“She’s here, she’s always been here.”

Alfred Hitchcock turned movie storytelling on its head with Psycho. Steven Spielberg invented modern filmmaking with Jurassic Park. John Williams put tunes into our heads that may never leave human culture with Star Wars. And now -- with the February 11th, 2022 release of Here Before -- writer/director, Stacey Gregg, is here to put her mark on the industry as well.

In a similar way to 2014’s John Wick, Here Before is the rare example of film distilled down only to its most essential [most perfect] parts. Tense, weird, smart, and unsettling, Here is the first movie to make me genuinely uncomfortable since watching The Ring as a child back in 2004. At only 85 minutes in runtime, a stellar performance from the brilliant Andrea Riseborough, the absolute expert use of score by Adam Jantoa Bzowski, and the uncomfortable, intentional, and virtuosic cinematography of Chloë Thomson; every element of Here Before is masterfully and lovingly created.

Many times, directorial debuts have to be looked at with that lens in mind. “As a movie against other movies this was decent, but as a new filmmaker this was impressive,” kind of thing. The caveat review; the “but” rating. That rating represents my 8.5 above. However, in a vacuum of viewing this film as a debut filmmaker's attempt at a major motion picture… Here Before is an easy 10/10.

The prowess Stacey Gregg has shown with her breakout of Here Before puts her in line with other horror greats of decades past and adds herself to the top of my “must watch” up and comings. Along with Remi Weekes of His House, Brandon Cronenberg of Possessor, and Prano Bailey-Bond of Censor, Gregg has shown a masterful ability to create something new and profound out of a tired genre that is mostly passed off as jump-scare drivel… but manages to outdo them all in terms of total prowess, vision, and future potential. Stacey Gregg could be the next Hitchcock, Cameron, or Carpenter when it comes to horror; and certainly has the chops to write something of similar weight outside what seems to be her preferred genre as well.

Seek this film out and get ready to watch a genre remade with the unnerving and disconcerting Here Before.

“How do you know? How can you be sure?”