Not Rated (Contains Violent/Disturbing Content, Brief Graphic Nudity and Language)
For most of his life, a deranged serial killer (Mark Duplass) has been reeking havoc, killing many people without ever getting caught. But now that he’s turning 40, he finds that he doesn’t get the same feeling that he did when he started. He feels that he is losing touch with the one thing that has given him purpose in life. He’s desperate to reignite that spark, no matter what it takes. He may finally get his chance with his latest possible victim, Sara (Desiree Akhavan). She is attempting to find a subject for her own web series, and accepts his invitation to document a day in his life. She thinks he’s just playing her, but as the day goes on, she starts to learn more about his psychotic tendencies. It looks like the two have found the sparks they’ve been looking for, but will it cost them their lives? Creep 2 is the sequel to the 2015 found footage film Creep, which was created by Patrick Brice and Duplass, and the duo return as director and star respectively. On the surface, this film seems like the standard setup for a sequel. It has the same basic premise that seems to play out the exact same way as the first. The first also didn’t really need a sequel, so how were Brice and Duplass going to justify this? Thankfully, they have enough creativity to make this feel like much more than a boring retread of the first film. Rather than repeating what worked about the first one, Brice and Duplass use the premise to build and expand on their title character. He’s a very different kind of person this time around, and this story finds ways to reveal new layers about him that make him feel more complex than how he was before. In the first film, Duplass’s character was a basic killer who was a master manipulator. You never got the full picture of who he is, as he always hid the truth behind countless lies and facades. However, this time around, he’s actually quite open about who he is, and allows Sara (and the audience) to know what makes him him. It’s a completely different place for the character when compared to his first appearance, and it makes him feel more like a human being as a result. And just like the first, Duplass gives a phenomenal performance in the role. He again continues to ride that line between being manipulative and being genuine, but his performance shows that the killer is not in the same mindset he was in the first time. Duplass is able to flawlessly bring this to life, making him still feel like the character from the first while simultaneously establishing that he is a drastically different person from when we last saw him. It also helps that he’s pitted against a different kind of victim than his first time around. The young videographer Sara is a very different personality than Brice’s character Aaron. She’s someone who genuinely wants to see the killer inside her subject rather than just cautiously play along with the act like Aaron did. And it helps that Akhavan really nails this role, able to switch between her own facade and her real demeanor with relative ease. Much like the first film, this one relies almost entirely on dialogue. And just like in the first, the conversations between the killer and Sara are really able to get under your skin. The screenplay by Brice and Duplass is able to perfectly develop the characters and get you invested in who they are, while simultaneously scaring you with all the strange stories that the killer tells throughout. Creep 2 is a great example of how to take a great concept and spin it into an effective sequel. It finds creative ways to build upon the world established in the first film rather than just redo the setup, and is held together by another great performance from Mark Duplass. With Brice and Duplass planning a third and final installment, I’m very curious to see how they will bring their saga to a close.
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Rated R for language, violent/disturbing images, and brief drug material.
