The Sight

THE SIGHT is a TV movie wherein former '80s teen heart throb Andrew McCarthy helps track down a serial killer by using a newly developed gift of second sight and the help of some friendly spirits. McCarthy, a decent and likable actor, here portrays an American architect on assignment in London who can't believe his own eyes as the dead begin to contact him for help. This amiable knockoff of THE DEAD ZONE and THE SIXTH SENSE has some very clever visuals and terrific set design, courtesy of director Paul Anderson of "Resident Evil" notoriety. A satisfyingly violent climax makes up for the general flatness of this British/American TV pilot for a series that evidently never was. Anderson employs lots of well-done CGI to create a nightmarish mood rare for a TV movie. Two moments worthy of special note: McCarthy sitting in a playground full of kiddie ghosts and later surrounded by his spirit friends after a church service and funeral. A word of warning: The TV broadcast ending is different than the DVD ending. Ignore the DVD ending; it makes absolutely no sense.

A movie made for TV that was clearly meant to be a pilot for an on-going series. But as it often goes with made-for-TV pilots, the series never happened. A shame, really, as 'The Sight' shows good potential and the film is well-executed on all levels. 'The Sight' offers a bit of a strange mixture of mystery, thriller, horror & a touch of comedy. But somehow it works quite well. Pretty stylish too. Maybe nothing too special in general and it feels a bit too artificial at times. But as it hints at, a TV-series could have taken an interesting route with the material offered. The protagonist is a guy who inherits the ability to communicate with ghosts. Him and the ghosts end up working together to identify (and possibly defeat?) a serial killer. Just seek out a copy and watch the rest for yourself. Director at the helm of this project is Paul W.S. Anderson, who has a nice track record when it comes to science fiction & horror movies. On his filmography you'll find some quality genre entertainment like 'Event Horizon', 'Soldier' and some of the 'Resident Evil' films. 'The Sight' makes up for a nice addition and somewhat of a different kind of movie than what we're used to coming from Mr. Anderson.

The American successful architect Michael Lewis (Andrew McCarthy) travels to London with his partner and friend, the builder Jake (Kevin Tighe), to refurbish an old hotel. Michael is having successive nightmares, and once in London, he realizes that twenty-one spirits are trying to contact him to solve murders of a serial killer. Michael, with the support of Jake, Detective Pryce (Amanda Redman) and the ghosts, try to avoid the ninth crime and find the serial-killer.

I saw "The Sight" on video, and it seems to be a pilot of a series, since the story has a "hook" for a sequel. If this film is a pilot, I would like to know where I can find the series. The story is a kind of supernatural mystery movie in the same line of "Haunted", "The Others", "The Sixth Sense" and "El Espinazo del Diablo", and I really liked it. There are some flaws in the screenplay, like for example when Michael pays a visit to the lawyer in the burned building with his friend Jake, or why the ghosts do not simply tell him who the killer is, but anyway it is an enjoyable entertainment, working perfectly on video or DVD and being a promising TV series. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Visões" ("Visions")

Note: On 16 November 2022, I saw this film Again.

"The Sight" turned out to be a delight! It was a suspense movie about a serial killer...with a supernatural twist. The protagonist helps find the killer by utilizing his "sight", given to him by a dying woman. He has the ability to communicate with the dead. What better way to find out who the killer is than to talk to his victims?

This movie was entertaining throughout the entire duration (which was only 90 minutes). The acting was superb, the entire movie was fast-paced, and the plot played with my mind and kept me at the edge of my seat. The last fifteen minutes left me saying "holy sh!t" , while the clever comic relief left me giggling.

One of the best surprise endings I've seen, aside from "The Sixth Sense" and "The Others".

I am extremely picky about the types of movies I enjoy...and this one was great. Don't let the fact that it was made for TV scare you off...it's better than most Hollywood blockbusters.

Although billed as a 'TV movie' this screams out that it was a pilot for a tv series. There are some reasonable 'make you jump' moments and some creepiness, but this is a supernatural drama rather than a horror show or even tense thriller. Whilst the plot 'twists' in the main story were obviously signposted, the final references to a whole new layer of plot showed promise. Shame that it doesn't seem to have been picked up as a series for that to be delved in to - with luck, there will be at least a second 'movie' to wrap up that 'ghosts of the ghosts', matrix type of thing that they seemed to be heading for...