Written and directed by Spencer Brown, co-written by Sarah Govett, prosthetics engineer Abi moves to the countryside to work on Integrate Robotic’s latest product – a humanoid artificial intelligence called T.I.M. – Technologically. Integrated. Manservant. Starring: Eamon Farren, Georgina Campbell, Mark Rowley, Nathaniel Parker and Amara Karan.

Even before you dive into the topic of artificial intelligence, T.I.M. kicks things off by dipping into a few classic elements of horror and thriller, starting with a nicely isolated location. Moving away from friends and family to an ultra-modern house, with a lot of land and not a lot of neighbours is always a good recipe for distress and danger. So then adding in the constant threat of a creepy, inescapable robot, it’s a perfect set-up for a growingly sticky situation and it works well. Especially when you add in a character using the phrase “I think we’re gonna be really happy here” and a history of broken trust.

The underlying story is captivating and takes its time to crumble their safety and security. However, there’s one niggling problem which holds it back, it simply doesn’t feel sinister enough. There’s an edge of darkness and great potential for violence but what we do get is mostly left to your imagination as the film cuts away. The same goes for Eamon Farren’s titular manservant, he’s got the inklings of that menacing side but his performance leans too much on the robotic, forgetting to embrace the threatening side. The character has been made to look and feel too mundane and poised to truly do justice to the collapsing nature of the story.

Another factor which plays into that is the writing makes Georgina Campbell’s Abi feel overly naïve, so while Campbell’s performance really taps into the endless waves of emotion, she isn’t given the space to round out the character. Surprisingly, there’s an almost bigger focus on Mark Rowley’s Paul and how he poses a threat to the burgeoning hopes and desires of T.I.M., which is a double-edged sword. Again, the performance by Rowley is solid and exactly where it needs to be but the uneven focus on Abi and Paul makes the flow of the story unsatisfying, despite growing the threat.

Spencer Brown’s direction however does a good job of attempting to build a gripping atmosphere. It plays into the modern nature of the story, using a simplicity to lean on the coldness and impersonal nature of tech. Although it stumbles on another weakness in establishing that tone when it’s backed up by an underwhelming score. It’s a shame not to have a more biting note in the background of its chilling moments.

T.I.M. is a solid, understated thriller, it’s engaging and uses a classic premise. However, it’s missing a darker, more violent edge or a uniqueness to drive it where it needs to go. Eamon Farren, Georgina Campbell and Mark Rowley are a great leading trio, but it feels as though Rowley is the only one who really gets enough room to flesh out his character. There’s plenty to enjoy but there was a bigger potential that it’s falling short of, although for some evening streaming? It will get the job done.

Verdict: ✯✯✯½ | 7/10

Coming to Netflix in the UK on 16 August