A Bigfoot enthusiast boyfriend and a smart beautiful and ready to help out girlfriend go into the woods to capture definite proof about Bigfoot's existence. They set up camp for the night unaware about the danger that surrounds them............. Will they pay?
FOUND FOOTAGE!!! Yup. One more of those in my kitty. I know people are tired of the same sh!t but some of those can be brutal, as i have pointed out more than once in my blog. And after a long long break from my blog i tried to start with something more simpler. But this one maybe simple to explain but it isn't bad. Its terrific and terrifying!! Found footage with its personal style can freak you out if done perfectly. And this is not perfect. Not by any means. But still can wreak havoc on your blood pressure system. Its Blair Witch Project revisted with a different legend. And only just less scary. What the woods can do for your horror nobody can. I am not a camping enthusiast by any means but even if i was this would have put me off it for sometime atleast. So a great job done within the limited realms of the tired found footage genre. Haters something to chew on........
The biggest surprise for everyone would be the fact that this taut horror thriller is directed by Bob Goldthwait. The man known for his loud and garish satirical movies. The stand up comic and actor is the surprise package of the whole endeavour. Though i have yet to catch all his movies, this seems a brazen surprise as any. He sets up the plot brilliantly for the first 45 minutes and then slowly but surely goes for the kill. No hard running and fast action here to look to. Its just two characters out on an adventure to prove something. He has his protagonists meet many characters before their final adventure in the forest, for the routine interviews. And he wrote those brilliantly. It feels real. The dialogues and the situations just make us feel closer to the action and we are completely in sync with our lead actors. Once thats done the next 30 minutes of terror just nails it. Nothing over the top. Just cool and calm camera and sound work. Plus creepy locations And voila! we have a winner.
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| This is so romantic. Just kill me already!! |
Yes. While i have amply praised the director for his great work, this movie belongs to two unknown entities with awesome chemistry. And they are our lead actors of course. Alexie Gilmore(Kelly) has had bit roles in many Bob Goldthwait movies. She does excellent work here as a girl who accompanies her boyfriend just cos she likes to spend time with him. Her evolution from someone who doesn't believe and give a damn about Bigfoot to save me from it damsel in distress is amazing. And she steals the show no doubt. Bryce Johnson(Jim) also excels as the man who is excited about completing his dream of retracing Patterson's steps into the woods where he shot his famous Bigfoot footage. He is cocksure about its existence and revels in the area where everything is named after Bigfoot. There are statues, murals and motels. And burgers too. The couple take in the sights and scenes as our lady fantasizes about Bigfoot's big manthing. Some great scenes performed well by supporting artist during their interview scenes put a smile on our faces. And thanks to those we grow ever so close to our protagonists. When actors make us care they win. And these two are brilliant. They hold our attention for 79 minutes and no mean thing that.
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| I was joking. Please don't kill me!! |
Minimal camerawork and fast editing do no harm to this awesome horror piece. But the fact remains that the best scene and the one which will send shivers down your spine is the almost 20 minutes single take monster. As is the pattern with such kind of movies you will hear things and not see them which works in its advantage. The sound work done there is brilliant. For those long minutes you know something is very wrong and you imagine what it is but you also know there's no escape. Great work by the technicians.
HighTension Verdict: Found footage is a tired genre. But so is Rom com. Once in a while a movie comes which makes you sit up and take notice. This is one of those. So in hindsight you can say a genre is never dead. It needs one great movie to peak interest in it again. Bob Goldthwait of all people does the unthinkable and creates a creepy terrifying movie which can make you think twice about camping in the woods. With a lean runtime of 79 minutes he scores again. Plus that single 20 minute scene of terror is enough to give you heebie jeebies. A slow burn horror that relies on your imagination successfully to increase your heartbeat. A movie well done. More power to indie horror.
HighTension Meter: 7.5/10
Instead of a famous quote i'll leave you people with a link to the Bigfoot footage thing(for those unaware): Patterson Gimlin Footage
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