This little horror movie answers the question, how little can a movie show while still being very scary. With an incredible sound design and a minimalist visual aesthetic, this film proves horror is mostly driven by the ears, not the eyes.

The film follows Evy, played by Nina Kiri. She is the cohost of a supernatural podcast where they investigate paranormal phenomena. She is living with her catatonic mother and providing full time care for her. One day, their podcast receives a message containing ten audio recordings from an anonymous sender. They listen to them on the podcast and strange things begin happening around Evy.

This film is all about the sound design. It is the perfect opportunity for skilled sound artist to flex their muscles and show off what they can do. Thirteen sound professionals all worked together to craft this films auditory landscape, and they did a hell of a job. The way the creepy recordings Evy listens to burrow into your ears and stay there is uncanny. The raspy breathing of Evy’s catatonic, or maybe not so catatonic, mother is unique and unsettling. The weird clicking sound in her throat adds a skin crawling quality to every moment. The way whispers in the silence are played feel like ghostly hands touching you. It’s a wonderfully creepy movie to listen to.

That doesn’t mean that the film is visually boring. Far from it. The film is carefully framed to utilize every inch of the screen to show new details or frightening apparitions that just out of Evy’s view but that we can see clearly. There is wonderful use of mirrors. We the audience get to see more than Evy sees when she looks in the mirror and this creates incredible suspense. It’s a masterclass in giving the audience more information than the characters in the story.

I say characters, but it’s really only one character. Evy is the only person we see on screen who speaks at all. The entire movie is her on her own, her catatonic mother and the voices of her podcast cohost and the creepy audio recordings. She is totally on here own in a claustrophobic house that feels like its existing in perpetual night. Nina Kiri delivers a great performance. The fact that she can carry this entire movie by herself is a testament to her talent.

She, the camera work and the sound design work together to create a seamlessly frightening film one in which every sound in the house feels like a threat. Every shadow in every corner feels like it’s full of evil waiting to pounce on us. It is an excellent piece of horror filmmaking.

Where the film fell off for me was the story. After having just seen it, I’m still not 100% sure what exactly was going on especially at the end. I guess the evil force was closing in on our hero, but with so much happening in the soundscape, and so little happening in the visual sphere, it was hard to follow exactly what was going on. There is also a weird disconnect between Evy’s story and the uncovering what is happening in the audio clips. I wish there was a stronger connection or a stronger tie between the two. Some of the audio clips are so vague that the connection feels completely missing.

That said, I had a great time with this one. I was on the edge of my seat. I was scared consistently. It made every sound in my house feel that a threat. It made me fear every little sound around me. I had to put on some happy music and shake this movie off of me. It clung to me like wet clothes. It left me feeling uneasy and on edge. So regardless of my story complaints, this was a very effective movie. I’d highly recommend it. Watch it with headphones if you really want a disturbing experience. Watch it if you want to be freaked out by every creak and groan in your house as you fall asleep. If you’d rather sleep at night, just skip this one.

This is my cup of tea. A-