We Are Still Here (2015 film)

Last updated

We Are Still Here
We Are Still Here film festival poster 2015.jpg
Film festival poster
Directed by Ted Geoghegan
Written byTed Geoghegan
Produced byTravis Stevens
Starring
Cinematography Karim Hussain
Edited by
  • Aaron Crozier
  • Josh Ethier
Music byWojciech Golczewski
Production
companies
Distributed byDark Sky Films
Release dates
  • March 15, 2015 (2015-03-15)(SXSW)
  • June 5, 2015 (2015-06-05)
Running time
84 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

We Are Still Here is a 2015 American horror film written and directed by Ted Geoghegan and starring Andrew Sensenig and Barbara Crampton as grieving parents who find themselves the focus of an attack by vengeful spirits. The film had its world premiere on 15 March 2015 at South by Southwest. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

In 1979, following the death of their son Bobby in a car crash, Anne and Paul Sacchetti have decided to move to a new home in rural New England. Paul hopes that it will be therapeutic for Anne, as the death has caused her to spiral into a deep depression. However, Anne starts claiming that Bobby is present in the house, and neighbor Cat McCabe warns them to leave. The house was built in the 1800s by the Dagmar family as a funeral home. The Dagmars were reportedly run out of the village after townspeople discovered that they were swindling their customers by selling the corpses and burying empty caskets.

Undeterred, Anne invites her friends May and Jacob Lewis as they are both spiritualists and could help to contact Bobby. The couples go out to eat, during which time the Lewises’ son Harry arrives with his girlfriend Daniella. Harry is killed by an apparition in the basement and Daniella flees in horror, only to be killed too. The Lewises and the Sacchettis head home, after which Cat's husband Dave arrives at the restaurant, murders a waitress, and angrily discusses the Dagmar house with the bartender, revealing that the house needs to feed every 30 years or the evil beneath it will search out fresh souls, destroying the town.

Jacob manages to convince a reluctant Paul to hold a séance with him while their wives are out. This ends with Jacob becoming possessed by the spirit of Lassander Dagmar, who reveals that they were never run out of town; rather the villagers used his family as a sacrifice to the evil under their home. Lassander, overcome with rage, causes Jacob to kill himself. His wife May tries to flee, only to be killed by Dave, who has come to the house with the other townspeople, determined to give the home what it wants. The Sacchettis hear the voice of Bobby urging them to leave, and flee upstairs as the townspeople break into the house.

The spirits of the Dagmar family proceed to violently murder most of the townspeople until only Dave, Paul, and Anne remain. Dave tries to kill Anne and Paul, but is killed by Lassander's spirit. As Paul and Anne stare at the carnage around them, the spirits of the family depart from the house, finally satisfied. Anne walks into the house's cellar after Bobby calls her, followed by Paul. As he peers down the stairs, Paul smiles and says "Hey Bobby."

Cast

Production

Filmmaker Ted Geoghegan began work on the film as a tribute to The House by the Cemetery while working as a publicist for Dark Sky Films. [5] Geoghegan had previously collaborated with Andreas Schnaas on various "low-budget shlock movies" as a writer and producer, but had never directed a film beforehand. After completing the script, he showed it to Dark Sky Films and Travis Stevens of Snowfort Pictures, who both agreed to produce the film. [6]

Filming took place on February 7, 2014 in Rochester, New York, and in the villages of Palmyra and Shortsville. [7] [8] According to the director and the end credit sequence of the film, the events take place in the fictional township of Aylesbury, Massachusetts. [9]

Soundtrack

We Are Still Here (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Wojciech Golczewski
ReleasedJuly 7, 2015
Genre Ambient
Length34:31
Label Screamworks Records

The score was composed by Wojciech Golczewski. It was released on July 7, 2015 from Screamworks Records. [10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The House"4:45
2."Harry"2:02
3."The Dagmars"3:07
4."Bobby"2:12
5."Cellar"2:58
6."It's Not Bobby"5:39
7."The Séance"3:05
8."Dagmar's Story"2:28
9."The Attack"3:46
10."Accept It"4:28
Total length:34:31

Release

We Are Still Here had its World Premiere at South by Southwest on March 15, 2015. [11] It was given a limited U.S. theatrical release by Dark Sky Films beginning on June 5, 2015 and was released via video-on-demand the same day. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. on October 6, 2015.

