I don't usually say this, much less write it, but please take a moment and read the texts in the alternate poster created by artists Smudge & JAE for Jacob Aaron Estes' unsettling new thriller, He's Watching.
The messages are juvenile, yes, but they are also progressively more worrisome. What is going on in that house? According to the official synopsis:
"When happy-go-lucky siblings Iris and Lucas are left alone while their parents recover from an illness, a series of playful pranks they play on each other escalate when they start receiving unsettling images and videos on their phones. With the incoming messages becoming increasingly nightmarish, Iris and Lucas realize something sinister has taken root in their home."
Ah, I see. Things go from "playful" to "unsettling" to "increasingly nightmarish." Personally, I'd get out of that house, pronto, but young people don't always have that option, which is why the movie becomes extremely gripping, if I may use that word as a descriptor for a nerve-jangling experience. Jacob Aaron Estes directed from his own original screenplay; you may recognize his name from previous films of quality, such as Mean Creek, The Details, Don't Let Go.
Enjoy the trailer below, as well as an image in the gallery that might qualify as escapist fare, except that we already know the young ones are in danger. (Click on images to embiggen.)
How can you have a better time on a Friday night in the middle of summer? (Watch this movie instead of whatever your devious mind was conjuring up.) Jacob Aaron Estes' He's Watching is now available for rental and sale on all major video-on-demand platforms from XYZ Films.
(Full disclosure: Screen Anarchy is owned by XYZ Films.)