Australian Sci-fi Horror Film Dead Eyes (SXSW) Plays Around with First Person Premise

Title: Dead Eyes

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Richard E. Williams

Writer: Richard E. Williams

Runtime: 81 Minutes

Starring: Rijen Laine, Mischa Haywood, Ana Thu Nguyen

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2026.

In the pursuit of progress, scientists have toed the line for centuries, well-aware of the potential abuses that can arise from their experiments. Unfortunately, not all science is borne from good. The horrors borne from Joseph Mengele in Germany, Unit 731 in Japan, the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment in the United States, and countless other examples demonstrate a need for ethics in science. Even in 2026, and in “enlightened” countries, it’s hard to say that abuses like this don’t exist.

Still haunted by the death of his sister, Lilly (Mischa Haywood), Sean (Rijen Laine) uses a camping trip set up by his friend Eric (Charles Cottier) as an excuse to search for his missing father, Paul (Stephen Phillips). Joined by his overly determined girlfriend Grace (Ana Thu Nguyen) and Eric’s girlfriend Kate (Alea O’Shea), the group wanders around before stumbling upon a seemingly abandoned shack. They soon learn that Paul never got over Lilly’s death.

Bursting with creativity and viscera, Dead Eyes is stripped-down action horror that crafts a familiar yet energetic story.

While not necessarily found footage, the entirely first-person vantage point of Dead Eyes owes its gimmick to the sub-genre, along with first person shooting and similar horror games. Placing viewers firmly in the shoes of Sean, the horror of Dead Eyes threatens to leap out at any moment, making it a particularly dangerous viewing. Since there’s no in-universe camera to account for, typical trappings of the sub-genre can be ignored: its present yet minimalistic score, the eschewing of a relatively grounded narrative for something more dreamlike, and, most importantly, Dead Eyes’s interiority of its narrator.

Allowing the audience access to Sean’s point of view makes it so the trickier elements work and also lets Dead Eyes flex its creativity. Take the common horror trope where a character overhears strange noises. What looks hokey from a staged camera angle becomes absolutely nerve-shredding when the audience is placed squarely in the middle of the action. And it works even better than a found footage film typically does. Because Dead Eyes isn’t confined to the structure that found footage is usually associated with it’s able to make even more connection with the audience and let them see exactly what Sean sees, not the camera itself.

A technical marvel in many aspects, it’s easy to be heartened by the labor that goes into making Dead Eyes so memorable. With many sequences filmed in long takes, the body horror of the clones and their vicious sensibilities become more impressive. Utilizing mostly practical special effects, Dead Eyes charms with this back-to-basics approach to horror. Precise timing and a willingness to persist aids in the quest of creating some truly horrifying scenes.

While the efforts behind the camera are appreciated for the sheer innovation, its story doesn’t reach the same heights. Subject to the dumbest friends one can have, much of Sean’s story plays out due to his tendency to cave to peer pressure and his indignation at how his father shaped his childhood and life afterwards. Sean’s angst for his father is often misdirected at Grace while Eric’s manipulation of Sean’s passive nature makes the situation even more dire. Unfortunately, Sean’s familial relationships remain underdeveloped and are propped up by last minute revelations that, while fitting, feel hollow without more substance.

Thick with atmosphere, Dead Eyes transforms the Australian bush into something to be feared for more than its fauna. Creeping fog, disembodied whispers, and shroom-tinged hallucinations combine to lay the foundation for good scares. Despite its first-person framing, Dead Eyes rarely relies on tired jump scares. Instead, the horror arises from Eric’s desperate attempts to save his friends and escape unscathed. Clever editing and blocking allow for Dead Eyes to catch the audience by surprise, especially when danger lurks behind every tree branch and hole in the ground.

The novelty doesn’t fully make up for its lacking narrative, but Dead Eyes is a thoroughly competent and engaging horror debut that it’s easy to forgive. Painting its simple story with gallons of fake blood and monstrous clone makeup, the Aussie sci-fi horror does great work to keep its action grounded and adrenaline-inducing. Clever cinematography, haunting visuals, and a sick sense of humor make Dead Eyes a solid watch. 

Overall Score? 7/10