source: Amaurosis

I found this a brilliant watch and was on the edge of my seat.

Gemma Shields (Jasmine Hyde) has a perfect privileged life with her husband Will (Richard Flood). When their son Joel drowns in their indoor pool, their life is turned upside down. Gemma has panic attacks which causes blindness, making driving a challenge. The couple both hear the child from time to time. They decide to get away from it all and go to a home being restored by Paul (Simon Cotton) a seemingly well adjusted person. They develop more problems. Gemma is an atheist while Will is not, which didn't weigh too heavily into the story. I thought the film was going to a psychological thriller/horror, but turned out to be a mediocre drama with the characters lacking credibility. I would say if you haven't seen the classic "Don't Look Now" it is time to watch it instead. Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Jasmine Hyde)

Brilliant acting throughout and genuinely unsettling. This is a really absorbing emotional drama that will have you gripped.

A gripping, moving, psychological thriller. Fantastic performances from all of the cast. The unseen deals with a darkness of grief that we all experience on some level at some point in our life and is poignant as well as thrilling. Exciting to see British drama like this set in a place close to my heart.

You never know where the director is going to take you...starts off as average movie then builds up to a very exciting level. Also the Actors are terrific and a pleasure to watch .....they make you feel like you are there with them

A large part of the negative criticism targeted at 'The Unseen' seems to stem from a problem of perceived expectations. While the poster might make one expect a 'Sixth Sense'-esque ghost story, this is not the case, the director is more interested in exploring the central drama/theme of the grief that stems from the loss of a loved one. However, he incorporates elements of horror, the supernatural and thriller. To properly enjoy the film, one must not expect some lavish thrill ride of endless shocks and gore but rather let the film chill you with its psychological moments and creepy chills. The film is a character-piece that brings to mind Terence Young's 'Wait Until Dark' (1967) starring Audrey Hepburn which explored a similar story of claustrophobia, blindness and isolation. Part of the film's horror does not stem from the supernatural but rather from the psychological implications of its central plot: a woman who, at certain moments, becomes temporarily blind after the death of her child. The death itself is tragic and the blindness is a terrifying conceit. This is due to the fact that we don't know when this blindness can manifest itself which leads to some pretty tense moments (e.g one moment where the main character 'Gemma' is driving on the motorway and the blindness strikes her). The idea of losing control over one's body and perception taps into a psychological horror that is more unsettling and disturbing than any movie monster. Furthermore, the film maintains a tone of unease and discomfort that is consistent and reflects Gemma's own fragile mind-set. The Unseen shocks in the way that one might feel when the lights are turned off and it's pitch black. The film delivers on emotional drama, tapping into feelings of depression and the hollow sadness that the characters feel in the aftermath of their grief. It is compelling stuff but enjoy it for what it is not what it appears to be.

'The Unseen' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an slightly intriguing premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'The Unseen' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend and it is a sleeper. Lets start with the sole positive. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky. Unfortunately, it is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm. Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting that made it very difficult, impossible even, to engage with the fragility and grief of the characters. Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done. A lot of 'The Unseen' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper. There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy in its execution of the more psychological elements, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, inexperience seems to be all over the film, and the music doesn't really fit. Altogether, another very bad film. 2/10 Bethany Cox

We were struggling to think of the last "serious" film we'd seen, when The Unseen came up. It seems like an emotional drama at first, but builds momentum and earns its psych-thriller badge for sure. For those who saw Malice with Alec Baldwin / Kidman / Pullman, this is modern and quite different, but made me feel similar ups / downs and overall enjoyment. Also nice to have a female protagonist.

While I spent a fair amount of this film under my shirt, I really enjoyed it, and even wanted more after it ended. Rarely do we get such an honest and engrossing exploration of grief, especially in a horror/thriller film. As I said before I'm not too well versed in scary movies but the ones I've liked took advantage of the fantasy elements to do more than just frighten audiences but to analyze and learn from the extreme emotions and events that led to the fantastical story-line. The Unseen did just that. With some very believable performances and visually stunning cinematography I'd give this films two thumbs up.