Plot: Chloe undergoes an experimental procedure that leads her to have hallucinations about her mother, who disappeared.
Losing someone can be torturous. But when you don't know what happened to your loved one and where they disappeared off to, that is plain agony.
THE UNHEARD has an interesting story, but unfortunately, it drags, and the mystery is a tad too predictable.
Still, the acting is good, and that helps see the story to its proper end.
THE UNHEARD Plot
Chloe is a deaf girl who is heading to the hospital for an experimental procedure. She meets the doctor, Dr Lynch who explains that the procedure may not work.
Chloe is optimistic. She understands everything using an app on the phone that covers speech to words.
The procedure is done, and Chloe is asked to take some drops. She texts her dad, who never shows up in the movie.
He constantly texts, but that is about the extent to his interaction with his daughter, who went through an experimental procedure, has to wrap up the house, and be chased by a murderer.
Chloe keeps having flashes of her as a kid, playing by a pond and finding dead animals. She hears her mother calling out to her, and she is tormented by that.
She experiences a little ringing and static throughout the movie, too.
Afterwards, she heads off to her childhood house. The driver is talking continuously with her, and when he looks in the rear view mirror, he is miffed to see that his passenger isn't responding. He thinks she is rude while Chloe is just staring ahead blankly, not realizing she may end up paying a high fare now.
She reaches the house and looks around to find that the power and water works but there is a lot of stuff that needs to be taken care of.
She texts her father that, who offers to come home soon, but Chloe tells him she will be okay.
After she witnesses some lights in the house next door, she goes to look around the next day.
She meets a boy called Joshua who claims to know her since she was a kid. He also knows she hasn't been able to hear since she contracted meningitis.
He invites her into his house, where she meets his mother. Joshua settles down easily on his couch with little regard to offering his guest anything.
Chloe then goes about her house and realizes that although there is water, it isn't hot.
She lets her father know who says that Hank will come look at it.
A man then does show up, and Chloe has a hard time understanding what he is saying because he isn't close enough to her phone.
Eventually, she understands he is Hank and invites him in. Hank seems like a really nice man who used to be an ex cop. He is even nice enough to fix her TV.
Nice guy in a horror movie? Is he really?
After he leaves, Chloe puts on some videotapes from her childhood so she can see her mother.
But there's some interference and static, and soon enough, Chloe begins to hear sounds that set her ears ringing. Her ears begin to bleed, and she feels nauseous.
However, one morning, when Chloe gets up, she hears the bed springs creak and is delighted. Finally! She can hear!
She puts her head near everything so she can hear all the sounds she missed, including the popping of corn in a microwave. She doesn't even care about the radiation.
She informs Dr Lynch who is ecstatic, since none of the other patients have shown any improvement. Chloe pretty much insults her regarding the voice, and Dr Lynch asks if she likes it. Chloe replies with a diplomatic. It's different from what she imagined.
You can literally see the doctor's face fall.
Chloe has to continue taking her drops.
Chloe gets invited by Dr Lynch to hang out at a bar. Dr Lynch is clearly a bore with nothing to contribute to the conversation.
Chloe literally lays her heart bare as she talks about her mother and how she kept hearing her voice. She was hoping the procedure would get rid of that hallucination as she would be able to hear real sounds.
As the evening progresses, Dr Lynch gets to know that Chloe lied about not taking any medication. She had been taking anti-depressants, and now the doctor is worried that her trial may be compromised.
But Chloe begins to experience ringing and pain, and the doctor takes care of her even as Chloe makes a move on her.
When morning comes, the doctor is gone, and Chloe thinks she has been ditched.
Later, she goes about investigating the neighbourhood so that she can figure out what is happening in the house near her.
She finds cameras there and suspects Joshua. He reveals that he had been keeping scrutiny on the house since he heard weird sounds and apparitions there.
He shows Chloe the tape, and she hears a sound that makes her ears hurt.
She can also hear her mother's voice, and it is implied she is using that frequency to communicate with her daughter and tell her what happened to her.
THE UNHEARD Ending Explained with Spoilers
Chloe wakes up in the house. There is a storm outside, so we know the climax is coming.
She sees Hank hovering over her. He tells her that her father, who only uses the phone to keep in touch with his daughter, has asked Hank to watch over his daughter.
As soon as he excuses himself, Chloe goes around the house and finds a photo of Hank and her mother. She takes the photo out of the frame and finds the photo folded. The folded part is of her father, who has not come to see his daughter.
She suspects Hank may have been in love with her mother.
When Hank returns, she pretends she has to puke on him. He gestures her towards a bathroom, and she goes in and pretends to vomit by splashing toilet water.
Meanwhile, Hank finds Chloe's phone and breaks it so that her father can't get in touch with her, nor can she make calls.
Chloe considers the bathroom window and breaks it. She runs through the woods and finds her way into a place where there are bodies of missing women, including Dr Lynch's.
Hank catches up to Chloe and ties her up. He remarks her similarities to Chloe's mother.
Just then, Joshua comes in to try to be a hero, only to be stabbed. Chloe manages to distract Hank and reach for a phone to call for help.
But suddenly she hears ringing in her ears and drops the phone. Joshua looks at her helplessly, wondering if she will be able to make the call to help him.
Suddenly the TV comes on and Chloe sees how her mother was killed by Hank.
When Hank comes over, the frequency changes, deafening only Hank.
Chloe manages to slit his throat when he is distracted.
As he dies, Chloe hears her mother congratulate her by saying Happy Fourth of July.
Chloe smiles and wishes her back.
Joshua may still make it when Chloe stops hearing voices.
The movie ends.
While there is no explanation on why her mother wishes her Happy Fourth of July, we must make our own assumptions.
Perhaps her mother disappeared on the fourth of July? Or the holiday itself means that the soul has been freed?
Regardless, Chloe finally finds closure as to what happened to her mother.
SCARE SCALE:
Watch THE UNHEARD on Amazon Prime Video
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