The 2008 horror film "Sight" can only be called a diamond in the rough. It's production values are humble, but the director, write, and actors all come through to deliver a surprising creepy and deeply dark tale.
The story centers around Jeffery, a quiet, introverted man who just so happens to be able to see the dead. A movie that never pulls punches, "Sight" opens up with a tableau of Jeffery's childhood and the abuse he suffers from his father. The acting and storytelling skill of this scene alone is enough to understand why Lionsgate would have produced such a low-budget film. From there the story transitions into Jeffery's adult life where he encounters the mysterious Dana, a woman sets off a chain of events that spiral our hero into a world of darkness. I won't give too much away, except to say that once you look past the image quality of the film, the story will make it impossible to stop watching until the end.
This brings us to the one bad aspect of the film: the low-budget appearance. You can tell they didn't have a lot to work with; but what they did have, they used remarkably well. The blood and gore look creepier and more realistic than in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - I kid you not. The lighting in "Sight" is both a blessing and curse. At times it gives the film an impressionistic feel, but at other points you're straining your eyes just to see what's going on. The movie is just SO dark at some parts, but too bright and blurry at other parts. The film quality they were using really shows, and it's sad.
What isn't anything to worry about is the acting. I found Clayton Haske (Jeffery) and Tony Luke (Paul) totally believable. Allison Persaud seemed a little amateurish, but more experience she is really going to do great.
All in all this is a movie that came out of nowhere to be something truly dark and scary. Schizophrenic shots, sadistic nightmare sequences, impressionistic lighting, gory visual effects and LOADS of blood, hair-raising sound effects and a score that will remind you of the Silent Hill games. It all comes together for a stunning American ghost story with a pitch black ending. With all the remakes that studios have been doing recently, I feel this one should near the top of the list. Regrettably, the gritty and dark storyline may be too much for some. But horror fans will definitely like this. Look out for writer/director Adam Ahlbrandt, he's truly talented.
The story centers around Jeffery, a quiet, introverted man who just so happens to be able to see the dead. A movie that never pulls punches, "Sight" opens up with a tableau of Jeffery's childhood and the abuse he suffers from his father. The acting and storytelling skill of this scene alone is enough to understand why Lionsgate would have produced such a low-budget film. From there the story transitions into Jeffery's adult life where he encounters the mysterious Dana, a woman sets off a chain of events that spiral our hero into a world of darkness. I won't give too much away, except to say that once you look past the image quality of the film, the story will make it impossible to stop watching until the end.
This brings us to the one bad aspect of the film: the low-budget appearance. You can tell they didn't have a lot to work with; but what they did have, they used remarkably well. The blood and gore look creepier and more realistic than in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - I kid you not. The lighting in "Sight" is both a blessing and curse. At times it gives the film an impressionistic feel, but at other points you're straining your eyes just to see what's going on. The movie is just SO dark at some parts, but too bright and blurry at other parts. The film quality they were using really shows, and it's sad.
What isn't anything to worry about is the acting. I found Clayton Haske (Jeffery) and Tony Luke (Paul) totally believable. Allison Persaud seemed a little amateurish, but more experience she is really going to do great.
All in all this is a movie that came out of nowhere to be something truly dark and scary. Schizophrenic shots, sadistic nightmare sequences, impressionistic lighting, gory visual effects and LOADS of blood, hair-raising sound effects and a score that will remind you of the Silent Hill games. It all comes together for a stunning American ghost story with a pitch black ending. With all the remakes that studios have been doing recently, I feel this one should near the top of the list. Regrettably, the gritty and dark storyline may be too much for some. But horror fans will definitely like this. Look out for writer/director Adam Ahlbrandt, he's truly talented.