Caveat is an atmospheric set piece that is guaranteed to make the hairs on your arm stand up, exploring the cruelty of human nature and the frailty of the human psyche.

| Jul 9, 2024

With ever-growing dread, Caveat suggests terrors beyond the nebulous borders of its frightening narrative, causing viewers to ask themselves how far the walls of a haunted house truly extend.

| Aug 17, 2022

Caveat is a movie that will no doubt give those of a nervous disposition the heebie-jeebies, but just dont analyse the plot too much as it does take the edge off an otherwise solid directorial debut.

| Mar 23, 2022

This is a massively overambitious first feature which really struggles as a result, but nevertheless showcases talents worthy of notice.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 4, 2022

The stuff of genuine nightmares. The scariest film I've seen in a long while.

| Sep 17, 2021

Written, directed and edited by Mc Carthy on an extremely tight budget, Caveat conjures genuine unease with scant resources, giving off strong Babadook vibes.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 12, 2021

Folks like their houses haunted and their psychological thrillers brimming with psychos. It toes the line with a skeleton cast and a house so dank you can smell the mold through the screen.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 5, 2021

Mc Carthy has a natural showman's facility with shivery jump scares, which helps paper over the story's lumpier bits.

| Original Score: C+ | Jun 30, 2021

It's both scary and enticing, a nice blend of supernatural and psychological thrills, and a smart piece of art.

| Original Score: 3.5 / 5 | Jun 26, 2021

"Caveat" exists in a liminal space between genres, which is fitting for a film about the skeletons that might hide inside the walls of an old house.

| Original Score: B- | Jun 16, 2021

All of the pieces in Caveat work, but by the time the end credits roll, everything still feels extremely vague.

| Jun 16, 2021

On paper, Caveat has all the elements of a great horror piece. ... Unfortunately, despite having all the right stuff, Caveat fails to come together. In fact, the film often stumbles over its better features, making for a messy experience.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jun 15, 2021

You'll probably find yourself losing interest right when the action should be reaching its thrilling climax.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 15, 2021

Caveat is not densely plotted, but its atmosphere could be cut with a knife, from the marvelously decrepit house itself to the sense of dread that makes this slender, elusive narrative uncommonly creepy.

| Jun 14, 2021

At its core, it really is a straightforward mystery with all the bells and whistles to amplify the journey.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 11, 2021

Right from the get go your stomach is tied in knots.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 10, 2021

Sometimes confusing ambiguity with tension, McCarthy's horror doesn't always add up, but what it may lack in a coherent thread plied with jarring flashbacks, it makes up for in atmosphere, dread, and a few minimal but well-placed jump scares.

| Jun 7, 2021

Deeply unsettling and profoundly frightening, Caveat is a remarkably assured debut for Mc Carthy and a real showcase for the talents of its small cast, particularly [Jonathan] French as the tortured protagonist.

| Jun 7, 2021

This is a short film stretched to feature length ... There's a considerable swing here, but it's a miss all the same.

| Jun 6, 2021

Things get a bit wonky along the final stretch, and the Irishman can't quite stick the landing. But there's plenty here to admire and it will be exciting to see where he goes next.

| Original Score: B | Jun 5, 2021