Review: ‘The People in the Walls’ fails to break through

When you think about defining gateway horror, you’re likely to point to Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark as benchmarks in the genre. These TV series set an incredibly high bar for what horror could look like for younger audiences. In the last few decades, their influence still reverberates throughout the industry and has influenced a great many horror flicks. When it comes to Michael Crum’s The People in the Walls, the filmmaker draws upon these two trendsetting series as the film’s biggest influences. Along with Gerald Crum, who penned the script, Michael aims to fit comfortably within the gateway horror landscape – but fails to break through the plaster.

After Rachel (McKenna Smith) sees a viral craze of inviting people within the walls out into the open, she tries it out on her own. Initially, the shadow monsters fail to seep out of the corners and cracks. Exasperated, she tries for another day. Rachel quickly becomes obsessed with the unknown people and later bonds with Nancy (Natalia Santacoloma) over her new-found infatuation. They then plot to try again inside Rachel’s house, which they deck out with sheets and various other traps to catch one of the monsters.

What starts with great promise gets derailed by a choppy script, which (due to budgetary reasons) was consolidated into a smaller story. Unfortunately, that shines through to the film’s detriment. Instead of lending itself to a gripping low-scale narrative, it ultimately results in an undercooked presentation. While there are glimmers of chemistry between Smith and Santacoloma, the acting is tragically lackluster and causes the film to lose steam mid-way through.

But when the film does work, it hits a home run. From cinematography to direction, Michael does wonderful work – showing that he’s a master behind the camera. Lighting is cool and crisp, oscillating between colors as the scenes require. He dabbles in shadows, too, playing on one’s vivid imagination to fill in the gaps when the monsters aren’t onscreen. The style, tone, and aesthetic are present with brilliant bursts but make the sour spots stick out like a sore thumb.

In the end, The People in the Walls lacks real depth and purpose, treading water and barely staying afloat. Not to be confused with Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, the film mishandles the material and doesn’t know what to do with itself. Michael and Gerald clearly possess an understanding of the genre, but a lukewarm script and acting spell disaster for what could have been among the year’s best releases.

The People in the Walls is out now on VOD.

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