The film was subsequently released on home video in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, Spain, and Taiwan. It opened theatrically in Japan on December 12, 2015 [12] and in Russia on December 17, 2015. [13]

Reception

We Are Still Here was positively received at its world premiere [14] and subsequent release. It became one of the year's most critically acclaimed horror films. [15] [16] Rolling Stone named it one of the year's ten best horror films. [17] Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 95% based on 43 reviews, and an average rating of 7.09/10. The site's critics' consensus states, "Smart, powerfully acted, and devilishly clever, We Are Still Here offers some novel twists on familiar territory – and heralds the arrival of a major talent in writer-director Ted Geoghegan." [18] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 65 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [19]

Common elements of praise centered upon the film's atmosphere and visuals, [20] which Twitch Film called "stylish and mesmerizing". [21] [22] Film School Rejects rated the film positively, praising it for its jump scares and stating that it "shows love and affection for genre". [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Geoghegan</span> American director

Ted Geoghegan is an American filmmaker and publicist. He grew up in Great Falls, Montana, attending private and public schools and studying film extensively. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana and attained a degree in English Education.

<i>The House by the Cemetery</i> 1981 Italian horror film directed by Lucio Fulci

The House by the Cemetery is a 1981 Italian horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film stars Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni, Giovanni Frezza, Silvia Collatina and Dagmar Lassander. Its plot revolves around a series of murders committed by a ghoulish and demonic serial killer taking place in a New England home that happens to be hiding a gruesome secret within its basement walls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Crampton</span> American actress

Barbara Crampton is an American actress and producer. She began her career in the 1980s in television soap operas before starring in horror and thriller films. In 2024, Crampton was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

<i>A Bay of Blood</i> 1971 Italian giallo slasher film by Mario Bava

A Bay of Blood is a 1971 Italian giallo slasher film directed by Mario Bava. Bava co-wrote the screenplay with Giuseppe Zaccariello, Filippo Ottoni, and Sergio Canevari, with story credit given to Dardano Sacchetti and Franco Barberi. The film stars Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Brigitte Skay, Nicoletta Elmi and Laura Betti. Carlo Rambaldi created the gruesome special make-up effects. The story details a string of mysterious murders that occur around the titular bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Fessenden</span> American actor and filmmaker

Laurence T. Fessenden is an American actor, producer, writer, director, film editor, and cinematographer. He is the founder of the New York based independent production outfit Glass Eye Pix. His writer/director credits include No Telling, Habit (1997), Wendigo (2001), and The Last Winter, which is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. He has also directed the television feature Beneath (2013), an episode of the NBC TV series Fear Itself (2008) entitled "Skin and Bones", and a segment of the anthology horror-comedy film The ABCs of Death 2 (2014). He is the writer, with Graham Reznick, of the BAFTA Award-winning Sony PlayStation video game Until Dawn. He has acted in numerous films including Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Broken Flowers (2005), I Sell the Dead (2009), Jug Face (2012), We Are Still Here (2015), In a Valley of Violence (2016), Like Me (2017), and The Dead Don't Die (2019), Brooklyn 45 (2023), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

<i>Demons 2</i> 1986 Italian film

Demons 2 is a 1986 Italian horror film directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento. It is a sequel to Bava's 1985 film Demons and stars David Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi Tassoni, as well as Argento's youngest daughter, Asia Argento, in her debut film performance at age 10. In the film, demons invade the real world through a television broadcast, turning the residents of an apartment building into bloodthirsty monsters.

<i>Werewolf Woman</i> 1976 Italy"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`" film

Werewolf Woman, also known as The Legend of the Wolf Woman, is a 1976 Italian horror film directed by Rino Di Silvestro.

<i>Monster Shark</i> "`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000000-QINU`" film

Monster Shark is a science fiction-horror film directed by Lamberto Bava. It was also released in various countries as Devil Fish, Monster from the Red Ocean, Devouring Waves and Shark: Red in the Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dagmar Lassander</span> German actress

Dagmar Lassander is a German actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taissa Farmiga</span> American actress (born 1994)

Taissa Farmiga is an American actress. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen, alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga.

Founded in 2010 by Travis Stevens, Snowfort Pictures is a boutique film production company specializing in the development, financing and production of commercial genre films.

<i>Le foto proibite di una signora per bene</i> 1970 Spanish film

Le foto proibite di una signora per bene, also known as Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, is a 1970 giallo film directed by Luciano Ercoli. Written by Ernesto Gastaldi and Mahnahén Velasco, the film stars Pier Paolo Capponi, Simon Andreu and Dagmar Lassander. The film, featuring a score written by Ennio Morricone, has received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

<i>In a Valley of Violence</i> 2016 film

In a Valley of Violence is a 2016 American Western film written and directed by Ti West. Jason Blum serves as producer through his production company Blumhouse Productions. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Taissa Farmiga, James Ransone, Karen Gillan, and John Travolta.

