User Reviews

Its a drama, horror, mystery,crime and mental health disorder movie, with huge waves of religious vibes, stress, love ,hate,dreaming and flashbacking. its a film about the fresh start that turns rotten at an instant. its trully a depressive movie at many levels, not so scary, its more like a delutional state of hell.its death, no green leaves on the trees . its a grey, dark and red filtered visual flick that you should be mentally ready for, if your in a voulnarable state of life.

the production has a superb filmograpy and editing, but the sound management do have its issues with fading voices cause the soun boomers arms were too short, ,the dialouges are at times drown in background noise and chatter, and the score comes at a deafening level here and there, and that becomes annoying at times. its also slowpaced and the key moments in this couples life could have been reploted easily to make this a far more rational flick to watch.

but thats the opinion of a grumpy old man. the small cast do their work, the director works on a stimulated medulla oblongata, and therefore this riddleish product. its a recommend with precaution

It is certainly not the best movie in terms of production, but the story is interesting - with a good twist at the end, and the acting could be a little better.

But then - it is a really low budget film, so it deserves huge kudos for pulling off a film like this.

Troubled by the loss of her daughter, a woman plagued by brutal nightmares heads off with her husband to a remote house in the countryside to help move on, yet when she's convinced someone is haunting the house from her past she sets out to figure out what's going on to save her sanity.

Overall, this one proved to be a wholly enjoyable effort. One of the greatest aspects featured here is the exceptionally strong and well-balanced drama that starts the storyline. Bolstered by a believable tragedy, the grief and shock from the incident rightfully keep her hesitant, reluctant and withdrawn for a large part of the film's first half as they move into the new house. Understandably unable to cope with the tragedy despite the efforts of a shrink to help her on top of moving to a new, quiet house out in the country as a complete surprise that all moves towards making for a reasonable rationale for her behavior. When this is enhanced by the interactions they have trying to settle in, ranging from the disrupted sexual encounter to the threatening notions against the friendly neighbor and the reactions to her medication, the first half her is quite impressive at building an engaging and immersive drama. Hanging off this build-up is a fine collection of haunting scenes that are wholly chilling and creepy. A dream where she ventures out into the woods thinking it's her daughter only to be confronted face-to-face with another ghost entirely is creepy, as is the encounter alone in the house where the spirit attacks her and drags her across the floor. A later nightmare involving a figure killing and cutting up others in front of her has some surreal moments with the bright red lighting throughout the scene, much like the frantic nightmare she has later features plenty of flash-cut images and distorted camera angles of the ghosts appearing before her which also doubles to fill in some of the missing plot-points about his extramarital affairs from earlier. The finale, featuring an incredibly gruesome and brutal outcome based on the various side-plots that have gone on, gives this a solid and satisfying conclusion to this one. While there isn't much wrong here, the film does have a few issues. One of the biggest problems is the utterly cliched and unnecessary side-plot involving the husband who hits every single trademark in these movies without exception. Despite initially appearing as though he's trying to help her, every time she brings up the ghosts he dismisses her story and calls her crazy, has a backstory featuring him cheating on her yet was forgiven for it and as a result, he doesn't do much overall here with him spending more and more time away from her later in the film. It's lazy and hackneyed to keep going to these same tropes for this character in these movies as it doesn't produce drama at all but instead contempt for utilizing that setup once again when numerous other films have already done this concept better. The pacing might skew towards drama too often for some hardcore horror fans who'll think this is slow and dull, but otherwise, there aren't many other flaws here.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity and a clothed sex scene.

This is a dark movie. I mean that every scene is shot in very low light, sometimes to the point of making you strain to see what is going on. Probably this was intended to add to the depressing and gloomy feeling of the main characters, but some light and less shaky camera work would hardly cheer it up. The woman is clearly a basket case, and maybe the film seems slow because so much time is spent showing this. For a low budget film, it's a worthy effort, and it's a good story, but I found it kind of dragging along. I would have liked a clearer understanding of how the husband felt, without just seeing him look sad all the time. His character is left to just show us that he seeks out other female company, but he is never shown explaining why. I guess his wife has always been a bit of a basket case? Or has been since the child got sick? This is a very grim tale, but not particularly scary. I watch a lot of horror movies, so those who do not as well may find it more scary. It is not gory, there is some blood but nothing gross. Personally, I like my grim tales to be a bit more terrifying, or more of a thriller. The actors are good, it's not a bad movie, especially for the budget, but I can't help feeling this could have been better.

