There are few movies that manage to do what I See You does: build suspense so patiently, with so many layers, that by the time the final twist hits, you’re both stunned and admiring how every earlier scene was bait, misdirection, or subtle foreshadowing. It’s not flashy horror, it’s not jump-scare overload — instead it creeps in, steadily and insistently, until you can’t peel your eyes away.
Helen Hunt plays Jackie Harper, who is in the messy middle of trying to pick up her life after an affair. Her husband Greg (Jon Tenney), a detective, is stressed, their son Connor (Judah Lewis) is angry, the household is tense. All this emotional undercurrent lays a rich foundation. On top of that, horrible things are happening in their small town: young boys disappearing, a past case being reopened, old crimes looming. Strange disturbances in the home — doors, silverware, locks, weird presences (or so you think) — make you question: Is this supernatural? Is someone sneaking in? Are they losing it?
What’s great about the film is how it veers. First half is slow, moody, unsettling in its domestic tension. Mid-film, the perspective shifts. You begin seeing what other characters see, piecing together new angles. Every reveal feels earned, every moment previously dismissed as weird or irrelevant suddenly becomes important. Those flashes you might have ignored? They circle back. The film doesn’t cheat — it rearranges.
The final act is something else. The ending is shocking in the sense that it reframes what you thought you knew. Characters who seemed straightforward aren’t; events that seemed supernatural are grounded in terrifying reality; secrets are revealed that make you want to rewind and see the clues you missed. It’s one of the most suspenseful endings I’ve seen in a long time — because it doesn’t just rely on gore or horror shocks, but on twisting point of view, trust, and betrayal. You literally can’t imagine what’s going to happen, and when it does, your heart will probably skip.
Helen Hunt is terrific — the emotional vulnerability she brings to Jackie elevates the film. She’s not just a “housewife” or background figure; she’s central to the way the tension builds. The rest of the cast do solid work too: the detective husband, the son, the mysterious young “phroggers” (people who secretly stay in other people’s homes without their knowledge) come in through other perspectives, adding more layers.
If there’s a criticism, it’s that the pacing may feel unbalanced — first half is deliberately slow, and some of the quieter domestic or relationship stuff may feel stretched if you came to the film purely for action. Also, some of the red herrings are very obvious in retrospect. But those are minor when set against how well the film builds up tension, mood, and surprise.
Bottom line: I See You is one of those rare psychological thrillers that works on many levels — character drama, mystery, home horror — and does not give away its secrets too early. If you like being pulled into a story, doubting every clue, doubting every character, and then seeing everything snap into place at the end — this movie is for you. I’d absolutely re-watch it myself, just to catch the tiny seed moments that foreshadow the twist. Brilliant stuff.
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Honest Reviews 