WHO’S WATCHING (2024)

Available On Demand from Dark Sky Films!
Directed by Tim Kasher.
Written by Tim Kasher, Travis Stevens.
Check out the trailer here!

Caleb (A DESERT’s Zachary Ray Sherman) is a socially backwards metal head attempting to make a documentary about his life but once he meets his new supervisor Krista (SUPERHOST’s Gracie Gillam) his attention homes in on her. As Caleb’s obsession with Krista grows, he begins following her home, breaking into her place, and setting secret cameras up around her house. Only Caleb’s friend Tawnia (IT FOLLOWS and CANDY LAND’s Olivia Luccardi) seems to notice that Caleb’s methods of courtship are way off and bordering on dangerous. It looks as if Caleb’s obsession is about to turn deadly for all involved.

WHO’S WATCHING is a multi-media film utilizing found footage, security cameras, music videos, and multiple other sources of recording to tell its story. It also incorporates regular cinematic, omniscient POV sort of storytelling, putting down the hand-held camera and simply filming the action as if it were not a found footage film at all. It also switches perspectives, telling the story in a whole different light at times, So, this is a type of hybrid-style movie that is less interested in making sure the story unfolding looks like authentic found footage and more like a movie that uses different media to tell a singular story from different angles in order to deliver all of the information playing out. It’s a unique style film. Not my favorite, as it takes away some of the immediacy of using the first person POV, yet it still uses the found footage techniques when it is beneficial to making the viewer squirm, scream, and feel closer to the action that one might be comfortable with.

Caleb’s growing obsession is played extremely real. The stuff he does and says will make you wriggle in your chair like a worm on a hook. The off-putting and strange interactions that are peppered through the CREEP movies and TV Series are nothing compared to the real-life awkward interactions between Caleb and Krista throughout WHO’S WATCHING. Stuff like this goes on all over the place. I’ve seen creepers like this attempt to connect with women in real life, in bars, at work, on the street, and it’s not a fun thing to experience. Feelings of embarrassment, frustration, pity, anger, and remorse came up while I watched WHO’S WATCHING as the film so accurately depicts someone with zero social skills attempting to connect in the wrongest ways possible. As the frustration in Caleb builds, you know nothing good is going to come of this and sure enough, nothing does.

Zachary Ray Sherman did such an amazing job as the menacing Renny in A DESERT. It took me a minute to recognize the actor as Caleb as he looks completely different here. He is wiry, unkempt, malnourished, as if his every waking moment is focused on Krista and self-care is simply an afterthought. Sherman is two for two with A DESERT and now WHO’S WATCHING at depicting distinct, creepy, yet fascinating characters. This guy only needs the right role and he’s going to be a big star, mark my words.

Gracie Gillam played the over-the-top, psycho neighbor Rebecca in SUPERHOST. Here she plays things straight and reserved as Krista, who is trying to be appropriate and sympathetic to Caleb at first, but soon becomes afraid of the guy when his advances become too invasive. Gillam shows a lot of range between WHO’S WATCHING and SUPERHOST, going from an extreme role to a much more realistic and sympathetic character with ease. Again, this movie feels so real because of how Caleb and Krista interact with one another. While it is squirmy and wrong, it’s difficult to turn away from these two lead performances as Caleb continues to repel Krista at every uncomfortable beat.

Rounding out the cast is the ever-amazing Olivia Luccardi as Tawnie. I’m fascinated by her unique look and her fantastic choices of movies she appears in. Luccardi is another actress who is just one standout role away from superstardom, yet she delivers strange and offbeat roles that make her memorable no matter how small the role. Here her role as Tawnie is small at first but grows ever crucial to the plot as the film goes on. She’s just awesome here.

WHO’S WATCHING had me on the edge of the edge from pretty much minute one. It’s got a trio of star-making performances and an unpredictability that runs all the way through it. You will not be able to predict where this one will go and some of you simply won’t want to know. Reminiscent of such uncomfortable masterpieces as BE MY CAT and the aforementioned CREEP series, this movie utilizes multi-media to tell the story of someone who is not well and simply makes anyone he interacts with feel like being anywhere else but in front of him. This film undeniably gets under your skin and will fester there for ages, not for the gore, but simply for how Caleb wrecking balls his own life and takes the lives of others with him with his socially ignorant, crude, and downright pitiful behavior. If you don’t mind movies that make you itch, wriggle, and maybe seek out a long shower after viewing, you’ve got to see WHO’S WATCHING. It is the new champion of creep.