Not often does a horror film depict mental illness with so much intent. Perry Blackshear’s full-length feature debut, They Look Like People, is a film about friendship and loyalty but is told in an eerie and rather dark tone. It’s deeply unsettling, yet at the same time, beautifully explores loneliness, isolation, and the severity of mental illness.
They Look Like People is directed, written, produced, and edited by Blackshear. The film is about a lonely man named Christian (Evan Dumouchel), whose fiancé recently left him. To cope, he obsessively exercises, listens to affirmations on his phone recorded by his ex, and flirts with his boss Mara (Margaret Ying Drake). One day, he runs into an old friend Wyatt (MacLeod Andrews), on the street, who seems down on his luck and admits he has no place to stay. The two reconnect: going on double dates, getting drunk in Christian’s apartment, and laughing like old times. It is soon discovered that Wyatt is a troubled man, and as he slowly loses sense of reality, he becomes a danger to Christian, those around him, and himself.
On the first night at Christian's, Wyatt receives a phone call from an unknown entity- a deep, monotone voice stating that he is in danger. The voice claims that “they” will begin a world war, about to kill all of humanity. Who are they? A monster of some kind, aliens perhaps, and Wyatt is one of the only people left on earth, as others around him just look like people. It’s up to Wyatt to save him and the only person he trusts, Christian, from these unseen dangers.
The film is marketed as a horror film, so when Wyatt first receives the call, the audience believes him. This is because the audience is placed in the mind of Wyatt, and it is tough to depict nightmares from reality. Is Wyatt really onto something? Are there evil monsters who lurk on the earth? This question is answered as Wyatt visits his therapist the following morning, claiming he hears voices and has been experiencing psychosis. Wyatt has an undefined mental illness that resembles schizophrenia. As the film progresses, Wyatt appears to get farther from the grasps of the real world, thinking everyone around him is not human and out to destroy him.
One night, Mara comes over to hang out with Christian. When Christian leaves for a few minutes to get her favorite type of tea, Wyatt asks Mara if she ever hears voices. She claims that yes, she sometimes hears music in her head. Considering that Mara is also one of the only remaining humans, he brings Mara down to Christian’s basement, where he has been preparing for the world war. Upon entering, Mara sees axes, screwdrivers, among other weapons. As he begins talking about the evil invasion that is happening soon, Mara gets startled and leaves. Upon apologizing, Mara transforms into a demon: her smile elongating up to her forehead and her eyes rolling towards the back of her head. Because of this, Wyatt must destroy her.
While rather disturbing scenes revolving around Wyatt’s heightening delusions take place, the film is also a story about friendship. Wyatt and Christian have hilarious and sweet moments: something as serious as their deep talks about their mental illnesses, to something as child-like as building forts with blankets. Although Wyatt seems to be the center of the film’s exploration of mental illness, Christian suffers as well. He claims he has tried to commit suicide before and attends therapy.
The final 30 minutes of the film are the most telling: Wyatt barricades Christian's apartment, claiming that the war will begin that night. At first, Christian laughs it off but quickly realizes that Wyatt is serious. Playing along, Christian tells Wyatt that he has full trust in him and follows Wyatt down to the basement. He allows Wyatt to tie him up (in case he gets possessed). As Wyatt ties up and puts a bag over Christian's head, Wyatt delves deeper into his psychosis. As Christian slowly morphs into a demon, Wyatt prepares to kill him. In the final moment, Wyatt realizes it is all in his head and unties Christian. They embrace, and the screen turns black.
The film is exquisitely acted. There are three main actors within the entire movie, yet the absence is not relevant. The subtle but effective performances from Evan Dumouchel, MacLeod Andrews, and Margaret Ying Drake perfectly complement Blackshear’s vision with his script.
They Look Like People was inspired by a close friend of Blackshear’s, as he revealed in an interview with Scream Horror Magazine: “It is sort of inspired by a good friend of mine, and I’ve had a few friends who have undergone some really bad stuff. One of them, he was having a really rough year and he started to think people were spying on him through his computer and he started to hear voices. He told me later on that if he didn’t have some really good friends and family that he would have either been in jail or dead.”
They Look Like People has rather frightening moments, but the ending scene reveals its true meaning. These two men’s loyal friendship helped each other overcome their issues. Christian conquered his fear of facing death and by telling Wyatt that he has complete trust in him saved Wyatt’s life. The dark and sinister tone of the movie ends with a beautiful message on loyalty and how genuine connections with people can save one's life.