We Are Still Here (2015)

Posted By: brian@brianschell.com February 20, 2024

Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone

This is a really good one that is a little under the radar. The house and the cold desolation are perfect. The cast is excellent. The script has a nice slow build, plenty of creepiness, and a bit of a mystery to solve. We liked it a lot.

Spoilery Synopsis

We open on a car driving through a cold, snowy, desolate countryside. Paul and Anne talk about the movers getting all their stuff moved. They stop at a huge farmhouse and go inside. Anne is unhappy about where the movers have hung her pictures; their son Bobby has recently died.  The photo falls over mysteriously as credits roll. 

In the morning, Anne hears a sound in the cellar, but there’s clearly no one down there. There’s a hole in the wall that leads to a dark place. She continues to explore, and we see a shadowy figure in the background. A ball rolls down the steps. She later tells Paul that she can feel their son’s presence in the house. 

Dave and Cat come to the door; they’re the neighbors. He seems surprised that they moved there, considering the history of the house. The family who first lived here, back in 1859, were the Dagmars. The Dagmars ran a funeral home, but they buried emptied coffins; they got caught selling the bodies to the university and to the chop suey restaurant. Old man Dagmar then killed himself. Dave tells the story in the creepiest way possible. “It’s been 30 years since we’ve had fresh souls in this house,” he adds cryptically. Cat gives Paul a note on the way out, “The house NEEDS a family. Get out!” 

The basement is hot, nearly a hundred degrees, so they call Joe the electrician to come look at their furnace. Anne thinks their son’s ghost is there, so she wants to bring Jacob and May to visit; they’re good friends and mediums who do seances. Downstairs, Joe runs into some ghosts and soon requires an ambulance. 

Jacob and May know they’re going into an uncomfortable situation, Paul generally isn’t into all the spiritual stuff that they are. The four go out to “Buffalo Bill’s” for dinner, and all the locals turn to stare. 

Harry and his girlfriend are on the road to meet them, and they talk about Bobby’s death. Harry is the son of Jacob and May, and he was Bobby’s best friend. He also thinks Anne and Paul are a bit looney. They arrive while the others are still out at dinner. They left a note on the door, so they let themselves inside. We see shadowy figures watching them. Something very nasty grabs Harry. In town, May starts choking at the same moment. Harry’s girlfriend runs to the car and drives off at high speed. There’s something in the back seat, so she doesn’t get very far. 

Maddie, at Buffalo Bill’s, gets scared when Dave and Cat come in, wanting to know about the new family who visited there earlier. “You do realize what will happen if they leave, don’t you? The town didn’t realize it back in ‘49. The darkness in that house wakes up every thirty years like clockwork; if it doesn’t get a family, it’s gonna swallow this town.”

Jacon and May say the energy in the house is “unreal,” and Paul is amused. She doesn’t think the ghost is Bobby; “It’s something that wants you to believe it’s Bobby.” That night, Paul has the craziest nightmare. 

In the morning, May and Anne go shopping, while Paul and Jacob try a seance. May talks about the infernal house, and right then, Dave walks up. May says she saw a family there last night, and Dave looks surprised. May says none of them should be staying in that house. The seance takes control of Jacob, “Your boy is dead. He’s in the cellar. He’s burning, like my whole family.” Jacob then insists that Paul tie him to a chair before someone gets hurt. May and Anne come home, and possessed Jacob says “This is MY house!” Just then, Cat calls on the phone. “Dagmar is not what you need to worry about.” Dagmar, through Jacob, says that the townspeople killed his whole family, sacrificing them to their gods. He then stabs himself in the head and dies. They run for the door, where Dave is outside with a shotgun; he blows May’s head off. 

The dead, burned Dagmar ghosts from the basement are there as well. Dozens of townspeople surround the house. Many of the townspeople are killed violently by the ghosts and taken to the dark hole in the cellar. 

Finally, Dave and Dagmar meet. Dave wants to know why Anne and Paul are still alive. Dave yells, “You know what you’re supposed to do– now get it done!” Dave pulls his gun on Paul and Anne. He wants to send them to be with Bobby. Dagmar comes up behind Dave and melts his head. Then they see Bobby down in the basement; it’s all fine. 

Commentary

The outdoor scenes of the house and barren, frozen countryside really make this film. It’s all about the isolation, and the cinematography really highlights that. I saw this when it came out, and I’d totally forgotten the plot, but I remembered the setting and the house. The slow buildup of weirdness is really well-paced, and the practical creature effects are excellent. 

It’s really good, and I’m surprised we don’t hear more about this one.