YouTuber Mike (Matthew Solomon), known as his online persona DropTheMike, is known for his in-your-face style of video content. He often tries to exploit famed tragedies and serial killers in disrespectful ways, all for the sake of racking up more views and followers. His form of entertainment, however, has attracted a negative response from people online, and he is starting to become more desperate for more fans. When he receives the chance to win a large grant for his brand, he decides he has to step it up. He decides to solve the mystery of the Hotel Lennox, an establishment that has become infamous for the amount of suicides that have occurred there. He and his friends have setup up shop, determined to find out the truth. But Mike will find out too late that the legends are all too true, and the cost of fame may be his life. Followed feels like an idea that hasn’t been tackled that much. Despite the amount of influence that Internet personalities have had on the entertainment industry, there haven’t been many movies that attempt to comment on them. However, that’s really no surprise, given how their fanbases react when people attempt to talk about the bad things they’ve done. So this film immediately feels unique. It also feels unique in how it portrays the lead character of Mike. The beginning of the movie does showcase him as your typical Internet star who cares very little about the people around him. However, as the film continues on, he actually becomes a more complex character. He slowly starts to reveal deeper layers to his personality, and he becomes a sympathetic character by the end. It’s rare to have a low budget found footage film have a lead character this well crafted. Much like the content that Mike produces for his channel, the movie uses a real life tragedy for its story. It takes off the infamous death of Elisa Lam, which that, and the resulting obsession on the Internet, has been thoroughly exploited for profit. However, unlike that or how Mike treats his subjects, the movie doesn’t feel like its exploiting the incident. Instead, it smartly uses the story to create a scathing criticism of the act. And this story is held together by a surprisingly well-constructed script. The film doesn’t waist its time with lengthy, poorly written expositions or drastic shifts in tone. Instead, the script is focused on developing the story and characters over just being a cheap rip-off of other found footage films. It never tries to obviously reference or steal from other movies, either. It is its own thing, and that also feels refreshing. Followed is a unique and thoroughly scathing satire of how far some Internet stars are willing to go to get the fame they think they deserve. It stands apart from most independent found footage horror films by having its lead character be a complex, multi-dimensional person instead of a heartless jerk. It’s rare to get a film like this that is this complex, but when it does happen, it’s a real treat. Not Rated (Contains Language and Some Disturbing Violence)
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages outside, six best friends, Haley (Haley Bishop), Jemma (Jemma Moore), Emma (Emma Louise Webb), Radina (Radina Drandova), Caroline (Caroline Ward), and Teddy (Edward Linard), are desperate for something to do together. Per Haley’s suggestion, they all decide to host a séance over a Zoom call, aided by a medium named Seylan (Seylan Baxter). They don’t really know if they’re going to contact something, and Seylan isn’t confident about it working over the Internet. But they are willing to get some fun out of it. However, it becomes clear very quickly that Haley’s friends don’t really believe in this, as they often interrupt the preceding with annoying antics. Though it isn’t long before a real supernatural force shows up, turning their mischief into a deadly game of survival. Shot during the height of the pandemic, Host is the feature directorial debut of Rob Savage. It uses the computer screen format that was popularized by Unfriended and sets it against the backdrop of self-isolation. It definitely feels like a case of having the right premise at the right time. It does end up being one of the better films to use the computer screen format. That has nothing to do with its pandemic-based premise, but has to do with the filmmakers and cast really taking advantage of the style. It’s honestly really impressive how fast they were able to put something this good together. I mean, they shot and released it within five months after the pandemic began. Not only did they manage to put it together really fast, but also they were able to put it together while still maintaining the current restrictions. There are big moments involving stunts and visual effects, and despite the cast having to do most of the work themselves, they all manage to pull it off. The effects blend together really well with the footage and are great at getting under your skin. These moments are also aided by the sound design. The film’s sound is even more accurate than in Unfriended, with the audio cutting out at various points and not always matching up with what we’re seeing. This really comes in handy when some of the bigger jump scares come in, as many of them happen with complete silence. It makes them so much scarier and feel unique when compared to other jump scares. The cast also does a great job in each of their respective roles. There isn’t much to their characters, and we never get a real sense of who they are. But they aren’t just basic horror stereotypes we’ve seen in countless other supernatural slasher films. They’re unique and feel like people that haven’t been in a horror film before. They feel more like real people as a result, even if they are still the most basic of characters with no real depth to any of them. Host is one of the better films in the computer screen sub-genre of found footage, using a timely premise to deliver some really unique scares. It’s 56 minute runtime makes it a really breezy watch if you’re looking for something quick to burn some time with. I’m excited to see what Savage and his team do in the future, because its obvious they have real potential. Not Rated (Contains Disturbing Violence, Some Sexuality and Language Throughout)
