David Jung is a first time director/writer who has brought his first feature to the table with The Possession Of Michael King. Jung did a hell of a job with his first film and I’m excited to see what he does next, but sadly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this flick.
I watch and review a lot of found footage films so I feel I’m well versed in the subgenre. I’m one of those people who love these movies and want to see more of them. When Willow Creek was released I thought it was going to get pooped on because it was not only found footage but also directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, coming off films like God Bless America and World’s Greatest Dad. Following up these movies with a found footage horror film about Bigfoot is not what anyone would expect but I was pleasantly surprised with the idea.
Found footage films are getting more eyerolls every year, it seems. I’m a huge fan of this subgenre but I will be the first to admit there are some films out there that are not that great. Also, the ones that are not that great are the more popular ones for some reason and that I just don’t get.
Ever since The Legend Of Boggy Creek there has been a plethora of Bigfoot films. Luckily Bigfoot is something I’m slightly obsessed with, so I love how this has become a full-blown subgenre that is still booming to this day.
Suspense is vital to the horror genre. Blood and guts can be effective, true, but without suspense, they’re just gore. Filmmaker Ti West has proven that he can build tension in a film until we’re begging for release. The House of the Devil was a master class in how to freak the hell out of audiences starved for actual scares. Plus, it’s just a great movie. The Innkeepers was less terrifying, but still worthwhile, and West’s contribution to the first V/H/S found footage anthology, “Second Honeymoon” is one of the few films in the last five years to make me sleep with the lights on. What’s most impressive about that is the way absolutely nothing happens in the film for the longest time, so the payoff is inexplicably frightening.
All of this made me extremely excited for The Sacrament, especially since West was once again tackling found footage (a style which I quite like), but this time using the real-life events at Jonestown as the basis for his film. It makes me sad to report that The Sacrament did not live up to my expectations.
The Bay, 2012
On the evening of May 20, 2014, Jeffery X Martin was asked to write an article on the best ten found footage films ever made. He told his wife he was about to start work on it. After a few hours of furious typing, and a couple of stiff drinks, he went to bed to dream his little dreamy-dreams. The next morning, this list you are about to read was found on Martin’s desktop. After a furious search, Martin was discovered in his living room, eating soft-boiled eggs and watching professional wrestling matches from 1987. He sent the article in to his editor, who presents it to you now, as she received it.
As we all know and as I’ve said before: found footage movies usually get an eye roll, which you can hear miles away when those films are announced. Sure, people claim this way of telling a story is just a gimmick, but that is incorrect. I give this method of storytelling praise if it is executed without being used as one. Using found footage to tell a story is special to me in many ways. Mostly it’s because these stories are told from a person’s point of view, which can make something more terrifying and real. That doesn’t happen in all cases, of course, and is not the case with Mr. Jones.
A lot of filmmakers think that they can get away with putting an older horror film actor in their movie for five minutes and then slap them on the front cover as if they are the lead in the film. Trust me, we all know this trick by now and we don’t fall for it. This happens every Tuesday when new films come out and sadly, we quickly dismiss films like this. It seems they rely solely on getting an older horror actor in order to sell the movie because without a name attached to it, it won’t go anywhere.
Dead Of The Nite isn’t a bad film but it is quite uneventful to say the least. Tony Todd is, of course, on the cover but is only in the film for a brief time. He is actually the best part of the movie.
When I first heard about the upcoming horror movie, Found Footage 3D, I immediately got on Twitter to make fun of it. Oh, don’t act like you’re shocked. The real surprise for me happened when the director of the movie, Steven DeGennaro, saw my tweet and engaged me in a civil conversation. That’s the inherent joy and terror of Twitter; you never know who’s reading. After talking to Steven for a while, I moved out of mockery mode and into curiosity. That led to research.
Steven DeGennaro previously directed the short film, First Date. For his new movie, he is working closely with horror icon Kim Henkel, co-writer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That certainly intrigued me. Then, I had the opportunity to talk to Steven DeGennaro at the end of last month.
Renny Harlin has brought us many great films throughout his career, making a name for himself through action films. So what happens when Harlin wants to do a found footage horror film? I’m down. Recently Harlin brought us Devil’s Pass, a.k.a. The Dyatlov Pass Incident, which was inspired by true events.