Unseen (2023) Review – A Stylish and Spirited Cat-and-Mouse Thriller

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are taking a look at brand new Blumhouse horror movie – Unseen. 

Genuinely enjoyable cat-and-mouse fun

Directed by Yoko Okumura, Unseen follows the story of young doctor Emily. Trapped in an abusive relationship, Emily manages to escape her horrible living situation only to find herself kidnapped by her abuser, Charlie, while out jogging. Managing to fight back and injuring Charlie in the process, Emily, in the struggle, loses her glasses. Being almost completely blind without them, she attempts to escape but can barely see a thing. Her only hope is a phone call she makes to a random stranger – a stranger who now has to be Emily’s eyes and help her to survive.

So it goes without saying that this is a fairly loose plot. Feeling not unlike the recent crime thriller See For Me, Unseen steps on shaky ground with its rather ridiculous setup. Plot holes abound and you will likely find yourself asking a few questions regarding the film’s logic. But, if you can push that aside, there is a great movie here – a real nice throwback to when horror knew how to be fun.

Stylish horror with a comedy edge

The dynamic here is rather interesting and pretty unique. The characters communicate via video call with Sam acting as Emily’s eyes via the phone’s camera. She relates threats to Emily and the pair talk about life. It’s an interesting setup and easy to engage in. Full of tension but also with plenty of laughs to keep things light. There’s even a few moments of slapstick silliness that you will either love or absolutely hate.

“The characters communicate via video call with Sam acting as Emily’s eyes via the phone’s camera. It’s an interesting setup and easy to engage in, full of tension but also with plenty of laughs.”

The fact that Sam is attempting to spot for Emily, via a camera, really does a nice job of adding some decent tension. Sam sometimes spots things that aren’t there, other times she is a little late to assist Emily resulting in problems. It’s all rather nicely done. Emily always feels like a very vulnerable protagonist. Don’t get me wrong; if she had her glasses I am sure the tides would turn. She is seriously tough and full of fight. Without her glasses however, she is at a disadvantage.

We see the world through Emily’s eyes, at times, helping us to understand her issues. Sam, who suffers from anxiety, has her own problems to overcome as well as a number of inconveniences occurring at the place where she works. This means there is always something going on. Unseen rarely lets up and it deserves praise for this.

A lame antagonist

The plot is helped massively by two extremely likable protagonists with some great chemistry and a decent dynamic. There are a few soppy moments but, for the most part, its two women overcoming their issues and whupping ass. As far as horror elements go, Unseen has some decent moments of genuine tension. Sometimes Sam can’t see what’s in the distance so misidentifies paths – sending Emily straight into danger. Sometimes she is distracted and misses something important. It’s a fun formula for a standard cat-and-mouse thriller.

“Charlie is a completely incompetent antagonist which does impact things a little. He’s an utter buffoon at times, almost to a level of slapstick, and feels like no match for Emily and Sam.”

Charlie is a completely incompetent antagonist which does impact things a little. There are moments where his ineptitude robs the movie of some palpable tension. He never feels all that threatening and doesn’t really manage to do much of anything. He’s an utter buffoon at times, too… Almost to a level of slapstick. He feels like no match for Emily and Sam.

The movie does tend to fall into the overuse of tropes, at times, as well, and can be incredibly predictable. Emily screams and grunts at the top of her voice, without consequence. Hide and seek scenes play out exactly as you might expect. You will see most of what happens coming from a mile off. It’s all very familiar horror stuff. There is even a big creepy barn. Still, it isn’t as big of a problem as it sounds. Unseen is enough fun to ignore a lot of these issues. Just enjoy the character dynamics and fun set pieces.

Excellent acting 

Acting is fantastic throughout. Midori Francis, as Emily, is brilliant. She brings a great deal of likeability to the character, managing to make Emily feel vulnerable without ever giving up her strengths. Midori is fantastic in scenes where she is fighting back against Charlie. She also has excellent comedy timing. I really appreciated her willingness to get down and dirty, crawling around in the mud and tripping over things. It was a great physical performance.

“Midori Francis is brilliant. She brings a great deal of likeability to the character, managing to make Emily feel vulnerable without ever giving up her strengths.”

Jolene Purdy, as Sam, is equally great. Again, perfect with the comedy timing, she brings a sense of humanity to her character. You easily buy into her mental struggles and want her to overcome them. I loved seeing Missi Pyle here as the maniacal Carol. She does a brilliant job and is brutal in her line delivery… Some of her insults are genuinely scorching.

Cinematography is decent. Unseen can feel a little low budget at times but it isn’t a huge problem. The outdoor location offers a nice range of scenery and the camera captures it perfectly. There is a nice use of split scenes to represent events taking place in different locations and scenes inside the gas station are always creatively framed.

Yoko Okumura’s direction is excellent throughout. She presents the movie stylishly and with fantastic pacing – Unseen rarely lets up. Featuring a tremendous balance of storytelling, horror and comedy. The movie can be highly stylised at times but this doesn’t feel out of place. Shot setups are creative and there is some decent use of natural landscape to build tension. It’s really nicely done.

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Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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