A pair of stage managers find their playhouse in a state of disarray. They have no idea what happened, but the answer may come from a still recording camera that seemingly came out of nowhere. On the camera, they find a collection of terrifying stories that follow a group of scientists who are attempting to test a supernatural hypothesis, a couple who believe their home is haunted, a pair of cam girls with sinister intentions for one of their viewers, and a woman who plans to take revenge on a pair of kidnappers. Clearly, The Dark Tapes is an attempt to make a V/H/S style found footage anthology film. The various segments have the same kind of off-the-wall ideas that the aforementioned franchise puts into some of their shorts. The only difference being that all but one of the segments in this film were directed by one filmmaker, writer/director Michael McQuown. But despite his obvious inspiration, he manages to make an anthology that does feel like its own thing. Many of the segments are interesting ideas, with clever and subversive takes on classic horror concepts. Also, with him directing the majority of the segments, there is a consistent feeling to the whole thing. He strikes a good tone and manages to keep it throughout all of the stories. He also does a really good job keeping a hint of mystery throughout each segment. Every segment goes in unexpected directions, and it manages to keep you guessing as to how it will all turn out in the end. Probably the most impressive things about the movie are the visual effects. Each segment presents its central monsters with really creepy and elaborate practical effects. The makeup and prosthetic designs are really impressive, and the film manages to accomplish a lot with a very small budget. Even when CGI is used, it’s still better than what the budget would suggest. However, while the film has a fair amount of imagination, the segments do suffer from something that plagues most first time filmmakers. A lot of the segments are bogged down by lengthy exposition dumps, with many of them often putting a halt to the story. The segments are fun and creative, but it does get annoying when McQuown feels the need to stop everything and spend a lot of time explaining it to us. There’s also an issue with how the stories connect. Something like the V/H/S films have a connecting element that binds the shorts together. Here, however, there’s really nothing in the frame segment that explains the presence of the other shorts. They tend to just come out of nowhere, and aside from a few lines from the characters, there’s nothing that connects them together. It just feels like a collection of shorts. Though The Dark Tapes doesn’t entirely achieve its obvious aspirations, it has enough creativity to stand on its own as a unique collection of found footage stories. Each segment has a clever take on a well worn formula, even if many of them are brought down by overbearing exposition. But with amazing practical effects and creature designs, its hard not to commend director Michael McQuown for accomplishing so much with very little. Rated R for some violence, language, brief sexuality and drug use.
For most of their lives, sisters Katie (Katie Featherston) and Kristi (Sprague Grayden) have been haunted by a demonic supernatural force. Thanks to a deal an ancestor made with the demon, it has desired the soul of their family’s first born son. After finally getting what it wanted at the end of Paranormal Activity 2, it’s time to head back in time to see where their supernatural plight began. Back in 1988, childhood Katie (Chloe Csengery) and Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) lived with their mother Julie (Lauren Bittner) and her wedding photographer boyfriend Dennis (Chris Smith). Paranormal events begin to plague the family, once again starting small before growing stronger because of their fear. It soon becomes clear that this force has sinister intentions with them, and it’s not about to give up so easily. Paranormal Activity 3 marks a fundamental shift for the franchise. While it mostly continues to rely on the style setup by the first two films, it also marks the beginning of new hallmarks that would become staples of the franchise in the future, such as the ever expanding backstory behind the demonic force, the general style of how the film’s play out, and their tendency to end on major cliffhangers. But in addition to everything new it introduces, it still mostly adheres to the style of the first two films. And that style is still good for creating some really intense and terrifying moments. New directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who were known for directing the maybe documentary, maybe found footage film Catfish, prove that they really known the style and how to get the best out of it. This film has some of the most terrifying sequences of any film in the franchise. One particular scare had me trying to catch my breath for about five minutes. Then there’s the sequence with a bed sheet being used to fake a ghost. The use of the object along with the film’s unique oscillating camera creates what is probably one of the best moments in the series. There aren’t any big jump scares in it, yet it’s still just as scary. The film also continues to expand the overarching backstory in a natural way. The new bits of story introduced in this film fit nicely into what was established in the previous two films, leading to some big reveals that really get you invested. Overall, it stays nicely constructed. If there’s one thing that the film doesn’t really nail, it’s the 80s setting. While it admittedly does try its best to look period accurate, the quality of the footage is a little too clear when compared to actual footage from the decade. It’s clear that, despite seeing cassette tape cameras throughout, they weren’t actually being used. But it’s easy to forgive them based on the budget they had to work with. There’s also the complaint that me and most others have about the movie. Much of the footage that was seen in the trailers isn’t in the final film. This is quite normal for most movies, but this one does it to an egregious degree. There are whole scare sequences that are absent, and what looked like important story moments that never get to play out. The movie we got is almost completely different from the one that was advertised. But at least the movie we got is still great. Paranormal Activity 3 feels like the perfect transition for the series, still relying on the staples of its predecessors while introducing new ones that would come to define future installments. It contains some of the best scare gags of the franchise that will really get you jumping in your seat. It positions itself as a great ending to the first three films, and if we hadn’t gotten a fourth film, it would have made an appropriate conclusion to the trilogy. Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief language.
