Experience the Full Range of the Human (SOHOME) Experience in this Bright Indie Horror

Title: Human

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Matt Stuertz

Writer: Matt Stuertz

Runtime: 107 Minutes

Starring: Jeffrey Decker, Cecily Dowd, Jackie Kelly

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Sohome Film Festival in 2025.

What does it mean to be human? It’s impossible to live every kind of life that exists, so how does one create consensus on the most fundamental experiences of the human condition?

After a long day, all Dani (Jackie Kelly) wants to do is relax and maybe have sex with her ex-boyfriend Aaron (Jeffrey Decker) or do Molly with her best friend Christina (Cecily Dowd) when she is interrupted by a mysterious knocking at the door of her movie set apartment. What Dani doesn’t know is that the mysterious banging noises will only be the start of the worst night of her life. Even her insufferable boss, studio head Jacky Verde (Brock Russell) who, thanks to some ulterior motives, allows Dani to stay in one of his empty studios, manages to muddy the water. With each attempt at escape dashed and the psychological toll of her torment mounting, Dani must find a way to outsmart her powerful stalker.

Human takes a simple yet effective setup and turns it into a psychological horror comedy from hell.

A slow start turns into something special, as the psychological horror of Human transforms over time. Choosing to start a nearly two-hour horror film with an extended text message conversation, Human establishes itself as something different early on. As Dani’s torment stretches across the hours, the assault she endures spans the full barrage of human emotion throughout her ordeal. Challenging her resolve, strength, and sanity, Human posits that joy persists even in the face of confusion and fear. It also glides through various sub-genres of horror: survival horror, body horror, psychological horror, and cosmic horror influences beat through the heart of Human. The maximalist approach pays off as it’s difficult to tell exactly what Human will do next while putting Dani through her paces.

Interesting characters, and a particularly fun protagonist, make Human livelier when it does drag. Dani is a flawed but very relatable main character. Driven by understandable low-stakes desires like substances, social media, and her messy situationship, Dani reacts to her situation with a realistic mix of terror and capability. Throughout Human Dani is forced to make decisions for her life and regroup after each obstacle mires her escape attempts. It’s in her failures that we not only gain more insight into who she is but also how truly impossible her situation is. Conversely, the stalker elicits more curiosity as his unique motivations become clearer while Dani suffers through each tribulation. To say more would spoil the fun of Human.

Indulgent pacing and a tendency to repeat itself becomes the largest obstacle to overcome for Human. Dani’s journey is uneven thanks to the stranger’s desire to prolong the ordeal. Repetitive sequences and lingering moments regularly kill the tension it builds only to restart after each lull. If these moments offered more than just prolonged moments of Dani’s psychological vulnerability it would be easier to forgive but it doesn’t. Still, Human manages to unsettle and provoke even if it overstays the welcome.

While there is plenty to celebrate in Human, nothing is more impressive than the meticulous attention to detail paid to the stylistic elements that make it pop. Bold choices make Human a compelling watch even when its message gets muddled in the aesthetics. Strong practical effects, striking imagery, and unusual editing choices help make Human stand out. Much like the complexity of the human experience, Human takes as many chances as possible to demonstrate its earnestness in approaching horror and our species’ condition. Difficult to categorize, Human works because of its commitment to audacity. 

A bombastic, single-location carnival ride of viscera, hallucinations, and drugs, Human covers the full gamut of the human experience. Phantasmagorical and gooey as hell, Human has plenty of fun with its electrifying premise. It’s messy, especially in terms of performance and pacing, but there is plenty of heart in Human that makes it special. A testament to what makes indie movies so important, Human is an exhilarating contained-location horror film that packs a powerful punch.

Overall Score? 7/10