Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘They’re Watching’

Written by Scott Edwards

Some people have the gift of seeing diamonds in the rough. With their creative minds, they are able to make something out of nothing, but not everyone will go along with them. Seeing even a small piece of what they envision can be fantastic and if it is treated the right way, they are able to focus their energies on it and make it something that we never expected to see. I wish more people had this gift, so many things that are usually considered garbage would be back and functional once again rather than being torn down or thrown in the junk yard.

Becky Westlake is looking to get away from the craziness that comes with living in a big city and now that her boyfriend Goran Potsnik is ready to settle down, they are looking for a new home, together. While being featured on the House Hunters Global television show, the two are shown a small out of the way home in Pavloka, Moldova that seems to be more of a fixer upper than a place to live. While real estate agent Vladimir shows them around, he sees that this is Becky’s decision and being able to appeal to her artistic side, he sees that she loves the idea of fixing up the house and making pottery with her free time. Becky loves the house and pulls the trigger on buying it, but what she finds in the old run down location will change her life forever.

Getting to Moldova late, the camera crew of Greg, Alex and new comer Sarah are ready to film the follow up segment of the show. With their overbearing boss Kate being in charge of what is going on, the boys make sure that Sarah knows that Kate will be on the war path when they arrive at the hotel. Unpacking and getting set up in their rooms, the group heads out into town to explore and get some B roll footage to use on the show. While Alex finds a local pot dealer, he heads his own way while Sarah and Greg move further into the old city. Finding a church, the two sneak in and accidentally tape a funeral for three local kids. Being caught and run out of the church, the two make it back to catch a ride out to Becky’s house and see what she has been able to accomplish over the past six months since she has moved in.

Getting to the house late in the day, the group sees a drastic difference in the place, but Becky wants them to check out the cellar, which is why she bought the house in the first place. Promising to see it tomorrow, the group heads back into town and gets dinner at The Burning Stake and finds out a secret in the town’s history. Within the last hundred years, a witch has been burned on the stake and the locals are always on the lookout for another one. Getting up early and making it back out to Becky’s house to shoot, the group is able to get plenty of good shots, but Sarah keeps chiming in on camera causing Kate to lose her mind. Being sent out into the forest to get some nature shots, Sarah comes across what appears to be a burned stake in the ground and her camera starts acting up. Not knowing what it means, the group of House Hunters Global is about to find out that the local legends may actually be true in Moldova.

This is just a fun little horror movie and even though you don’t get scares throughout, you do get plenty during the finale. The way Alex and Greg played off of each other during the entire film, you would believe that they have been buddies for a very long time. I loved the interactions in this movie between all of the characters, but you will have to know that Vladimir steals the show. The little bit of local lore in the area could have been a touch more explained in the movie, as the only indication that something strange is going on in the town is men with axes, but besides that, I enjoyed the heck out of this movie. With so many minor complaints about Moldova and their lack of commerce, I liked watching as the group found out what was most important to them, along with what was most important to Becky as well. Stay Scared.

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