The development of the horror genre in recent years to encompass real, dark dramatic themes beyond the more superficial, scare-oriented level of films in the past is an absolute marvel, and there are times in Silhouette where that trend is replicated in both riveting and striking fashion. However, while the film impresses in bursts with its dramatic depth, it's actually the horror side of things that proves most striking here, and that drama actually tails off quite considerably over the course of the second half, taking away from the potently unsettling atmosphere expertly crafted from the beginning.

Let's start on the bright side first, though, with the fact that Silhouette is a bold and intelligent horror movie. There is tension and a bit of a scare factor to it, but this isn't a dull, jumpscare-reliant horror by any means. In that, it blends some intriguing focus on the devastating effects of grief and loss with a powerfully unsettling atmosphere, as the film kicks into life in really striking fashion right from the very first scene.

It's not a fast-paced movie, but what it does have is that eerie, often overbearingly unnerving vibe to it to keep you really engrossed, and for the best part of an hour, Silhouette had me on tenterhooks with that side of the story.

From a booming musical score to really striking cinematography, and from brilliantly effective directing by Mitch McLeod to an exceptional central performance from April Hartman, there really is a lot about the first half of Silhouette that makes for a captivating watch, cleverly poising the story on the edge between slow, intricate psychological drama and a descent into full-blown horror thrills.

In that, you could say that it's a little reminiscent of Darren Aronofsky's stunning Mother!, with a story and atmosphere that blurs the lines between what you think to be real and what not, as well as a central performance that's overflowing with emotional depth, with April Hartman's clearly devastated character making for a riveting lead right the way through the first half of the movie.

But above Mother!, the closest comparison for Silhouette would have to be Ari Aster's Hereditary, a film that also tells of the horrifying effects of grief for a mother after losing her daughter, albeit with very different results.

While Hereditary is acclaimed by many, it's a film that never sat too well with me, and while its dramatic depth is astonishing at times, its horror elements are ludicrous and jarring throughout, which is what has always made it a real disappointment in my eyes.

Silhouette, on the other hand, has the opposite issue, with a powerfully unsettling and enthralling horror atmosphere that's built brilliantly through the course of the first half, but drama that - while initially promising - falls apart in the second half of the movie.

And that's what ultimately made me come away feeling quite disappointed with Silhouette. I don't wish to write any spoilers in this review, but it suffices to say that a significant change in focus right in the middle of the movie is what ultimately proves its undoing, as we move away from that brilliantly atmospheric and striking horror side to a frustratingly predictable, slow and often inconsequential dramatic approach.

There are of course moments where the early brilliance pops up through the second half, but its poor dramatic development and often dragging dialogue sequences really take away from the striking charisma and excitement seen earlier, making the final fifty minutes or so of the film a real drag to watch.

Overall, then, there's a lot to say about Silhouette, a film that's full of talent and captivating intrigue throughout. Above all, it's a good horror movie, with a powerfully unsettling atmosphere brought about excellently by director Mitch McLeod, and furthered by an often spellbinding central performance from April Hartman. However, despite intelligent dramatic themes and a strong start, the film's turn to less horror-oriented drama in the second half is a real shame, and proves a frustrating watch until the end, which is why I ultimately felt rather disappointed coming away from this film.

I'm going to start by saying that when it comes to a movie like this it isn't always going to be loved. It has its good reviews and it has its bad ones and I don't think it would be right to say who is wrong and who is right.

The director, Mitch McLeod, has created something that is filled with twists and turns and requires the maximum amount of attention to grasp the scope of the dark and haunting story that is being told here. Let's get something out of the way right now: this is a bleak movie. Anybody watching this who might prefer something that allows the viewer to breathe may want to look elsewhere because this is not that movie. There isn't a lot of hope in this one. It's filled with grim imagery and a depressing storyline that can only lead one to surmise that our storyteller's outlook on life is just as dreary as the film he has created.

