This Underseen 2020 British Horror Weaves the Terror of Agoraphobia Into an Urban Legend Story

The Blair Witch Project didn’t just usher in an age of horror mockumentaries and found-footage movies; it also created a brand-new horror mythology that still makes us afraid of the woods (and people standing in corners) to this day. While the found-footage format is also still popular, many movies fall back on traditional horror creatures or even just people: Cloverfieldhas alien beasts, REC has their version of zombies, and Creephas…well, a dude who’s a murderous creep. One recent overlooked found-footage movie, They’re Outside, is a nice throwback to the originality of The Blair Witch Project but with a modern spin on the genre: it’s technically a mockumentary that features separate found footage from Max, a YouTube personality played by Tom Wheatley. Max is the subject of the in-universe documentary, but Max’s own subject is a woman with agoraphobia. The movie offers a supernatural entity as a possible explanation for her affliction, and although the movie is a slow burn, the folklore it creates for that entity is as creepy as the Blair Witch herself.

A Woman’s Agoraphobia Might Have a Sinister Source in ‘They’re Outside’

A word of caution: They’re Outside begins with a video of a woman about to self-harm herself. It cuts away just before anything happens, but it may still be upsetting to certain viewers. After the cut, a very convincing intro to an in-universe documentary begins, complete with a proper English host, detailing the disappearance of YouTuber Max. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill true-crime doc, though; the host explains that Max’s disappearance, and that of a woman named Sarah (Chrissy Randall), has ties to the local legend of “Green Eyes.” Like any good mythological being, Green Eyes was a social outcast unjustly put to death for the disappearance of a child in the 19th century. The legend says that the spirit of Green Eyes vengefully lures locals into his “Endless Woods” where they’ll be lost forever and presumably killed. The documentary segues into the last known footage shot by Max, occasionally intercutting it with interviews with his friends and family to comment on the footage’s bizarre nature.

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Interestingly, Max’s YouTube channel doesn’t have anything to do with the paranormal; he runs a pop-psychology series where he tries to help those with mental health disorders. But his current (and seemingly last) guest eventually reveals to him the legend of Green Eyes and her belief that Green Eyes had abducted her daughter years earlier. Her agoraphobia stems from the fear that Green Eyes will also “get” her if she steps outside of her house, which she hasn’t done in five years. Max vacillates between thinking Green Eyes is a deeper part of Sarah’s psychosis and accusing her of setting him up for internet clout. The latter theory is certainly plausible, but it also makes it very easy for Max to ignore the phantom knocking at the door, objects falling over with no one else in the room, and the eerie feeling that Sarah — or someone else — knows more about his past than they should.

‘They’re Outside’ Creates Its Own Original and Terrifying Mythology

Treating psychological disorders as the result of the supernatural or paranormal can feel problematic sometimes. It downplays the reality of these issues and can further stigmatize people who live with them. Thankfully, They’re Outside doesn’t come off as dismissive towards agoraphobia as a real disorder, outside of Max’s abrasive attitude, which is rightly called out more than once by others. Writer/director Airell Anthony Hayleswanted to create a new folk-horror icon and explore agoraphobia, inspired by a family member with the disorder, at the same time. The source of Sarah’s fear may or may not be supernatural (you’ll have to find out for yourself), but Sarah’s display of that fear feels realistic rather than exaggerated, at least from this layperson’s perspective.

Hayles also took inspiration from films like Ghostwatch; he wanted to create a supernatural movie that felt real, and his efforts paid off. Green Eyes feels like a classic piece of English folklore, but it’s entirely made-up for the film. He has a calling card (the phantom knocks), a violent origin story, and a specific method of catching and tormenting his victims, always in the same pattern: first the knocking, then entering the woods and being unable to find your way out, and eventually stumbling upon the “Green house” where Green Eyes is said to live, before vanishing forever. The evocation of the pagan folklore of the Green Man, the English country setting, and the pervasiveness of the legend among the characters all help lend credibility to this new mythology that Hayles has created.

They’re Outside keeps things relatively tame but still tense right up until the climax, since you’re never quite sure if Green Eyes exists or if Sarah is lying or delusional. Right at the end, however, the creepiness shoots to new heights and the fates of Max and Sarah are likely not what you expect. So for those hesitant about such a slow-burn horror, your patience will pay off if you stick with it – and maybe ignore any knocks on your front door.