Visions (2015)

Blood will stain the land

Isla plays Eveleigh Maddox

Director: Kevin Greutert
Writer(s): Lucas Sussman and L.D Goffigan
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Filming: Filmed in California in early 2014
Budget:
Box Office: Made a total of $723,348 worldwide. Best box office takings came from Mexico ($161,380) and Vietnam ($161,091). In Oman, the country where Isla was born, the film took $6,109.
Runtime: 82 minutes
Rating: R

Leaving her hectic city lifestyle behind, young mother-to-be Eveleigh joins her husband David at their beautiful new vineyard home only to be plagued by terrifying noises and visions of a sinister hooded figure. No one else hears or sees these hallucinations, not even David, who grows increasingly worried about his wife’s well-being. Desperate to prove her sanity, Eveleigh hunts down a local medium who reveals the haunted history of the vineyard in which she now resides. As she desperately pieces together past events to keep a future horror from occurring, Eveleigh uncovers a dark conspiracy that puts her life and the life of her unborn child at risk.

Co-Starring

Anson Mount … as David Maddox
Gillian Jacobs … as Sadie
Bryce Johnson … as Ben
Joanna Cassidy … as Helena
Eva Longoria … as Eileen
Jim Parsons … as Dr. Mathison
Michael Villar … as Leo
John de Lancie … as Victor Napoli

International Release Dates

Visions had limited releases around the world, in many countries going straight to video-on-demand/DVD. It was first released in cinemas in Turkey on August 28th 2015, and then in Singapore on September 17th 2015. In the US it was released on video-on-demand on January 19th 2016, and then on DVD/Blu-ray on February 2nd 2016. It was released on digital down/video-on-demand in the UK on June 20th 2016.

Character Information

Isla plays Eveleigh, a young woman who moves to a vineyard in California with her husband after a tragic car accident a year earlier. Eveleigh experienced PTSD after the accident, and she is trying to get her life back on track while managing her guilt. Whilst settling into their new home, Evie explores the area and their new neighbours, but she begins experiencing nightmares and visions. Her husband doesn’t believe her but her new friend Sadie, who is also pregnant, encourages her to follow her instincts. Initially unsure, emotional and anxious, Eveleigh begins to investigate further to find proof that she is right, and gains confidence in her experiences in order to protect her husband and unborn child…

Media

Photos: Gallery at Isla Fisher Web
Videos: Videos at Isla Fisher Web

Trivia

• Director Kevin Greutert first read the script for this film in 2008, and pursued getting the movie made since then.

Quotes: Isla, Cast & Crew

– Isla Fisher: “”

– Kevin Greutert: “When Isla became interested in the project I was very keen to meet with her, having just seen her performance in THE GREAT GATSBY and a few other dramatic films, and she did not disappoint: she’s a brilliant storyteller and actress, and had fantastic insight into what we were trying to do in developing the script. She really saw the big picture with Evy’s character, and we made really significant changes to the structure of the story and the characters at her suggestion, and for that I’m very grateful to her. ”

– Kevin Greutert: “We did; we were very lucky [to assemble this cast]. Visions is another supernatural-themed movie but it’s very different than anything you see in Jessabelle. It has this sort of Fargo meets Insidious feel to it and I call it a bit of a ‘supernatural caper’ too. The story has a strong emotional intent to it and Isla (Fisher) is absolutely incredible in it.

– Kevin Greutert: “It’s about a woman who experiences a tragedy; she and her husband follow a lifelong dream, which is to move to the country, buy a vineyard and make their own wine. So they go out there, she gets pregnant, and lo and behold: a ghost starts haunting her, and it seems to be targeting her baby. I think it has the coolest ending of any horror film since THE SIXTH SENSE. To me, it’s that good, and the test screenings we’ve done suggest that people agree with me. I’m very excited about it.”

– Kevin Greutert: “As it happens, Visions is another tale of a sensitive gorgeous redhead getting haunted in a remote house! But believe me, it’s quite different from Jessabelle or I wouldn’t have been so keen to make it. Isla Fisher plays a pregnant fashion designer who moves to a vineyard with her husband, and is tormented first by unexplainable sounds, then a presence that becomes increasingly terrifying. I don’t want to give more away, because it has a really fabulous finale that is best left as a surprise, but prepare to see an exploration of some of the themes I talked about earlier — this one is also about primal instincts that don’t make sense in the modern world, but are present deep within us nonetheless.”

Quotes: Character

– Eveleigh: “I think there’s something wrong here, and I don’t think I’m imagining it.”

– Eveleigh: “Honestly, it was like she was possessed. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was terrifying.”
– David: “Well, chalk it up to another mystery of the valley, I guess.”
– Eveleigh: “I’m serious honey.”
– David: “I am too. If there’s one person I want to impress tonight it was her. Was she drunk or something?”
– Eveleigh: “No, I don’t think so. And she knew I was pregnant. I mean, how did she know that? It’s not like we’re Facebook friends.”