This movie is another low budget effort, which is my favorite because it really shows you what the film makers are all about. They work with what they have here, and the result is something that I have fallen in love with. When met with such low budgets, one must have a compelling story and hopefully strong performers on hand to really drive it in and it certainly isn't lacking in these departments at all. Every performance in this movie goes beyond expectations and the performance of April Hartman is particularly heartbreaking.

This movie is not for everybody. It is slow, it is upsetting, and I agree with anybody who thinks that it might be a tad too long. In fact, if it hadn't been for the excessive length, I might give this a perfect score. It doesn't really detract from the experience, and I recommend this movie to anybody who doesn't mind something that takes a little time to get to its destination.

Its a bit slow at the start but ends up a pretty decent movie.. Acting was pretty good too.. i really enjoyed it!!

This is a low budget movie that is just as genuinely heart felt and emotional as it is scary and disturbing. It's also a drama about a failing marriage as much as it is a ghost story. It's clever and intelligent and even though a lot of it has been done before it plays out as a refreshing take on an old subgenre. It left me cold by the end, so I guess I will tell the people behind it job well done.

I see other reviews singing I praises but honestly this movie left me flat and actually a little annoyed. The sound is a little off, too high pitched and irritating. Also assume overly loud or unusual effects used but they aren't scary and decrease from the visual action. You can say that these things are deliberately to try and unsettle and put the audience on edge. However I just think they don't work and come across as distractions. Likewise some visual filter effects.

The dual lead actors are both very good in their roles. You can get into their respective world's and understand their actions.

Overall I found the pace too slow to really hold my attention. I do love art house movies and also quite enjoy ponderous movies. Unfortunately this one just didn't create enough to engage me.

I attended Bare Bones Film Festival this week and was personally invited by director Mitch McCleod to watch his movie Silhouette.

I don't really like horror movies but my husband does so we went to watch it.

I have to say that my high rating is because I appreciated that it was a well done movie despite some of my own feelings. I did not like this movie. It's scary, disturbing, depressing, and unpleasant and I felt nauseous after watching it, mostly because of the finale.

Still, McCleod did a wonderful job evoking those emotions and the movie is a well told story with good acting by everybody involved.

It wasn't for me but I give it a high rating because if you like scary movies then you're going to enjoy this.

I don't always like the slow movies but there was enough horror and good acting to hold my interest and the story was somewhat unique. Some people might not like it if they need constant horror but it was just enough on the edge to be enjoyable.

Not a lot of gore but what it had was good. Male nudity but no female but there is a sex scene. +1 for the smoking hot red head. Yum.

Don't know what I expected. It was a rough start to the film, and I readied myself for it to disappoint. Really pleased to say that despite its low budget, it punches above its weight with strong central performances and an intriguing enough "mystery". You'll probably call it before the end, we did, but it doesn't make it a valueless experience. Some may cal it slow, but despite one clunky approach to a particular secondary character I didn't find this, even with the longish running time. Ultimately, a really strong low budget psychological drama/horror imho, and I would watch it again too. Impressed.

The first thing that has to be said about Silhouette is that before you watch it you should ask yourself if you're in the mood for a typical haunted house movie. If the answer is yes then move past it and keep looking.

Now that that's out of the way, it needs to be said that Silhouette is one of the best independent movies I've watched during the pandemic. This can easily be described as a ghost story and that shouldn't be overlooked but the truest horror you will find here lurks even deeper in the shadows than the spooks you'll find here. It lurks in that familiar territory of the mind that finds we, the viewer, constantly questioning ourselves as we spiral into the madness that unfolds over nearly two hours.

The performances are the driving force behind the movie, centered around three characters played to perfection by actors you might wonder why you haven't seen much of before. They are fundamental in guiding us along a story filled with both supernatural and psychological terror.

The movie is dark, it is sad, and at times it is a little difficult to watch and might drag a little bit but it never fails to be engrossing. Be warned that this isn't the scary movie that you sit down to watch for a fun night with your friends. This is the movie you watch alone with full attention given and only if you're prepared to suffer the consequences because the ending will leave you devastated.

A strong debut from a director and cast that I'm sure we'll be seeing more from.

I really enjoyed this movie, a lot really. And the twist, omg. I'm not gonna spoil it but yeah... A Haunting In Texas aka Silhouette is a really good movie.

This is a movie that grabs you right away and doesn't let go until it's over. It's slow in parts but not in a way that makes you lose focus on what is happening along the way.

This movie is made on a low budget but you wouldn't notice through most of it. The production value is well above what you might be used to on these low budget efforts and the actors deliver A list performances.

It's a little longer than it should be which lowers the rating a little but this is definitely an above average scary movie.

Written and directed by Mitch McLeod, Silhouette stars April Hartman, Tom Zembrod, Jessica Dawn Willis, and Savannah Solsbery. It tells the story of a couple dealing with marital problems after the death of their young daughter. They move to the country, hoping for a fresh start, but are haunted by the sins of the past. The film is moody and atmospheric, a slow burn, building tension and suspense. April Hartman is quite good here, as the troubled wife and grieving mother, slowly unravelling. I liked the way the film's score helped to enhance the mood and add to the suspense. I think Mitch McLeod did an effective job in writing and directing the film and making the most out of a limited budget. If you are a fan of intelligent, well crafted independent horror films, then check out Silhouette. My rating is an 8/10.

When it comes to indie movies that are made on a low budget it really doesn't get much better. I've had the misfortune of sitting through a lot of these at festivals or random streaming finds and it's not very often that they're as well done as this one here.

The movie is a real downer and requires your full attention if you intend to put all the pieces together by the end. The production value is superb and the performances from the three mains is as good it gets and matches just about anything you might find in a movie made on a much larger platform.

I highly recommend, as well as a shower when it's all over.

I was very happy that I got to see Silhouette. If you are a fan of a good slow burn with a solid payoff then this it totally worth the watch. A great story with some interesting twists. The score is intense and really pulls you in to the story. The acting was also extremely solid and I couldn't help but feel for the characters. Lots of smart choices were made in the making of this movie. Go check it out

The poster made me think I was in for just another ghost story which would be fine but this is not that movie. Fans of movies like Hereditary and The Witch will get a kick out of this. Gorehounds might want to look elsewhere. Movie making on a budget done right.

But it is a perfect indie movie.

When it comes to something like this I'm not sure what else you can ask for. The performances are amazing, the script is extremely well put together, the music is beautifully dark, and the look is gritty but still sleek. The first time I watched it I was left a little bit confused but when I watched it for a second time it was more clear. The pieces of the puzzle are there for the ones who are willing to pay attention.

I will say that it is not an easy watch. Actually it can be pretty rough at times because there isn't a single moment of the movie that isn't upsetting. But again, all the things that are needed to sell it are there and it is worth the time to get to know it.

I love indie horror, and this is right there with some of the best of them.

My thoughts on Silhouette!

It was dark and twisted to say the least. It had a thought provoking storyline that delved into each of the characters. It had a gloomy atmosphere but that what sets the mood of the film. A good movie to watch on a quite Saturday curled up on the couch. All in all, I enjoyed it and that Jack Harms is HOT!!!

This is a good movie that isn't quite a horror. It still manages to conjure up some intense feelings of displeasure through its run time which is its great power. It also helps that the film rests mainly on three characters and April Hartman, Tom Zembrod, and Jessica Willis all perform well beyond what you would usually expect from a low budget horror movie. It's not flawless but it is worth watching and it might even be good for a repeat viewing. I would realistically rate this a 6 or a 7 but I'm leaving it a 9 to balance out the negative reviews left by narcissistic chodes who say "the ratings are off because I didn't like it" and are too self obsessed and intellectually limited to understand that sometimes somebody liked something that they didn't.

Long live independent film making, from one to another.

As a horror film lover, it's a rare pleasure these days when you see a great horror film that doesn't emasculate itself with forced irony and a self-aware wink.

This is a dark, wonderful, psychological horror film that takes itself seriously and delivers the goods. It's brooding, it's atmospheric, and it's bloody and scary and twisted.

If you enjoy the films of Andrzej Zulawski, Panos Cosmatos, and David Lynch (with maybe a touch of giallo), then this is right up your alley. Check it out.

Its both horror and drama and works as both. It rests more on the drama side so if you are looking for you're common horror film this isn't the one. The scares are still good though but the strength is the emotionally gripping drama. Great actors on a low budget movie which is rare.