the unheard movie review

The Unheard

In Jeffrey A. Brown 's "The Unheard," one young woman's past trauma collides with a present-day terror in a sleepy Northeastern town. After Chloe ( Lachlan Watson ) enrolls in a clinical trial at the Northeast Eye and Ear Institute (which looks to be based on Mass Eye and Ear) to repair her hearing that was damaged during a childhood illness, she heads out to her dad's residence on the Cape to recover and help him sell the house where they last saw her mother ( Michele Hicks ) before she disappeared. You'll soon discover this town has an awful history of missing women. Lost in between waves of nostalgia and videotape-induced flashbacks, Chloe begins to hear voices and sounds no one else can. 

"The Unheard" has its shining moments, but they are not enough to cover for some glaring missteps. Although the premise is strong, its execution is less-than-convincing. Watson plays the leading role in such a whisper that their underwhelming performance doesn't carry the screams or suspense the movie aims for. It seems as if they weren't given enough material or direction to liven things up on-screen, which is noticeable since they are alone for a good portion of the movie. Not all of the filming, editing, or writing choices land on the same tone, which lessens the story's overall impact. Some of the more badly staged moments elicited a few eye rolls and groans from this viewer. 

Screenwriters Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen weave two parallel scary narratives into one—that of a young woman who undergoes experimental surgery with unintended consequences and that of a haunted town where women like Chloe's mother go missing. But the two story threads don't always blend smoothly. Some plot twists are given away or shoehorned in, and some scenes take too much time luxuriating in VCR trips down memory lane instead of building towards something. It's as if this movie's rhythm is off-beat.

Despite this supernatural influence from cassette tapes, Brown and cinematographer Owen Levelle imagine Chloe's world to look rather drab. It's the off-season on the Cape, but the setting is brown and muddy instead of New England's famous fall colors. Some images have a soft-focused quality as if the sharpness was blurred to look like it was shot through a light haze. When light streams through the windows, the image looks blown out, intensifying the haze. Other scenes are so aged and vaguely sepia-toned that I briefly thought it looked like a period piece. 

Lead actress Watson has the unenviable task of playing a soft-spoken character going through extraordinary circumstances, but their performance never entirely moves past wide-eyed intrigue. The other characters Chloe meets on her journey, like Joshua ( Brendan Meyer ), the strange boy staying next door, and Hank ( Nick Sandow ), the odd too-helpful neighbor who seems too suspicious, and Doctor Lynch ( Shunori Ramanathan ), Chloe's well-meaning specialist in Boston, are similarly one note.

However, Brown uses sound in such a way that immerses the audience in Chloe's world. This can mean that conversations sound muted or muffled before the surgery, or it can spike uncomfortably to demonstrate when she's hearing something beyond what most people can hear. Before and immediately after her procedure, Chloe relies on live transcription software to bridge any sound gaps while the movie's audio plays unaltered in the background to demonstrate how she navigates the world independently.

It's a testament to the work of sound designer Colin Alexander and the rest of the sound department that "The Unheard" works at all. Otherwise, Brown's film left me wanting more. There's not much else to enjoy from the uninspired visuals, stilted acting, and clunky script that leads up to an ending so fantastically dull it undoes the little goodwill the movie accumulates over the course of its runtime. Perhaps "The Unheard" is better left unseen.

Now playing on Shudder.

Monica Castillo

Monica Castillo is a critic, journalist, programmer, and curator based in New York City. She is the Senior Film Programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a contributor to  RogerEbert.com .

• Lachlan Watson as Chloe
• Nick Sandow as Hank
• Brendan Meyer as Joshua
• Michele Hicks as Mom
• Shunori Ramanathan as Dr. Lynch
• Boyana Balta as Ellen
• Beckett Guest as Young friend
• Michelle Violette as Store Clerk
• Aaron Crozier
• Jeffrey A. Brown
• Michael Rasmussen
• Shawn Rasmussen

Cinematographer

• Owen Levelle

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The Unheard Reviews

When the atmosphere works, it works wonders, but there are elements of THE UNHEARD that feel like they actively work against the film.

Full Review | Aug 4, 2024

The Unheard is a hypnotic cinematic experience best experienced in the pitch black with sound-canceling headphones.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 10, 2023

The Unheard achieves so much in its first hour and then torches it near the end.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 5, 2023

There are so many redundant scenes of Chloe hearing static-y auditory hallucinations, the viewer can be forgiven for shouting, "OK, we get it already!"

The Unheard contains many elements that should make it work, but the film ends up being an extremely slow and tedious supernatural thriller.

Full Review | Apr 3, 2023

The Unheard had a lot of potential to be a movie about the frequencies of paranormal and supernatural sounds. Not having a bridge between those two points, or even a ferry with a temperamental motor leaves it adrift in a sea of what could have been.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 3, 2023

Watson’s fine performance and Brown’s thoughtful stylish touches (especially in the sound design) make the slice-of-life scenes special. The rest of the picture is more sketched-in.

Full Review | Apr 1, 2023

Its final moments are its most viscerally cathartic; if you were able to adapt to the movie’s rhythms yourself, you might just feel the tug. In your gut, that is, if not on your nerves.

Full Review | Mar 31, 2023

The film’s climax is a bit of a letdown, as it turns more brutal and stabby and less introspective and psychological, but when taken as a whole, The Unheard still mostly works and helps solidify Brown as a filmmaker worth keeping an eye on.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 31, 2023

“The Unheard” has its shining moments, but they are not enough to cover for some glaring missteps.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Mar 31, 2023

There’s too much movie without any pulse, and not enough third-act resuscitating to save an otherwise long-winded mystery that’s solid performances are lost in the static.

