds Mindy's dead body. Greg is upstairs hunting for Alec. Alec lures him downstairs by playing a song on the record player. As Greg goes to turn off the record player Alec attacks him with an ax, but Greg overpowers him. Greg knocks Alec out before going to the kitchen sink and stabbing himself with a knife. He turns to plant the knife on Alec and sees that he has disappeared. He hears a hammer cock and sees Alec pointing a gun at him. Alec tells Greg that he knows what he is. Greg explains that he will stage the scene to frame Alec and MIndy as the murderers. Alec steps forward and Greg suddenly becomes frightened, pleading with Alec and telling him that Alec doesn't understand. Unmoved by Greg's plea, Alec shoots him dead just as the cops arrive. A crying Alec stares down at Greg's body. Spitzky breaks into the house and see Greg lying dead on the kitchen floor and Alec standing there holding the gun. He fires a bullet into Alec. Critically wounded, Alec lifts his head and recognizes Spitzky. He whispers Spitzky's name intimating that he was Tommy Braun's friend and had orchestrated the phrogging scheme to take revenge on the man that tortured him and Tommy as children. The police rescue the two captive boys in the woods while Spitzky finds the evidence in the back of Greg's SUV that proves that his partner was the perpetrator. Jackie and Connor return home, shocked to see their yard filled with police cars. Jackie walks toward Spitzky who says something inaudible to her. She brushes past him and stares in silence at the evidence in the back of Greg's SUV. As Alec is wheeled to the ambulance he flashes back to himself and Tommy as young boys walking along a railroad track. They encounter Greg who gives Alec a green pocketknife.

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