Don’t Let Them Out: A New Psychological Desert Horror-Thriller to Ignite Your Anxiety
What would you put yourself through in a moment of pure desperation? That’s what director Lila McLaughlin asks in Don’t Let Them Out.
The horror/thriller film stars Bonnie Root as Rachel, a struggling and grieving woman who deals with her mother’s death and the abandoned property she has now inherited. Rachel wants to rid herself of the property and move on to digging herself out of her own despair, debts, and loneliness, but before letting go of the family house, she uncovers a seemingly easy solution to all her problems in the way of a $250,000 scavenger hunt created by her late grandfather. It is at this time that strange and unexplainable things start happening on the property. This film takes you on a journey, having you ask the question: is Rachel actually being haunted or is this just the illusions of a bereaved mind?
What I really enjoyed from Don’t Let Them Out was the social commentary it played with. McLaughlin tapped into her own experiences, and those of many other women in today’s society, who feel at their wits end.
“We kind of feel like we’re in our own horror movie – with everything that’s going on,” says McLaughlin.
Being overwhelmed, burnt out, no direction as to where or what to do next is not new. Dealing with death and grief and the aftermath of what is left is not new either. But our director chose to personify that devastation by choosing to have Rachel in complete isolation in the middle of nowhere in a place that is practically unsellable with all bridges burned due to her life before this moment. There is no escape from the reality of where she is, so to see how she reacts when faced with the possibility of a gold mine even in the presence of unsettling and malignant circumstances is even more prevalent of the desperation she has. And as much as I may scream at her from the coziness of my theater seat to not open that door or turn back before it's too late, when you have nothing to lose then nothing can hurt you.
Another element I really enjoyed about the film was its backstory and how McLaughlin personified it through the property itself. We dive into Rachel’s family history and generational trauma that has been undeniably passed on to her. The property saw so much darkness at the hands of the family through their circus. The home holds on to those memories like echoes, and it is now Rachel, who is completely alone and hopeless, literally digging for some semblance of hope but only digging up remains of the same atrocities she may unknowingly feel.
In speaking to Root, she shed some light onto her approach in playing Rachel and mentioned how “relatable” she and this situation are.
“It’s not just gore – or running from a ghost – she’s running from real ghosts – the ghosts of her own past, mistakes, and family.” And in doing that she becomes in denial about the real threats that may be in front of her. She pretends like the animal noises she hears, that surely should not be heard in the desert, aren’t there. The random notes popping up on property are some sort of joke. At every turn, she doesn’t take any alarming moments seriously which only plays into the suspense growing.
Don’t Let Them Out is a completely women-led film having been written, directed, and produced by McLaughlin and starring Root who carries the tone and emotion throughout the whole film. I had the pleasure of speaking to McLaughlin who told me there were a couple of inspirations for the film, one of which being the fact that the property they shot on is owned by her in-laws. It’s creepy. It very well might be haunted, to the point that even some of the flickering lights you see in the film were caught by accident. She used her own encounters with the unexplainable and channeled it into this film adding a little bit of everything that she has feared. Another inspiration for this film was one of her big fears, that being the circus. She recalls how as a child going to the circus and the “smell of death” emoting from the grounds. So, as any great writer does, she used it.
Watching Don’t Let Them Out is an experience of unsettling fear. Tapping into that feeling that something is always around the corner and triggers anxiety at a moment’s notice. The tropes of horror we know that you are safe in the daylight are not true in this case. You are just as safe as Rachel. Mclaughlin utilized her whole arsenal and connected talents from all departments to make this film, from her comedic writing background, casting Root to portray such a strong lead who can show that depth we need, calling on Louis Ferreira for comedic relief in an all around serious film, showcasing the unbelievable talents of editor, Eric Strand (Donnie Darko), highlighting Alec Puro’s gift of composing to create a haunting environment amongst so many other talents. It’s no surprise it’s a three time Best Feature award winner. This film is so much more than just another indie horror. The fact that it’s made its way to a theatrical release is inspiring and it is so well-deserved. It will take you on a journey of unparalleled fear that will leave you with questions and have you talking about it for days.
You can watch Don’t Let Them Out for its theatrical release and stay for a live Q&A with the Writer-Director & Lead Actress after showings these days, with more cities to be announced:
8/14-8/20 - Los Angeles, CA
8/21 - Austin, TX
8/28 - San Diego, CA
8/31 - Long Beach, CA
9/10 - San Francisco, CA
9/12 - Portland, OR
9/19 - Bernardsville, NJ
Visit https://beacons.ai/dltofilm to purchase tickets.
