Netflix users around the globe are loving the streaming giant’s latest horror movie. Things Seen & Heard debuted on the platform this Thursday, April 29th and it’s instantly shot up to the top of the charts to be crowned the most popular film on the site the world over. A blend of horror, drama and mystery, the pic stars Amanda Seyfried and James Norton, as well as featuring the likes of Natalia Dyer and Karen Allen.
Things Seen & Heard follows Catherine Claire (Seyfried), an artist who relocates to the Hudson Valley and discovers that her marriage to husband George (Norton) hides a sinister darkness, one that’s rivalled by the shocking history of her new home. Based on the novel All Things Cease To Appear by Elizabeth Brundage, the film is directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor).
Clearly the star power of Seyfried and the intriguing mix of domestic drama and haunted house story proved enough to hook in millions of Netflix subscribers across the planet. Unfortunately, though, its high viewing figures aren’t matched by its critical reception, as reviews aren’t all that kind. Things sits at just 36% on Rotten Tomatoes and unusually, its audience score is exactly the same as its critical percentage. As the critics consensus reads: “The terrors in Things Heard & Seen are overwhelmed by a banal and uninspired adaptation that fails to connect to its haunting source material.”
Seyfried is currently enjoying a career high thanks to her recent Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role as Marion Dawes in David Fincher’s Citizen Kane biopic Mank. Norton, meanwhile, can also be seen in HBO’s ongoing Victorian-set sci-fi series The Nevers. And as for Dyer, she’s busy shooting season 4 of Stranger Things, which fans have been waiting to see for a long time.
If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to catch Things Seen & Heard on Netflix now.