– Eveleigh: “Sometimes I feel like I’m losing my mind completely during this pregnancy.”
– Sadie: “Pregnancy is nuts! You can either let it drive you crazy or just relax and enjoy the ride.”
– Eveleigh: “Give in to the morning sickness and the stretch marks?!”

– Eveleigh: “It just felt so real.”
– Sadie: “You have to listen to your intuition. And who knows, maybe it could be your mommy sense kicking in.”
– Eveleigh: “Oh ‘mommy sense’? Is that like ‘Spidey sense’?!”

– Eveleigh: “What if what I’m feeling is not PTSD, and it’s not hormonal, and it’s something else.”
– David: “Like what?”
– Eveleigh: “Something … supernatural.”

– Eveleigh: “This is not a dream, this is a nightmare. There is something wrong in this house. I’m gonna prove it to you. No, I’m not coming back here ever again.”

– Eveleigh: “David, it’s us. A medium saw us living in the house. ”
– David: “What are you talking about?”
– Eveleigh: “I’ve got the drawings she made.”
– David: “Don’t get hysterical…”
– Eveleigh: “I’m not hysterical, I’ve got proof!”

Reviews

• Blu-ray.com: “What’s here is a highlight reel of genre particulars, and while Fisher is game to communicate a range of shocked reactions, there’s ultimately little to respond to as a decent offering of paranormal activity becomes a blunt instrument in its final act.”

• HorrorCultFilms.co.uk: “In terms of storytelling, the plot sees some intriguing breadcrumbs dropped, and whilst not all strands are necessarily resolved in a particularly satisfying way they do provide a layered mystery to interest the viewers. Plus there’s a genuinely strong twist that jumps towards the end, providing a genuinely interesting subversion on the haunted house subgenre.”

• HellHorror.com: “There were so many thoughts going through my head as I was thinking, is Eveleigh going mad/hallucinating or is everything happening for real or are the neighbors stalking and could it be that David is actually involved in her madness. The ending was a shocker, and I love how it was tied into the movie and not forgotten as we see in a lot of movies where it starts with one subject and ends with another. The cinematographer, sound department, editorial and special effect department did a fantastic job.”

• LaLaFilm: “Fisher is adequate in the lead role, and though Visions felt like a vehicle to prove her leading credentials, she will always be more valuable in a supporting role.”

• WeMakeMoviesOnWeekends.com: “Fisher’s leading role here can best be described as workmanlike. She gamely deals with a screenplay that tends to have her merely reacting to incorporeal sounds and eerie visitations, while piecing together the mystery of why she’s being haunted.”

• Bloody-Disgusting.com: “First of all, anyone who watches TV (especially shows of the 30-minute sitcom variety) can admit that the cast for Visions is spectacular. Unfortunately, save for Fisher, who does a respectable job in the lead role, the entire cast is wasted. It’s possible that post-production editing is to blame, but one has to wonder what drew all of these talented actors to this film in the first place. They all try their best, and there isn’t really a bad performance in the bunch, but all of the characters feel so underwritten and paper-thin that it’s hard to commend any of them for their contributions. There’s lots of moving furniture, but while Fisher is acting terrified, you can’t help but feel a little bored. This boredom permeates the entire film up until its final act, which at least attempts something original by providing a nice twist on the haunted house sub-genre.”

• Cinematic Addiction: “The acting was generally okay, though. Isla Fisher and Anson Mount perform well enough. Fisher is serviceable, but she doesn’t really feel right for this role. I never really felt like she was actually frightened.”

• Dread Central: “It’s well acted, tightly edited, and blissfully CGI-free with good moments of suspense; and the ending pays off. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means – but it doesn’t have to, for the type of thriller it is. As a pregnant-woman-in-peril movie, it (please pardon the pun) delivers.”

• Fright Fest: “Fisher is an appealing presence, as always, but she is at the mercy of a one-note character who has been given the lion’s(gate) share of the hackneyed dire-logue.”

Fisher Fantastic

Isla plays the lead role in Visions, and is therefore in most scenes throughout the movie. However, the quality of the film doesn’t make this as exciting as it should be! The film is slow and drawn-out, and is predictable and very cliched – it almost feels empty until the last 15 minutes. The characters are not interesting enough to draw you in to the film and they feel under-developed. Isla puts in a decent performance as Eveleigh and it’s good to see her branching out into a new genre – she gives it her best effort but she doesn’t have much to work with here. Only worth a watch to see Isla lead a film.

Promotion

Isla did not do any promotion for this film.

• Isla Fisher Web‘s Press page (related: 2015 interviews)
• Isla Fisher Web‘s 2015 Appearances Gallery
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