This year’s HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis took place September 6th through the 8th, and of course they held their annual FilmFest full of sneak peeks of horror films that have not yet been released. I already wrote about one film I saw (Portal), but another film I viewed was In Their Eyes.
In Their Eyes follows Betsy and Marissa from their captivity by a father and son team (the Cooks) to their escape and after as their friendship continues. But did they really escape? Marissa seems to have moved on well enough, but viewers get to watch Betsy as she struggles to continue with everyday life. The police and everyone else seem to be convinced that their torturers are dead, but Betsy does not seem to think so. Are the Cooks still alive and tormenting her slowly, or is Betsy losing her grip on reality? You have to watch to find out.
What I enjoyed about the film was the journey: as a viewer, I got to see Betsy and Marissa suffer through their ordeal together and watch them develop (or not) as people trying to move on and see how their relationship changed throughout the film. I liked the concept of what drove the Cooks to torture their victims. There were scenes that could have been too heavy, but director Thomas Hill was able to throw in some humor to help lighten it up for viewers. I was especially impressed with Bronwyn Kilcrease’s ability to play the not-quite-okay role of Betsy. She played borderline crazy well!
But the film is by no means perfect. Some of the scenes felt slow. I would have liked some of the information revealed about characters to come earlier, so it made more sense along the way. Don’t get me wrong, everything makes sense by the end, the viewer just has to be patient and pay attention.
That said, I still liked it. It was a new story idea, one I think others would enjoy watching. There is action, but it is not constant, so if you need nonstop action, this is not the film for you. If you like the psychological horror films that help you feel and see what someone is going through, this one is definitely for you.
After the film, I got to talk to the main cast and Hill, who said that he had more tales in the works. I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with. If you’re interested in this film, follow them on Instagram:
Unfortunately, there is no official trailer or release date yet. According to IMDB, the film was finished in 2018, but you’ll definitely want to set a reminder to yourself to keep an eye out for this film (pun intended).