Siblings Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) have been invited to spend a week at their grandparents’ house. They had never met them before, mostly due to the fact that their mother (Kathryn Hahn) had a major falling out with them right after high school. Seeing an opportunity to bring her family together, Becca decides to make a documentary about their trip, leading up to their eventual reunion. Their grandparents, known by their nicknames Nana and Pop Pop (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie) seem like any ordinary grandparents, happily welcoming them in and making them various baked goods. They too are happy to finally meet their grandchildren. But as the visit continues, Nana and Pop Pop start displaying strange behavior that ranges from creepy antics to dangerous actions. They’ll have to figure out who their grandparents really are if they want to survive the trip. The Visit comes to us from M. Night Shyamalan, who at this point in his career, had been known for making quite terrible movies. After the 2013 science fiction film After Earth, he decided to return to the low budget, low scale style of thrillers that made him famous. He funded the film by taking out a mortgage on his house. He risked a lot to make this film the way he wanted to, and even he had doubts about the film reaching a wider audience. But in the end, The Visit turns out to be a return to form for the director. His particular style really works better with small films rather than big, fantastical ones. This one manages to rank among his best, and often feels like it wasn’t even made by him. This is not only because he shot it as a found footage movie, but also because it contains some of the most natural acting and dialogue in any of his movies. Two things that really stick out in his movies is his inability to write believable dialogue and how stiff some of his actors can be. Though his movies are often saved by his ability to world build and perfectly construct a story, his characters almost never act or sound like real human beings. This is where The Visit manages to stand out. While the dialogue doesn’t always stray from the typical stilted speech of his other films, much of it actually sounds like stuff real people would say. It’s hard to describe, but the various conversations between the characters just sounds right. Even the characters act more naturally than in his other films. Shyamalan actually does a great job working with the found footage format. Even if the cinematography quality is a bit unrealistic for a couple of kids with home video cameras, and kind of robs the movie of its realism, the film’s crisp and clear image avoids the presence of blurry shaking cam from other found footage films. This also marks a return to the mysterious style of filmmaking that also made Shyamalan famous. After a series of straightforward stories, this film is another mystery that leads to a plot twist. Even if the final twist feels a bit underwhelming when compared to the buildup, he still does a great job establishing various possibilities before reaching the eventual conclusion. The Visit ranks as one of M. Night Shyamalan’s best films, proving that his particular style really only works best when he works with smaller scale stories. It has some of the most believable and natural sounding characters and dialogue of any film he’s made, and boy is that really saying something when looking at his other films. It may not have the best twist of his filmography, but it shows that he can still craft a thrilling mystery. Rated R for some language and brief violent material.