Full Review | Original Score: 6.0/10 | Mar 30, 2023

When all of the threads connect here, you’re left with a sum that’s ultimately less than the parts, no matter how well-crafted they may be.

Full Review | Mar 29, 2023

The premise’s intriguing aspects are bulldozed by a derivative slasher-in-the-house showdown. It’s not the ending that the film deserves, and it ignores everything that makes Chloe a recognisable and relatable character.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 28, 2023

Once it becomes a standard thriller, it is only that. But before the picture chooses tidiness, it's electric.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 27, 2023

The Unheard is a superb slice of all-enveloping dread.

Full Review | Mar 23, 2023

The Unheard is a film that relies heavily upon sound... But rather than wielding it as a lazy shock device, director Jeffrey A. Brown does so in a specific way that goes hand in hand with the film’s story — and creates a truly terrifying effect.

What a tantalising, frustrating experience from the Rasmussens, who do some painstaking work here, only to set it bafflingly aside.

Full Review | Mar 6, 2023

REVIEW: The Unheard is a Mishmash of Ideas that Never Finds a Proper Flow

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The Unheard is a horror thriller with an intriguing premise and thought-provoking ideas, but the execution buries any potential for the film to be an entertaining thrill ride. A ghost story about sound, The Unheard attempts to tackle a lot all at once and misses the mark entirely. Suffering from an identity crisis, The Unheard is unsure of whether it wants to be a serial killer film, a supernatural tale, or a familial drama. Whatever the case, the movie is extremely slow and never focuses on one theme for long enough to make it feel worthwhile.

The Unheard is directed by Jeffrey A. Brown from a script by Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen and follows Chloe ( Lachlan Watson ), a young deaf woman who decides to undergo experimental treatments to try to regain her hearing. The procedure proves successful, but with Chloe's newfound sense of hearing comes something far more sinister. Chloe begins to hear strange voices coming from TV static, and she suspects that they are from beyond the grave. Soon, bodies start piling up in Chloe's hometown, which is most likely the work of a serial killer. With the help of her newfound power, Chloe may be the only person to stop the horror that has fallen upon her town.

The Unheard 's biggest issue is that it is not believable. It wants to be a serious movie, but it feels half-baked. Watson's performance is too subtle and doesn't come across as genuine. Also, there isn't much of a change in the character after she gets her procedure, which is surprising. There is a random potential romance in the middle of the film between Chloe and her doctor (Shunori Ramanathan), which muddles the already confused movie.

There are aspects of this film that are creepy, but because of the slow pace and confusing narrative, it doesn't work. The film is over two hours long and doesn't establish much in that slightly above-average runtime. The actual set-up of the film is intriguing, reading as a sort of ode to old-school J-horror films . The visuals are stimulating, especially in the latter half, and there are some eerie moments, but none of this is enough to sell the movie. Some aspects work, but as a whole, it's a slog without much of a flow.

RELATED: REVIEW: The Tutor is a Watchable But Mediocre Thriller About Obsession

The Unheard tries to add depth to the story during its ending, revealing a twist that greatly affects Chloe's life as she knows it. But even when the film reveals big twists and there should be suspense, it feels dull. It's also a movie about sound and hearing that doesn't utilize sound. For instance, in the beginning, the sound is cut out to represent how Chloe lives, which was an impressive decision. However, the sound comes in just a few minutes later, long before Chloe gets her procedure, causing the initial choice to lose its power. It's almost as if the filmmaker wants to make ambitious decisions but gets frightened and pulls back, making everything feel disjointed.

The overall premise of The Unheard has potential, but the execution is a mess. The film is uneventful, and when things finally happen, they come out of left field. Director Brown previously directed Shudder 's The Beach House , an extremely inventive Lovecraftian thriller, so it was surprising that The Unheard did not live up to expectations. While The Unheard has all the elements of a great horror film, the pieces don't come together.

The Unheard will stream on Shudder beginning March 31.

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User reviews

The Unheard

Cool concept, too long w/ bad char. decisions.

• zack_gideon
• Mar 30, 2023
• Apr 1, 2023

More like "The Unwatchable"

• Apr 5, 2023

Spastic VCR with Epileptic Cassettes

• RedKidBytes
• Apr 16, 2023

I don't know why or what happened

• john-vaudrey
• Apr 3, 2023

"Happy 4th Of July"

• Apr 2, 2023

Really Listen to the Epilepsy Warning!

It had a lot going for it....

• laceydelrae
• Apr 4, 2023

90s style thriller /sci fi

• martinjohnston39

Works when it's going somewhere

• Apr 7, 2023

Great movie

• May 8, 2023

Worth a watch

A dull mess.

• haskel-72951
• Mar 25, 2024
• BandSAboutMovies
• Apr 30, 2023

"Unheard" should have remained "Unseen" too!

• gunn-wrights

distracting

• SnoopyStyle
• Apr 11, 2023

Dumbest Ending On A Promising Movie EVER

• heykateforever
• Aug 27, 2023

Not without some big issues but likable enough for what it is

• kannibalcorpsegrinder
• Jan 25, 2024

Would Have Been More Interesting If She Never Regained Her Hearing.

• Aug 28, 2023

Solid Premise but Not Enough Exploration to the Strong Points

• Reviews_of_the_Dead
• Jul 30, 2023

Very boring

• May 6, 2023

A below average addition to the horror genre

• kevin_robbins
• Apr 15, 2023

30 Hours you'll never get back! Not totally annoying but more so towards the end it's the most frustrating garbage you'll ever have the misfortune of watching.

• Mar 30, 2024

Simple plot too complex for the average imdb user, what else is new?

• Apr 28, 2023

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