This dark horror debut on Shudder is so chilling you won’t believe your eyes

The big picture

• Damian McCarthy’s Caveat creates unbearable tension through devices that create sudden scares, mastering the art of creating suspense from multiple angles and across different media.
• The menacing eyes in
  Warning
  from portraits to dolls, they symbolize a malevolent presence that haunts and guides the characters.
• French and Skyes’ minimalist performances evoke terror with their restricted body language and intense eye movements that create tension in the claustrophobic environment.

Damian McCarthythe latest version of, Weirdness (with a coveted 97% on Rotten Tomatoes), demonstrates his patience as a director, as restraint and precision flourish his work, opting for unbearable tension rather than relying on jump scare gimmicks. This discipline began in his directorial debut, Warningthat unfolds with immeasurable waves of claustrophobia that tighten our nerves, rolling into an absolutely insane final act. McCarthy masters the art of curating tension in Warningallowing it to blossom from multiple angles and through multiple media. The set closes in around us; the soundtrack regulates our heartbeats; and the unblinking eyes observe every tiny reaction. Reduced and sharp in its cinematography, Warning It demands our attention with every reverberating beat of its duration, freezing us in place with shaking limbs and absolute terror.

What is “Caveat” about?

Warning follows the lonely wanderer, Isaac (Jonathan French), as he amicably accepts a five-day babysitting role for his friend, only to find out that there are some very clear conditions. First, the job must take place on a small island accessible only by boat. Second, his friend’s niece, Olga (Leila Skye), is insanely paranoid and would only feel comfortable if the babysitter was locked in a handcuffed leather vest that limited her movements. Most of the film, aside from a few flashbacks, is set in the single location of the isolated house and McCarthy uses his small budget to ensure the place is the stuff of nightmares. Peeling wallpaper, maze-like hallways and creaking doors make the dingy, dimly lit house feel like it’s on the verge of collapse.This decrepit set design establishes baseline levels of claustrophobia that only wait to escalate as the film progresses.

Even the house itself becomes a malevolent presence, oozing with evil intentions and a sordid history. After Isaac accepts the job, as compassion for the catatonic Olga overcomes his instincts, he explores the depths of the dark corridors and eventually finds his way to the basement he is forbidden to enter. As he discovers the secret passages nestled within the walls of the crumbling house, It’s almost as if the house is pushing him to discover more of its hidden depths. The set becomes a direct reflection of the family that once occupied it, broken and elusive. Both also hide a story that sends shivers down our spines, but it is a story that is desperately waiting to be told and, therefore, is thrilled by Isaac’s presence and candor.

‘Caveat’ uses the eyes to create a sense of evil

The first night, Isaac tosses and turns in bed, unable to find respite from the two white eyes piercing him from a mostly black portrait on the wall. The woman in the portrait has porcelain skin, sharp lines, and arched eyebrows, conveying a questioning or even accusatory look. At one point, her features subtly change, emphasizing her eyes, which widen further and demand our attention like a highlight on the dark canvas. The eyes quickly become a recurring motif in Warningas they also become a prominent feature and source of terror when Isaac discovers the cold secret hidden in the basement. Like the house, the eyes also seem to encourage (well, threaten) Isaac to continue his curious expedition to reveal the family’s history. They symbolize the ability to see the truth, all the while menacingly watching his every move and increasing the spine-chilling crowding of inescapable claustrophobia.

This image is also seen in the rabbit doll with disturbingly human-like eyes, which becomes one of the film’s most memorable icons. McCarthy is clearly drawn to the concept of an almost sentient yet terrifying object, as he also includes the wooden man in Weirdness. However, the The bunny doll also acts more like an omniscient spiritual guardian for the characters in Warning as he beats his drums to indicate the presence of evil. As it takes on the role of harbinger of the spirit that may embody this house, the eyes not only encourage Isaac’s investigation, but also become the antithesis of the evil eye, where the eyes do not cause evil, but warn others of its presence. This is accentuated by the opening scene where Olga uses the creepy doll as a divining rod. As such, Olga’s “see no evil” pose when she is in one of her catatonic slumbers highlights how the family has circumvented the bleak and obvious darkness of the house.

‘Caveat’ creates tension with minimalist performances

The eyes do not only have a symbolic meaning in Warning but are also a key aspect of both French and Skyes’ performances. Both actors keep their body language limited and hard to discern. It’s as if they’re mimicking the hideous, claustrophobic leather vest, completely rigid and fearless in their positions. Instead, any panic, fear or paranoia they feel is usually conveyed by their eyes. “The eyes are the window to the soul” takes on a whole new meaning in Warningas their eye movements become the only window to understanding their emotions. With their performances limited to changing their eye sockets, the rest of their facial expressions are usually impassive. coupled with minimal dialogue. They only speak to each other when absolutely necessary, preferring each other’s company as inherently solitary characters. Both Olga and Isaac are revealed to have essentially no meaningful relationships, leaving Isaac in a precarious position and Olga in a more powerful one.

These limitations make the air around these two compelling characters more stoic and unnerving, further increasing the tension that continues to surround us. Even when faced with absolute terror in the finale, Isaac’s eyes become the most compelling part of his performance. This is one of the rare times he lets fear invade his facial expressions, yet we are subconsciously drawn to the enlarged eyes after being exposed to the motif so extensively throughout. His More chaotic and prevalent eye movements during this period also symbolize his escape from amnesia that plagued him before. He had forgotten that he had been in this house before to aid Olga’s uncle’s nefarious plans. Told through a series of confusing flashbacks, the truth finally dawns on him in this casual ending, causing his eyes to open wide and the truth to seep in. Horrifyingly, the universal “fear of the unknown” turns into something more disastrous here, as he discovers his complicity in past crimes, and horror overtakes him.

You won’t find the conclusion at the end of “Caveat”

However, the truths are only partially revealed in Warningas we are privy to gruesome details of the family history, but never the whole story. The flashback montage reveals only half of Isaac’s story, but the history rooted in the house is never fully revealed. Hints of potential ghosts or madness could explain the chilling events, but each theory turns into a series of questions and gaps that we never really get closure on. In this way, we are explicitly put in Isaac’s shoes, seeing only his point of view as he finally takes a breath of fresh air at the end of the film, but is left with an unsettling uncertainty that undermines his newfound freedom. The ambiguity coagulates more terror and unease, allowing the dark mood to suffocate us throughout the film. We are never entirely sure what is happening and are only exposed to the details that will provoke the most anxiety, even in the seemingly liberating ending.

McCarthy cares more about the trembling tension we feel than the genre’s cheap thrills, giving us a piece that is certain in its uncertainty and bold in its hesitation. He knows that simple ambiguity will unsettle us, leaving us with a gaping hole that will haunt us as we try to make sense of the jagged fragments of truth we salvage from this incomplete story. Warning It is based on slow combustioneven when its whimsical ending offers us a somewhat cathartic release that doesn’t necessarily offer us complete closure. While we are granted a momentary respite with fresh air when Isaac leaves the house, we are left restless and hungry for truth, even if we know it can never be fully realized.

Warning is available to stream now on Shudder in the US

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