They're Outside

Last updated
They're Outside
Directed bySam Casserly
Airell Anthony Hayles
Written byAirell Anthony Hayles
Produced byMiles Anthony
Airell Anthony Hayles
Dovile Kirvelaityte
Jezz Vernon
StarringEmily Booth
Brad Moore
Nicholas Vince
Jon-Paul Gates
Emma Burdon-Sutton
Chrissy Randall
Tom Wheatley
Nicole Miners
Rob Craine
Edited bySam Casserly
James John Perkins
Music bySascha Blank
Production
company
The Haunted Cinema
Release date
  • 29 August 2020 (2020-08-29)(FrightFest)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

They're Outside is a 2020 horror movie that was directed by Sam Casserly and Airell Anthony Hayles, the latter of whom also wrote the film's script.

Contents

The film had a digital premiere at the August 2020 edition of FrightFest.

Synopsis

The film is presented as a documentary focused on an unaired episode of the YouTube show Psychology-Inside/Out, where celebrity psychologist Max Spencer diagnoses and treats patients with various mental illnesses. After filming the episode he and his girlfriend Nicole, who also served as his cameraperson, disappeared off the face of the earth.

For the episode Max had planned to focus on Sarah, a woman living near Hastings and suffering from severe agoraphobia. Max boasts that he can not only help Sarah, he can also have her leave her home in only ten days time. Once there Max and Nicole learn that Sarah believes in the local legend of Green Eyes, a practitioner of magic who would spirit people away to his home, after which they would never be seen or heard from again. Initially dismissive that the legend is real, several supernatural occurrences begin to prove Max otherwise.

Cast

Production

Co-director and screenwriter Airell Anthony Hayles drew inspiration for the film's premise from several places. When he was a child he learned that his uncle had agoraphobia, which fascinated him. Hayles also wanted to write a supernatural film akin to Ghostwatch and The Sixth Sense , but had difficulty finding an idea that he liked. Other film inspirations included Picnic at Hanging Rock and the 1973 movie The Wicker Man . He came up with the idea of They're Outside after asking himself "What if a person's agoraphobia was linked to supernatural events, rather than being a purely psychological condition?" [1] Hayles was unsatisfied with his first version of the screenplay, as he felt that it was not working and that it "did not feel right in its mood and energy for quite some time". He later re-wrote the film as found footage, stating "it found its heartbeat, and in my opinion the same story was suddenly filled with far more immediacy and energy." [1]

Actress Emily Booth was brought on to portray the character of Penny, a role that Hayles wrote with her in mind as "Emily and I are both from Hastings where the film is set, so I knew she'd understand the vibe of the pagan community there and bring heart and a sense of fun to the role." [1] Hayles and co-director Sam Casserly had a limited budget for the production and as a result utilized some guerrilla film making and kept the movie at a single location, Hastings, East Sussex. [1]

Release

They're Outside premiered on 29 August 2020 at FrightFest. [2] [3] The event was held digitally as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]

Reception

Common elements of praise for They're Outside focused on the acting and the film's atmosphere. Kim Newman praised the acting of Emily Booth, stating that she was "a hoot as a primary school teacher who used to be the coked-up presenter of a hot air balloon dating show called Love is in the Air". [5] Starburst listed Chrissy Randall's character as a highlight, as they felt she "realistically conveys the struggles of an agoraphobia sufferer". [6] Flickering Myth and Nerdly were more critical, with Flickering Myth writing that "it sometimes feels a tad sluggish and over-encumbered with melodramatic subplots, yet this is still a solid calling card for its filmmaking duo." [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Last Showing</i> 2014 British film

The Last Showing is a 2014 British independent horror thriller film directed by Phil Hawkins. The film had its world premiere on 22 August 2014 at the London FrightFest Film Festival and stars Robert Englund as a movie projectionist who kidnaps a couple for his own sinister purposes.

<i>White Settlers</i> 2014 British film

White Settlers is a 2014 British thriller-horror film that was directed by Simeon Halligan. The film had its premiere on 23 August 2014 at Film4 FrightFest and stars Pollyanna McIntosh and Lee Williams as a couple that find that their new home is not as hospitable as they would have hoped.

<i>The Unkindness of Ravens</i> 2016 Scottish film

The Unkindness of Ravens is a 2016 British horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster and starring Jamie Scott Gordon as a veteran who comes face to face with demonic ravens. The film had its world premiere on 27 August 2016 at the London FrightFest Film Festival. Prior to its release the horror website Bloody Disgusting marked The Unkindness of Ravens as one of their "10 Must-See Independent Horror Films of 2016".