The Rey family, Kristi (Sprague Grayden), her husband Daniel (Brian Boland) and his daughter Ali (Molly Ephraim), have welcomed a new addition to their family; a little baby boy named Hunter. Their home is later broken into and vandalized, leaving them feeling unsafe in their own home. In order to try and make their house feel safe again, they have a series of security cameras installed. Following this, the cameras begin to capture strange things happening as the family sleeps. It starts small, like lights going out and objects being moved by a seemingly invisible force. But it isn’t long before things begin to escalate. It soon becomes clear that they are being haunted by something more malevolent, and as the entity grows more powerful, they’ll have to figure out its intentions if they want to put an end to it. After the first Paranormal Activity became one of the most successful films of all time, it was clear that Paramount would want to turn it into a franchise. It only took a year for the studio to put a sequel together, hiring writer Christopher Landon who would later become one of the series’s head writers. So how did this first sequel turn out despite its very short production time? Turns out, really well. Paranormal Activity 2 is a great continuation of the first film that, in many ways, actually feels like an improvement over an already great film. It’s a lot bigger in scale despite still being set all in one location, with several cameras being used to capture the activity rather than just one. It also expands on the mythology in a way that feels natural with what was established in the previous film. At times, this film feels like it better utilizes its unique setup than the first film. With multiple cameras, the film creates excuses to keep the found footage angel even when the characters aren’t filming anything themselves. Director Tod Williams does a great job using this to his advantage, giving the film a naturalistic feeling that helps us relate to the characters. Williams also uses this setup to help build the tension of each scenario. He consistently loads single shot scenes with a variety of activities, often juxtaposing mundane family life with supernatural mischief. This draws our attention away from the threat, which allows it to basically come up behind us and really get us. It’s a smart directorial choice that makes simple jumps very effective. There’s also many scare moments that feel bigger than the first film. It has all of the same subtle scare tactics as the previous film, but also delves into much larger jump scares. This is probably due to the increase in budget, as there is more use of special effects that the first film definitely couldn’t afford. This is one way the film feels better, taking everything that made the first one great while amping it up to a higher level. The film is also brought to life by a great cast. The various actors and actresses, both new and returning, all do great work in their respective roles. They also have an amazing chemistry that make them feel like a genuinely tight knit group of friends and family. The scenes with Kristi’s family having gatherings with Katie and Micah are some of the highlights of the film and are really entertaining to watch. Paranormal Activity 2 is a major upgrade on an already great film, taking everything that made its predecessor scary and basically doubling it in an effective way. It feels like a natural expansion on the world of the first, and is brought to life by great direction and a lovable cast. It sets the stage for the franchise moving forward and really gets you excited about what will come next. Rated PG-13 for terror, peril and some language.
In 2017, Sophie Bishop (Florence Hartigan) is making a documentary about the disappearance of her brother Josh (Luke Spencer Roberts) 20 years ago. During that time, Josh had been a witness to the famed Phoenix lights sighting, and became obsessed with figuring out if they really were signs of alien life. He made it his mission to find out with his two friends. But when they went out to investigate, they were never seen again. To this day, the truth about what happened had never been known. That is, until Sophie discovers a lost video tape from her brother’s camera. The tape shows the truth about what happened. As Josh and his friends ventured deeper into the desert, they became the targets of what appeared to be a real alien force. Right off the bat, it’s the documentary portions of Phoenix Forgotten that help set it apart from similar alien films. It feels more like a mission to find the truth than just showing us the lost footage from the characters. Even if this portion of the movie doesn’t get the resolution it deserves, it does help to give the overall film a flavor all its own. The film actually does a really good job with the footage supposedly from 1997. The cinematography and visual effects really recapture that old-fashioned video feel, and does look like footage shot back then. Even when the aliens do start showing up, the effects blend really well with the worn down footage. It gives the film a great layer of realism. Yeah, maybe the film as a whole doesn’t feel all that original. Many have compared it to The Blair Witch Project, and I will agree that there are many moments that feel like direct rip-offs from that movie. Even the film’s final act feels like a shot-for-shot redo of Blair Witch’s final act. But as I’ve said before, as long as the film is well made, it doesn’t need a wholly original story to be good. Phoenix Forgotten has enough genuine surprises to stand out amongst other film’s about alien invaders. While much of it does feel derivative and doesn’t really do much new with it’s central premise, it is a good movie despite not always being that original. It certainly is one of the better found footage movie about aliens to come out in recent years. Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and brief nudity.
