Things Heard and Seen Parent Guide

When her husband, George (James Norton) finishes his PhD and finds work upstate, Catherine (Amanda Seyfried) reluctantly leaves her job as a professional art restorer and packs up with their daughter Franny (Ana Sophia Heger) to move out of Manhattan. Although the handsome farmhouse they move into has charm, it also seems to come with a few ghosts… ghosts who seem fixated on Catherine and Franny. While Catherine tries to hunt down the truth about the house’s previous (and potentially current) deceased residents, George finds himself in trouble as the secrets of his past catch up with him…

I love a good ghost story. I think entirely too many modern horror films try to shy away from a classic, Gothic, supernatural horror story in favor of an 80s-style slasher gore-fest. Now, I’m not saying the latter flicks can’t be fun, but for good atmospheric horror, it’s hard to beat the oppressive miasma of a good haunting. The possibilities are so much broader when death stops being an obstacle to the scares on screen.

Not that Things Heard and Seen does it perfectly. I think the specific focus on some of spiritualist Emanuel Swedenborg’s work sucks out some of the fun that would have resulted had the supernatural elements been more mysterious. The plot is definitely paint-by-the-numbers in some places, especially when it comes to George’s character. James Norton is doing a great job of being odious, but his character lacks any distinctiveness. I feel like I’ve seen this guy in a lot of other horror movies, and it usually takes all of five minutes until I’m rooting for a grisly death.

As the TV-MA rating should indicate, Things Heard and Seen is not what you’d describe as wholesome family entertainment. Apart from the content listed below, there are a few issues that make this film a poor choice for some audiences. Catherine struggles with bulimia, and those struggles are graphically shown on screen. I’m not saying this is grossly inappropriate, but if you have a history of eating disorders, these scenes may prove upsetting. Throw in an axe murder and a whole bunch of profanity and this isn’t a movie for sensitive viewers of any age.

In spite of the areas I found disappointing or lazy, there were enough highlights that I think I can cautiously recommend this film to adult genre fans. Good Gothic horror is hard to come by these days, and I certainly welcome new entries – even if they aren’t perfect. Things Heard and Seen manages to be tense, mysterious, and unsettling, and that’s good enough for me. At least, in broad daylight. These things are always a little less fun when the sun goes down and you hear strange noises in the dark…