<i>Unfriended</i> 2014 film by Levan Gabriadze

Unfriended is a 2014 American screenlife supernatural horror film directed by Levan Gabriadze and produced by Timur Bekmambetov. Set on a computer screen, the film stars Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, and Courtney Halverson as six high school students in a Skype conversation which is haunted by a student, played by Heather Sossaman, who was bullied by them and committed suicide. The film is told almost entirely through a screencast of a MacBook.

<i>The Diabolical</i> 2015 American film

The Diabolical is a 2015 American science fiction horror film directed by Alistair Legrand and written by Legrand and Luke Harvis. It stars Ali Larter as a single mother who battles evil forces in her house. It premiered at SXSW in March 2015 and, after being released internationally, received a limited release in the US in October 2015.

<i>Mohawk</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

Mohawk is a 2017 American survival action-horror film directed by Ted Geoghegan, co-written by Geoghegan and novelist Grady Hendrix, and starring Kaniehtiio Horn, Ezra Buzzington, Noah Segan, and professional wrestler Jonathan "Brodie Lee" Huber in the only feature film appearance he made before his death.

<i>Get Duked!</i> 2019 British comedy film

Get Duked! is a 2019 British black comedy film written and directed by Ninian Doff in his feature directorial debut, and starring Eddie Izzard. The film premiered at the 2019 South by Southwest Film Festival and was released by Amazon Studios on Amazon Prime Video on 28 August 2020.

<i>X</i> (2022 film) American film directed by Ti West

X is a 2022 American slasher film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. It stars Mia Goth in dual roles: a young woman named Maxine, and an elderly woman named Pearl. The film also stars Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, and Scott Mescudi. Set in 1979, the film follows a cast and crew who gather to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple's rural Texas property, but find themselves threatened by the homicidal couple.

<i>Brooklyn 45</i> American horror film

Brooklyn 45 is a 2023 American real-time supernatural thriller film written and directed by Ted Geoghegan about a group of military veterans holding an impromptu séance in the parlor of a Brooklyn brownstone at the close of World War II. Geoghegan penned the screenplay with assistance from his late father, a disabled Air Force veteran-turned-history teacher.

References

  1. ↑ "WE ARE STILL HERE (18)". British Board of Film Classification . September 22, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  2. ↑ Mack, Andrew. "SXSW 2015: Just Try Not To Make Eye Contact With This Poster From WE ARE STILL HERE". Twitch Film. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ Woerner, Meredith (February 11, 2015). "We Are Still Here Trailer Looks Like A Return To Super-Weird Horror". io9. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ "We Are Still Here". SXSW. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ "We Are Still Here Interview: Ted Geoghegan". Scream Horror Magazine. June 4, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  6. ↑ Dempsey, Dylan (August 1, 2017). "From Film Publicist to Celebrated Horror Director: Ted Geoghegan's Fantastic Journey". No Film School. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  7. ↑ James, Jonathan (February 7, 2014). "Production Begins on We Are Still Here". DailyDead. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  8. ↑ Hunter, Rob (October 7, 2015). "26 Things We Learned From the We Are Still Here Commentary". Film School Rejects. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  9. ↑ Kubas-Meyer, Alec (October 7, 2015). "Of Ghosts and Made-For-TV '70s Horror Films: Ted Geoghegan on We Are Still Here". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  10. ↑ "We Are Still Here (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Amazon.com . Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  11. ↑ "We Are Still Here – Schedule". SXSW . March 15, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  12. ↑ レイナス (November 20, 2015). "【グゲゲゲェ】黒焦げ一家のビジュアルがスゴい強烈ホラー『喰らう家』ワンコイン上映＆まさかの監督来日". Horror2. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  13. ↑ файл, добавил. "Мы ещё здесь – We Are Still Here". Kinopoisk. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ Macomber, Shawn. ""WE ARE STILL HERE" (SXSW Movie Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  15. ↑ Hunter, Rob. "The Best Horror Movies of 2015". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ Weinberg, Scott. "The Best Horror Movies of 2015". Nerdist. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  17. ↑ Zimmerman, Sam. "10 Best Horror Movies of 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  18. ↑ "We Are Still Here (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  19. ↑ "We Are Still Here Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  20. ↑ Harvey, Dennis. "SXSW Film Review: 'We Are Still Here'". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ Barton, Steve. "We Are Still Here (review)". Dread Central. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ Martin, Peter. "SXSW 2015 Review: WE ARE STILL HERE, A Refreshing Yet Disturbing Thriller". Twitch Film. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  23. ↑ Hunter, Rob. "SXSW 2015: We Are Still Here Explores Issues of Supernatural Squatter Rights". Film School Rejects. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
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.