The Viewing (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

When Sam (Patsy Ferran) arrives at The Viewing of a house, her day begins to spiral out of control. The trauma of her past comes back to haunt her, and nothing is truly as it seems. This supernatural horror takes viewers on a ride through traumas that may stir up some of their own internal conflict.

The Viewing is something of a convoluted venture through the occult, the mystical, and the emotional. While everything ultimately ties together, it’s an interesting ride for sure. Ferran alone possesses the ability to present ideas of trauma, uncertainty, and suspense to the audience. Her ability to manipulate her facial expressions, not to mention her unique look, presents viewers with an unfamiliar look into the world of mental health, trauma, and the like. I digress, however, as it’s important to note that The Viewing extends far beyond just what Ferran is able to produce, and explores dark caverns of the human psyche–though I’m not entirely sure that this aspect of the film is ever fully fleshed out. 

It’s been brought to my attention that I often discuss the accessibility and immersiveness of the films that I watch, and while I often try not to be too repetitive in my writing–I’ve recently found this to be one of the most important aspects of filmmaking (and even more so, the viewing experience). The Viewing, even with the struggles regarding its convolution, does manage to develop an immersive sense that extends throughout the majority of the film. Once Sam enters the house in question, the tone of the film begins to shift, becoming darker and more accessible. Though it’s the physical confines of the house that immerse viewers in the story of The Viewing. 

The set design throughout the course of this film is stunning, and, in many ways, the most important aspect of the film. The medieval, gothic-style architecture creates an intensity that transcends the entirety of the film. It allows The Viewing to develop something akin to claustrophobia, almost as if it slowly closed in on the audience throughout. Additionally, the set design plays into the connection to the otherworldly, as the visuals have similarities to the occult and the like. The Viewing relies heavily on darkness to express the tone, invite viewers into the film, and ultimately find the film success. Had a more modern setting been the location in which the film was shot, what luster is created in the supernatural aspects of the film would have been lost–so, while filming in a location such as the aforementioned gothic-style house seems obvious, it’s possibly the most important decision that Director Nick Blake and his team made when developing The Viewing. 

The Viewing is relatively succinct in its runtime, clocking in at under twenty minutes. Within those twenty minutes, however, something of a complete narrative comes to be, even if some aspects of Sam’s past are left up to the imagination (and a bit more convoluted than they should have been). While The Viewing does a pretty effective job of touching on the ideas of past trauma and the role it plays in developing who and what we are, and the physical and figurative darkness that exists as a result of the set design–I ultimately keep coming back to the fact that The Viewing is convoluted. There are so many things that I appreciate about this film, and yet I somehow can’t get over its one shortcoming. The Viewing is enjoyable, with so much to dissect and appreciate–and I’m ultimately going to leave it at that. 

Directed by Nick Blake. 

Written by Ben Pester. 

Starring Patsy Ferran & Leo Bill. 

6.5/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE