Social worker Claire (Michelle Krusiec) takes child abuse cases to heart more than most lately, as she is still reeling from the loss of her child. Her latest assignment seems like an open-and-shut situation of an abusive dad. But Claire’s ability to see ghosts makes her uniquely suited to help a family tormented by a malevolent force. They Live in the Grey sets up a conventional haunted house scenario but instead revels languidly in grief, presenting a somber feature without many chills.
Written and directed by Burlee and Abel Vang (Bedeviled), They Live in the Grey draws out revealing the whole truth of what happened to Claire’s child and why she became estranged from her husband (Ken Kirby). With a dreary color palette and equally dreary mood, it becomes an immersive voyage through depression as Claire’s emotions consistently land her in trouble at work, her emotional walls widen the divide in her marriage, and restless spirits inundate her at night.
Michelle Krusiec as Claire Yang – They Live in the Grey – Photo Credit: Shudder
The Vang brothers capture the hallmarks of depression; Claire’s general apathy, guilt, hopelessness, and pervasive grief have a death grip on the narrative. So much so that it chokes out the central case involving battered girl Sophie (Don’t Breathe 2’s Madelyn Grace), frazzled mom Audrey (Ellen Wroe), and a workaholic dad (J.R. Cacia). It gives enough to set up the supernatural activity plaguing the home, sparking Claire to action as she seeks to clear the parents’ name of abuse and protect Sophie. Once established, though, Sophie gets put on the backburner in favor of Claire’s suffocating anguish.
Without much in the way of scares, save for a few telegraphed ghost attacks, They Live in the Grey doesn’t offer a reprieve from the depressive tone. There’s no levity or escape from Claire’s suffering. Claire’s guilt is all-consuming, and the sole spark of life comes from Kirby as the desperate husband attempting to reconnect and revive his marriage. Krusiec nails every bit of the emotional anguish, but her character arc reads more like a straight line.
– They Live in the Grey – Photo Credit: Shudder
There’s also not much meat on this barebones story. While it is effectively tragic, the pacing sags as it spends long stretches in quiet solitude with Claire’s grief. It’s given so much prominence that the supernatural elements feel superfluous and underdeveloped. So much so that the climax rushes into its reveals and renders its impact inert, even as it ramps up the energy and horror. It doesn’t help that we never get a full scope of anything beyond Claire’s depression; nothing is as complex as Claire’s emotional state. Not Sophie’s family, not Claire’s job and disappointed boss, and certainly not the ghosts.
The title reads like an intriguing horror movie but ultimately serves as a grief metaphor, a perfect summation of the film. The supernatural causes and drives Claire forward, but it still pales in comparison to her unrelenting depressive state. Krusiec and Kirby manage to provide rooting interest with their characters’ relationship, but beyond that, the film’s a listless, often indifferent drift through melancholy.
They Live in the Grey premieres on Shudder on February 17, 2022.
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