They Live in the Grey (2022) The Desperately Sad, Haunting Horror of Grief (DVD Review)

Horror cinema, like science fiction, is often reminiscent of other entries in the genre. See one horror film and it will likely remind you of others. Such is the case with They Live In The Grey, the third feature from writer-director duo Abel and Burlee Vang. While it is somewhat reductive to describe They Live In The Grey as The Sixth Sense meets The Babadook, the comparison with both films is apt. Such a description might constitute a spoiler, but it also lets the viewer know what to expect in terms of horror sub-genre and atmosphere.

Like The Sixth Sense, They Live In The Grey focuses on a child welfare professional. Claire Yang (Michelle Krusiec) is a caseworker with Child Protection Services, trying to balance the demands of her work with grief over the loss of her son. Separated from her police officer husband Peter (Ken Kirby), Claire is a woman with deep-seated pain, unable to move on and living in what Peter describes as ‘the grey’. The film opens with a deeply distressing suicide attempt, possibly made all the more tragic because it is unsuccessful. Like many a horror film, haunting is a manifestation of melancholy, but again like The Sixth Sense, Claire is literally haunted by troubled spirits who crop up to deliver serious jump scares.

The gory injuries of these spectres inject an element of body horror into the film, but more importantly, they aggressively confront Claire, the directors framing the apparitions as large, threatening and literally lashing out. The ghosts’ sudden disappearances provide little comfort, for the fear and panic of Claire remain palatable in Krusiec’s performance that never descends into hysterics but exposes the bone-deep terror of this deeply troubled woman. The film’s atmosphere and locations are often reminiscent of The Babadook, as production designer, Mary Yang creates slightly run-down but nonetheless extensive houses, in which director of photography Jimmy Jung Lu provides deep focus, and wide-angled shots that capture plenty of shadows. These shots help to emphasise Claire’s isolation, or at least attempts at isolation, that are regularly thwarted by troublesome spirits.

More trouble emerges when Claire is assigned the case of the Lang family, where young Sophie (Madelyn Grace) may be at risk from her parents Giles (J. R. Cacia) and Audrey (Ellen Wroe). The introduction of this family suggests domestic problems, with terse communication between the parents and visible scratches on the child. However, as Claire investigates further, a more supernatural presence makes itself known. This set-up presents the viewer with several possibilities as to how events will play out. Is this a story of threatening ghosts or demons like The Conjuring or Sinister? If so, is therapy like that in The Sixth Sense a possible response, or would some type of cleansing be in order like Poltergeist or Insidious? Is there a manifestation of grief like The Babadook, or is Claire facing all-too-human danger like Crimson Peak or Things Heard and Seen? It is to the credit of the Vangs that we keep guessing, expecting one thing and then receiving another piece of the puzzle just as Claire confronts fears both inner and outer.

The plot reveals and twists are genuinely surprising, with scenes playing out and then playing out again later in a very different way. When it needs to be, the film is genuinely shocking and nasty: as events continue to escalate, minds and bodies alike fracture. These instances are often distorted, with objects in the foreground made huge to further emphasise the threat that they pose. Similarly, when violence erupts, it tends to be confusing rather than cathartic. The film offers little sense of release or triumph, but there are some smatterings of hope in the quieter moments, such as when Claire talks to an old woman about death and regrets. And while the climax may offer a weary cliché, this is followed by some surprises and indeed squirms.

While the scripting and design of the film demonstrate brains, the Vangs are also careful to include heart. The film has many unsettling and startling moments, but the overall mood is desperately sad. Is Claire trying to hide more from the ghosts or from her own misery? Her inability to express herself is most apparent in a couple of flashback scenes, one at a funeral parlour where Peter must deal with the mortician because Claire cannot speak, and another devastating sequence when Peter returns home from a late shift and Claire will not respond to him in any way. Despite their physical proximity, the emotional gulf between them is apparent and likely to resonate with those who have suffered a loss or become disconnected from their partner. Later, Claire shuts herself in her car and screams helplessly and indeed hopelessly, an all too relatable moment that cuts deep. Loss, grief and pain wind their way throughout the film, underpinning the atmosphere of dread and the moments of shock. Despite this, the film never descends into misery porn, as the visual storytelling remains absorbing and the narrative compelling. With its tight focus, smart script and atmospheric direction, They Live In The Grey is a thoroughly effective chiller that offers sobs along with scares.

Watch They Live in the Grey on Shudder

THEY LIVE IN THE GREY