"LISTEN CAREFULLY" (2024) Takes You On A Hectic Joyride Through The Mind (REVIEW)

It’s safe to say that every parent’s worst nightmare is their child being kidnapped, especially from the vicinity of their own home. Director Ryan Barton-Grimley explores this terrifying thought in his latest film “Listen Carefully,” while also starring in it alongside his wife Simone Barton-Grimley. A special thanks to Justin Cook PR for providing us with an early screening of this new psychological horror/thriller.

Andy (Ryan Barton-Grimley) is a nerdy assistant bank manager with an underlying secret agenda... He is set with the task of watching his daughter, Abby, for the night while his wife goes out with her friends. With their handy new baby monitors, what could go wrong? As the night grows later, Andy continuously checks on Abby as her cries are echoed over the monitor. Exhausted from the stresses of his job, he falls asleep on the couch downstairs.

Awoken again by Abby’s wailing, he rushes upstairs to find her missing from her crib and the window open. Panic sets in, when all of a sudden a voice is heard coming over the baby monitor, and it’s not coming from Abby. This unknown person is demanding $250,000 from Andy if he ever wants to see his daughter again.

Right out of the gates we’re presented with a nightmare-like scenario to set the tone for the film, an outstanding ambient score, and a really neat digitalized title card. You can sense the anticipation building once Abby is kidnapped. Andy has continuous “flashbacks” of him being covered in blood with a hammer in his hand and surrounded by people wearing a black hoodie and a creepy crying baby rubber mask.

Although, something seems off about these images that he keeps seeing, are they real? It’s revealed by the kidnapper that they know Andy can get the money since he’s been laundering thousands of dollars from his job with different credit cards at ATM’s. The guilt is seemingly eating away at him as he believes this may be all his fault.

The kidnapper sends Andy to dozens of ATM’s so that he can retrieve the money in increments, and drop it at a secure location. This part of the film was especially interesting because it dives into that anxiety-ridden feeling of Andy going to ATM after ATM in hopes of rescuing his daughter. It was a different approach that Barton-Grimley took essentially using a baby monitor as the film’s antagonist, and it absolutely worked. Throughout the 82-minute run-time, you’re genuinely going back and forth trying to figure out who it could be.

With a smaller cast, it was easy to keep up with each character which made the plot flow smoothly. The consistent phone calls from Andy’s wife Allie (Simone Barton-Grimley) to check in on Abby and the sporadic calls from his business partner Frank give us a little more substance to what is essentially a one-man film. A key turning point is when we meet the suspicious police officer played by Ari Schneider, who also happens to voice the kidnapper. You could tell immediately that there was something off from his dark humor and nonchalant demeanor. Could this whole situation be another one of Andy’s hallucinations?

At times, it felt as if it was difficult to decipher what was reality and what were Andy’s nightmarish flashbacks. To be honest, that didn’t bother us and made it more enticing to watch. Being in a constant dream-like state is an interesting concept nonetheless for film and a favorite of ours, but the direction Listen Carefully took with the added horror/thriller aspect made it stand out.

With a shorter run-time, it didn’t feel as if the film was rushed or left any questions unanswered. Although, it did leave us with a sense of mystery that could lead us to interpret our own ending; which is rewarding in the sense of exploring your own creativity and the directors. Did any of the nightmares that Andy was having actually happen, or was it just his subconscious trying to convince him to confess his fraudulent actions?

A wonderful blend of thrills and dark comedy shrouded in psychological horror. A fresh take on the genre with an ending that left us feeling satisfied. We would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys simple horror with a mysterious twist. “Listen Carefully” is now available for digital VOD streaming globally; with platforms such as Apple TV, Prime Video, and TUBI.

Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.