Spoilers always rewind their tapes.

Sometimes you can see a lot of potential in one premise, a simple execution and hopefully, a commitment to the material. And to be honest, there’s a really great mystery film promised in this feature. However, there’s a point in which it decides to try adding just a couple of other elements that end up painting it into a corner.

The Unheard (2023) was directed by Jeffrey A. Brown and written by Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen. Chloe (Lachlan Watson) lost her mother and her hearing when she was younger. Now, she’s undergone a surgery to restore her hearing. She has also traveled to her family’s old house to eventually sell it. As she watches some old tapes and reminisces about her mother and her mysterious disappearance, her hearing starts to come back. But along with that, she also starts hearing other things.

This could’ve been a solid mystery premise, and it does build up enough of a rapport with the main character to warrant it. It does appear that we’re aiming towards a supernatural angle, or a psychological thriller, or a serial murderer on the loose. What we get is the strange decision to aim for a little of everything without a solid satisfying reveal of a single one. For all its build up, we don’t get ever get the thrills and chills envisioned. It never quite gets to actual horror.

Maybe recommended as a light mystery thriller. It shows some promising performances, although a little more intensity would probably added some much needed tension to it. I did like the build up, although without the proper payoff, it doesn’t give us a solid resolution. Perhaps a watch for a rainy day, but perhaps it’s more of a coin toss.

That will do for now.