Villablanca (director)
London FrightFest 2025 (studio)
18 (certificate)
89 (length)
23 August 2025 (released)
25 August 2025
Just when you thought you’d seen them all, you find that they are still alive and well. Healing Andy is another found footage film with influencers, annoying people, and a comedy/horror element.
Opening with a Zoom meeting where a group of influencers who plan a trip to Italy. Mainly as a jolly but also to ‘heal’ Andy (Matthew Kay) who was dumped by his partner. The journey is off to the expected high jinks as Holger (Frederick Lysegaard), Maverick (Elliott Eason) and Malcolm (Samuel Nunes de Souza) with selfies and live relays to followers.
At the villa they are met by Ginger (Gemma Acosta) the rep to whom Andy is immediately attracted in the creepiest of ways, she nevertheless leaves him her number. And later in the town the group happen to bump into Ginger and friends.
What ensues is a night of booze, drugs and theft. When the chaps groggily wake up at their villa they find they have been robbed of everything. Even the clothes which means they are wearing whatever they can get. Determined to get their stuff back they track down Ginger and with the help of Andy’s new love Susi (Lucia Saavedra) find her and a whole lot more.
Much of the enjoyment of Healing Andy will depend on how audiences take to the four main protagonists. They play up to the stereotypical influencer YouTube types, generally likable (apart from one) idiots. There are some good lines and very good visual jokes in particular after the robbery and the garments they are left with.
Where if falls down is with the villainy and horror. One takes an abrupt turn that isn’t very convincing, the other isn’t very effective. The introduction of Susi and her suggested extreme measures to deal with the thieves, ups the comedy, and they aren’t without reason.
On more technical level writer and director Villablanca decided to film entirely on an iphone. It looks fine and there’s not that much to distinguish this from other found footage as the usual tropes are all present and correct.
Healing Andy had its world Premiere at London FrightFest, August 2025.