<i>The Black Gloves</i> 2017 British film by Lawrie Brewster

The Black Gloves is a 2017 horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster and starring Macarena Gómez. It serves as a prequel to his 2013 debut horror film Lord of Tears. The film is set during the 1940s, and tells the story of a psychologist who soon finds himself at odds with the Owlman, a sinister owl-headed figure.

Alexandra Nicole Hulme is an actress known for her work with Lawrie Brewster.

<i>Terrified</i> (film) 2018 Argentine horror film

Terrified is a 2017 Argentine horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna, concerning a series of supernatural events in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.

<i>Dont Click</i> (2020 film) 2020 Canadian horror film

Don't Click is a 2020 Canadian horror film that was directed by G-Hey Kim. It screened online at the 2020 FrightFest and stars Valter Skarsgård as a young man who is forced into a nightmarish reality after viewing a snuff film.

<i>House of Salem</i> 2016 film directed by James Crow

House of Salem is a 2016 horror-thriller film written and directed by James Crow. It stars Jessica Arterton, Jack Brett Anderson, Liam Kelly, Robert Daniel Lowe, Leslie Mills and Andrew-Lee Potts. The film premiered at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 27, 2016.

<i>I Am Lisa</i> 2020 American horror film

I Am Lisa is a 2020 horror revenge film that was directed by Patrick Rea, based on a script written by Eric Winkler.

The Horror Crowd is a 2020 documentary film by Ruben Pla that examines the horror community in Hollywood.

Blind is a 2019 horror film that was directed by Marcel Walz, based on a script by Joe Knetter.

<i>The Honeymoon Phase</i> 2019 American film

The Honeymoon Phase is a 2019 sci-fi horror film that was written and directed by Phillip G. Carroll Jr., marking his feature film directorial debut.

Dark Place is a 2019 Australian horror anthology film. The shorts in the film were written and directed by Indigenous filmmakers Kodie Bedford, Perun Bonser, Rob Braslin, Liam Phillips, and Bjorn Stewart. All five shorts centre on Aboriginal peoples and the long-reaching impact of colonialism in Australia.

Hall, also stylized as HALL, is a 2020 Canadian mystery horror film that was directed by Francesco Giannini.

A Ghost Waits is a 2020 romantic comedy horror film that was directed by Adam Stovall. The film, which is in black and white, centers upon a handyman who falls in love with a ghost. Film was directed by Adam Stovall and distributed by Arrow Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Kahuam</span> Mexican-American filmmaker

Alex Kahuam is a Mexican-American filmmaker best known for the films Red Light (2020), Forgiveness (2021), and Failure! (2023).

Crabs! is a 2021 American comedy horror film directed by Pierce Berolzheimer, starring Dylan Riley Snyder, Bryce Durfee, Allie Jennings, Jessica Morris, Chase Padgett and Robert Craighead. It is the directorial debut of Berolzheimer.

Eating Miss Campbell is a 2022 British comedy horror film directed by Liam Regan, starring Lyndsey Craine, Lala Barlow, Vito Trigo, Laurence R. Harvey, James Hamer-Morton, Charlie Bond, Emily Haigh, Michaela Longden, Sierra Summers, Alexander J Skinner, Justin A. Martell, Annabella Rich, Dani Thompson and Blade Braxton.

Stalker is a 2022 British horror thriller film directed by Steve Johnson, starring Stuart Brennan and Sophie Skelton.

<i>Cult of VHS</i> 2021 documentary film

Cult of VHS is a 2022 documentary film directed by Rob Preciado, that focuses on the age of VHS, eccentric collectors from around the globe, and the video nasties that became the centre of a controversial debate on censorship in the eighties and nineties.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Horror Feature: Interview with Airell Hayles writer and co-director of They're Outside". The Horror Channel. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  2. ↑ "They're Outside". FrightFest. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  3. ↑ "Trailer: Will THEY'RE OUTSIDE Be the Breakout Hit of FrightFest 2020?". Dread Central. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  4. ↑ Squires, John (2020-07-28). "FrightFest 2020: Full Lineup for This Year's Digital Festival Plus First Images of Horror Premieres". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  5. ↑ Newman, Kim (2020-08-29). "FrightFest review – They're Outside". The Kim Newman Web Site. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  6. ↑ "THEY'RE OUTSIDE [FrightFest 2020]". STARBURST Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  7. ↑ "Arrow Video FrightFest 2020 Review – They're Outside". Flickering Myth. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  8. ↑ "Frightfest 2020: 'They're Outside' Review". Nerdly. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.