They’re Inside (2019) | Film Review

Ever since The Blair Witch Project dropped audiences into the bitter Maryland wilderness 20 years ago, low-budget filmmakers have utilized the cost-efficient genre of “found footage” to tell their stories. The results are both infinite and varied, but there is no denying that – when used properly – this style can effectively position a viewer to become almost a participant in the events. The genre demands paying close attention to surroundings and backgrounds, continuously enveloping us into the proceedings as we await for any tiny aspect which might seem out of place. In They’re Inside, this tool is turned against our heroes, as we instead watch as murderers donned with baby doll masks stalk their prey.

We open with the dispatching of a YouTube vlogger, an ominous tone-setter for coming events. Segue to Robin (Karli Hall), a director who has rather unexpectedly won a contest to shoot her dream movie – a romantic tale of reflection called “Lover’s Weekend” – in a remote house in the middle of the woods. She convinces her sister, Cody (Amanda Kathleen Ward), director of photography Doug (Jake Ferree), and actors Aaron and Joanna (Sascha Ghafoor and Chelsea D. Miller) to join her on this passion project, and the plot is underway.

Almost immediately, small occurrences begin taking place. Noises in the middle of the night, objects being moved, cars vandalized, etc. Every incident screams “RUNNN!” to us rational folks, but for these professionals, the show must go on. We come to learn – as the cameras both catch the killers on film putting these events in motion and occasionally pick the killers up as they do a bit of filming themselves – that our villains have more in mind than a simple murder.

Most found footage films struggle with amateurish acting out of the gate, no such problems exist here as the majority of the cast land on solid footing, none more than Karli Hall’s Robin. Taking the lead, Hall deftly handles the varying tonal changes that occur throughout and maintains our focus even as our interest might otherwise wane. The rest of the cast has a bit of fun as they alternate between Room-esque overacting while filming their respective parts for “Lover’s Weekend”, and relatable terror when confronted with a real and present danger.

For the majority of the film, director John-Paul Panelli manages to engage our senses by changing up the focus and keeping us on our toes. Are we watching the production of a fictional love story, or is this our foes toying with the proceedings? It begins as a fun game as Panelli ratchets up the on-screen involvement of his killers throughout the first 2/3 of the film. Little-by-little, their playful torture of Robin and friends arrives at the forefront. Other than the occasional “why would they be holding the camera while running through the woods at top speeds” that we have come to expect in films like these, the believability mostly holds up.

It’s the final act where the film ultimately struggles. Keeping spoilers at bay, there is a twist within that is fairly clever on the page, especially for the genre. Unfortunately, this third act demands a finely layered reveal complemented by more contemptuously charismatic performances from both of our on-screen killers than Panelli is able to deliver, and this cripples the film as a whole. That is not to say that anyone is inherently not up to the task, but rather that the pieces that were put in place simply failed to gel as cohesively as was needed to sell the entirety of this tale.

They’re Inside aims to be a found footage variation on The Strangers, and mostly succeeds. With a stronger punch on the final twist, this could have been a classic addition to the genre. What we’re left with is a solid enough rental worth catching with fellow fans of the genre, and plenty left to dissect after it reaches its conclusion.