“He’s Watching”: Terror starts as two siblings realize a strange presence wants to join their games

It is out of the question that the COVID-19 pandemic was some catastrophic event on many levels, but it also served as a period of time where creators of all disciplines dealt with the new situation of isolation and minimalism to create pieces of work that maybe might have not existed in a normal situation. This is the case of supernatural horror-thriller He’s Watching (2022), conceived by filmmaker Jacob Estes and his wife, musician Gretchen Lieberum, with their children Iris Serena Estes and Lucas Steel Estes as a way to stave off his family’s boredom while trapped in their home.

The movie centers on a pair of happy-go-lucky siblings, left alone while their parents recover from an illness, who play a series of pranks on each other that escalate when they start receiving unsettling images and videos on their phones. The game becomes nightmarish when they realize something sinister is watching them and it wants to play too.

This is the new movie from writer, producer, and director Jacob Estes, who also was the cinematographer and editor of the film. He is better known for his awards-winner debut film Mean Creek (2004), nominated for the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. He’s also been behind comedy-drama The Details (2011) and mystery horror Don’t Let Go (2019).

Iris Serena Estes and Lucas Steel Estes play themself in a cast that also includes Gerald Davis, Shawn Michael Howard, Mellissa Martinez, Kirk Nelson, Susannah Rogers, Lonny Ross, and their parents Jacob Estes and Gretchen Lieberum.

The movie is scheduled for a digital release on July 21, 2022, from XYZ Films.

Watch the official trailer for He’s Watching (2022) here.