New Psychological And Supernatural Thriller Has Echoes of ‘Talk To Me’ And ‘1408’
A summoning ritual gone wrong and a supernaturally influenced psychological breakdown form the foundation of "Are You There?"
By 
Chris Catt
Are You There? is a newly released independent horror movie about a young woman who summons something unexpected when she performs a ritual meant to contact her deceased grandmother.
Rosa’s grandmother recently passed away, and from her abuela she inherits an ornate candlestick. Hanging from opposite sides of the candle holder are two words: “sí” and “no.” A note accompanying Rosa’s inheritance tells her that when a lit candle is placed in the candlestick, a spirit can be summoned by saying the person’s name and asking, “are you there?” If the flame bends, then a link is established. The user can then ask the spirit yes or no questions, and the flame will bend towards the correct response.
Rosa, naturally, tries to contact her grandmother. She believes she has made that connection, but after a traumatic incident, she suspects that something is off about whoever (or whatever) is communicating from the other side of the candle. Sure enough, further research into the ritual indicates that Rosa didn’t follow the instructions correctly. Now, with Rosa isolated in her off-campus college housing while everyone else is away on vacation, the supernatural force bending the candle’s flame torments her in an escalating series of psychological attacks.
Movie Review
The best part of Are You There is the film’s main hook. It’s intriguing to watch Rosa speak to a haunted candle and get more comfortable with its movements, and it creates a wonderfully spooky atmosphere as the answers become more sinister. This, in some ways, reminded me of Talk To Me, though a big difference is that there is no element of possession in Are You There.
Instead of getting possessed, Rosa has odd experiences and begins seeing things that may or may not be there. In this way, the movie reminded me a little of 1408 in which John Cusack’s character goes through an intense psychological journey while confined to a room.
The basic idea of the story in Are You There solid. I won’t get too far into the story structure for fear of major spoilers, but Are You There is a well-made film that entwines its supernatural and psychological elements together so that they are one and the same. The revelations in the finale are good, but it does have a feeling of familiarity. If you’ve seen a fair number of movies like this, then the resolution won’t be totally surprising.
A couple of elements that could have been tightened are the pacing and the focus. There are a few plot threads that are conspicuous by either how obvious they are, or by how they distract from the building tension. Neither issue is egregious, but less patient viewers might get restless from time to time.
Star Rating: 3 out of 5
Are You There is a nicely-made chiller, and it gets a good recommendation for fans of atmospheric supernatural thrillers with a focus on psychological resolutions.
