Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings! For today’s post, I have decided to share some of my thoughts on the Netflix film Things Heard and Seen which was released in 2021. I want to preface this post by stating that there will be many spoilers ahead, so if you have not seen this one, maybe watch it before reading this post!
Now, I have had this on my list of films to watch since it was released, however, it sort of got lost on my watchlist until I found it in a collection of horror films earlier this week. I am so delighted that I decided to watch this film! Going in, I was very taken with the atmosphere of the film. The viewer is basically dropped into a Gothic Romance setting, which is perfect for a haunting film.
The film tells the story of a small family, a man who had gotten a job at a small college in the Hudson Valley of New York, his wife, and their young daughter. George Claire was a man who was a failed artist, but his wife Catherine was successful at her own artistic pursuits. George got the chance to get his doctoral degree and teach instead, however, Catherine (whom he had met at Art School) is the one he calls the “true artist in the family.” He also interestingly calls her “the true believer in the family.’”
Catherine is definitely a believer in the supernatural, and both she and their daughter Franny have many experiences with ghosts in the old Victorian house they are living in! When she first met her husband’s boss, he immediately reassured her that the spirit, which he could also sense in the house, meant her no harm. You see, this film takes a very interesting approach to a haunted house story. Instead of having the ghosts be the malevolent entity seeking to harm the family, in Things Heard and Seen the ghosts are spiritual advisors and protectors who seek to help the members of the family with whom they feel a kinship!
The ghost of the wife of the man who built Catherine’s house is first thought to have been the spirit. However, it is later revealed that the ghost is the spirit of the last woman who lived in the house, a woman who died in a murder-suicide at the hands of her husband! Deepening the connection is the fact that the young man Eddie, and his brother Cole, who were hired to do handyman labor on the house were the children of that couple, which George neglected to inform Catherine of. Catherine develops a special bond with both young men, especially Eddie, who is not much younger than herself.
While all of this is going on George is growing increasingly distant. He is annoyed at Catherine for letting their scared daughter sleep in their bed, he also often blames and attacks her for her eating disorder. It seems that she has bulimia, but she is also referred to as someone who does not eat, so possibly a combination with anorexia, and she is struggling with this throughout the film. As George grows further disenchanted with his wife, he develops a cult of female students about himself, and even begins an affair with a local woman named Willis who is taking a break from her own college studies! All of this makes it very satisfying when Catherine learns of this and finally gives in to her building attraction to Eddie, as she deserves the happiness that George cannot give her. She even admits to George’s co-worker Justine, who becomes a close friend, that part of their marriage happening was due to Catholic guilt over getting pregnant out of wedlock!
George is shown to be an increasingly horrid human being as the film progresses, not only is he a cheater, a dismissive husband, and someone who would weaponize his wife’s mental health, but he also forged his letter of recommendation to get his job, stole his dead cousin’s artwork to pass it off as his own, and ends up being a murderer! First, he killed his boss to cover up the fraud, then he put Justine in a coma to cover for that, and finally, George killed Catherine when he realized that she was going to leave him!
This ending sequence is where the film gets truly horrifying, and it is so well done, making you dread him getting away with it. However, Justine wakes, with the help of Catherine’s ghost, and she is able to tell the truth. The very end is left ambiguous, with George seemingly trapped in a painting! I adored this film for what it does with haunted house fare, making it a ghostly ride that does not demonize spirits, instead showing them as protectors and friends. Catherine was truly helped by her spiritual friends, but unfortunately, they could not save her. At least she was able to save Justine when she died and became a spirit herself!
The film borrowed much of this view of ghosts from the work of Emanuel Swedenborg, whose book Heaven and Hell is even featured as a plot point in the film! I have not read the book, but I now plan to, having become fascinated with it through this wonderful film! I hope you have enjoyed this long review of Things Heard and Seen. What is your opinion on this Netflix gem? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the film poster. I found the image on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10962368/.
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Watching
- Things Heard and Seen (2021)