Writer: Andy Mitton
Directors: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton
Miles Grissom (Freeman) is a man who's so scared of there being no prospect of life after death that he offers a reward for irrefutable proof there's something on the other side. Predictably he gets his fair share of wild claims but he narrows down the field to three people - a scientist, a medium and an entrepreneur - who may be able to provide an answer in their own specific way. Of course, Miles has no idea of the strange and terrifying places his investigations will take him...
We Go On has the feel of a classic, old-fashioned, plot-driven chiller given a very modern slant and proves that no matter how many CGI monsters and jump scares can be crowbarred into the proceedings it's never a match for great writing and an unrelentingly eerie atmosphere. There's plenty of stuff to give you the heebie-jeebies here and, for me at the very least, one marvellous, show-stopping reveal.
Even so, the horror can only truly work its unsettling magic if you're invested in the characters and We Go on has the quite brilliant double act of Clark Freeman and Annette O'Toole at its core as phobic son and concerned mum respectively. Both bring their A games to the party and give smart, naturalistic, layered performances. Freeman's Miles isn't your stereotypical, panic-stricken victim and neither is O'Toole your average screen mother.
In fact, O'Toole and Freeman play so well off each other that they could be discussing the weather and it would be engaging. Their characters are immensely likeable and interesting and this obviously amps up the tension when they're inevitably put in potentially harmful situations. Freeman doesn't overplay Miles' fears and makes for a winning, vulnerable but capable hero. O'Toole is an absolute delight, dishing out her spiky, no-nonsense wisdom which clearly comes from a warm and caring place.
That level of quality extends throughout the cast, with fine supporting work from all, including John Glover as the scientist who may not be what he initially seems and Giovanna Zacarías as Josephina, the medium who has her own concerns about delving into otherwordly matters. When even the most minor characters feel like real, rounded people with depth and their own baggage you have to take your hat off to the writers and the actors. Top to bottom, the script and performances are excellent.
I must also mention the outstanding Jay Dunn as Nelson, who becomes more and more important to the story as it, ahem, goes on (it was going to happen at some point during the review, be thankful I only decided to do it once). Without getting too spoilery, he's one of the creepiest and most unnerving presences in any horror film I've seen for a while and there were several moments when I found myself dreading the prospect of him showing up. That's a properly scary guy. Terrific work, Mr. Dunn.
I saw this at the Celluloid Screams festival in Sheffield in October 2016 and it's a film which has stayed with me since then. At a time when so much big studio horror output tends towards the dispiritingly bland, it's great to see indie productions like this knocking it out of the park. Fans of horror films - hell, fans of films, regardless of genre - should seek this one out. It's a finely-crafted, brilliantly structured mix of chills, laughs and drama and for a movie which is so much about death it's actually a rather life-affirming experience. I can't recommend it highly enough. Go see!
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