College student Mia (Michelle Ang) is making a documentary about Alzheimers, using elderly woman Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) as her subject. She’s been suffering from the disease for a while, and her daughter Sarah (Anne Ramsay) is having trouble keeping up with her mother’s episodes. She’s hoping that being in the documentary will give them the help that Deborah really needs. But as they continue shooting Deborah throughout her daily life, she begins exhibiting strange behaviors. Her doctors are at a loss for answers, as it appears the disease is spreading faster than they originally thought. However, it soon becomes clear that something more unnatural is going on, as her activities seem to suggest the presence of someone from her past. They’ll have to find out the truth if they want to save Deborah’s life. The Taking of Deborah Logan begins as a fairly standard found footage setup, as in a documentary crew begins shooting a subject only to stumble upon something supernatural. However, as the story really starts going and the mystery begins unraveling, it’s clear that this isn’t just another found footage film. It has a lot more on its mind than just being another supernatural chiller. The film’s screenplay is really the strongest part of the film. Not only is the story itself well constructed, but the dialogue and characters are among the best of any found footage movie. Everything they say sounds like natural dialogue and clearly isn’t just improvised like some others. The characters are real human beings with great motivations and backstories that make them feel relatable. The movie also does a great job creating an unsettling atmosphere. Director Adam Robitel, who would go to helm the Escape Room series, makes his directorial debut here, and really shows off how good he is at making the audience feel uneasy about different situations. The way he uses the found footage format, combined with great production and sound design, really makes the audience scared about what could be hiding around the corner. That being said, there are some parts that, for me, are a bit too intense. This is mostly because the central mystery really involves snakes, with the third act involving them to an almost unsettling degree. As someone who is deathly afraid of snakes, I actually couldn’t watch these segments. So if anyone out there is also afraid of them, then you may not enjoy these portions of the film. The Taking of Deborah Logan stands out as one of the smartest and most well constructed found footage movies in years. By having an actual screenplay and story instead of just outlining one and having improvised dialogue, the film really gets us to care about what’s going on and invested in the truth behind the supernatural happenings. This one should be required viewing for anyone trying to see essential found footage movies. Rated R for disturbing and violent content, language, some drug use and sexual material.
Michael King (Shane Johnson) has never believed in God or anything dealing with the supernatural. After the death of his wife, he has decided to make a documentary proving that there’s nothing to religion. He makes it his mission to put himself through various forms of satanism and black magic to show the world that it’s all a hoax. However, the more he puts himself through, the more he seems to actually be making contact with something. He starts losing time, and his cameras are capturing weird activity as he sleeps. It’s clear that he has gotten his answer, and some kind of demonic force has set its sights on him, and it isn’t going to let him go without a fight. He’ll have to confront his opinions about the supernatural if he’s going to reclaim his life. The Possession of Michael King is a very intriguing premise. Questions about what lies beyond death and whether religion has any basis in fact have been pondered throughout society for as long as we can remember. I think the idea of a man purposefully seeking out something like this in an attempt to find the truth is an interesting idea. And for the most part, the movie does a good job exploring these ideas. It does, at times, feel like a Paranormal Activity rip-off, with much of the film being told through security cameras placed around Michael’s house. But what this movie does different from the movies that inspired it is how it plays out its own central mystery. Throughout the film’s opening act, Michael goes through various acts of devil worship. By the time he starts experiencing symptoms of possession, it is unclear which act actually lead the demon to him. By not really revealing what actually caused him to get possessed, that creates a great air of mystery that keeps us invested. Was it the acts that caused it, or was it his own curiosity that brought the demon to him? We’ll never know. Michael is brought to life by a great performance from Shane Johnson. While he is, for the most part, a skeptic who will easily make fun of religion, he never plays the character too obnoxiously. He gets many moments to show that he loves his daughter and is still grieving from his wife’s passing. Then when things turn out to be real, he looks like he is genuinely afraid of the force that is taking control of him. Director David Jung does a good job creating disturbing scenes throughout the runtime. The cinematography is clearer and glossier than most found footage movies, and helps to create an off-putting look to it all. The moments where Michael is possessed and comes across scenes of blood and gore are very creepy. With an interesting premise shot in an effective way, The Possession of Michael King manages to carve out its own identity against a sea of similar films. It’s ambiguous mystery will keep you scared as to how this has all happened, and Johnson’s lead performance will have you rooting for him to survive. Though it may not quite elevate itself beyond its inspiration, it does manage to feel like its own for the most part. |
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