a love letter to found footage brought to you by a scrappy crew of true fans
Happy New Year! We’re starting off 2026 strong by returning to my favorite sub genre in horror: found motha fuckin’ footage babyyyyyy.
Shout out to director Brendan Rudnicki and his team for their openness to feedback and obvious love for the genre. I stumbled on this film thanks to a post in r/foundfootage and, as someone significantly less talented than these folks, I admire their humility and passion. I’m excited to see them continue to grow and refine their craft.
Onto the review…
Honestly, for some amateur filmmakers, I was very impressed with this one. It’s a short-and-sweet 60 minute thrill ride that clearly draws inspiration from some of the greats (v Grave Encounters-coded for you Lance Preston fans out there). The film follows a ragtag crew of paranormal investigators filming the final episode of their web series, though not everyone is ready to fully let go…
starting with the positives:
The pacing of this movie was great. The suspense grips you from the very beginning and the short run-time prevents it from falling into some of the pitfalls of their predecessors (*cough cough* Grave Encounters). Not to mention there were some truly top-notch scenes. No spoilers… but particularly the knocking scene and then the final shot of the film? Chef’s kiss.
Also, I felt the cinematography was subtly impactful. The slow pans and frequent detail shots of the house keep you on the edge of your seat. There’s so much negative space that you’re never really quite sure where or when something spooky is going to appear. And I appreciate the restraint in not feeling the need to make every shot overtly scary, which really contributes to the suspense of the film overall. By the climax I was watching through my fingers and scanning the detail of every frame trying to prepare myself for the next scare…
Lastly, I love love LOVED the references to many of my favorite films in the broader category. The way they played with the red clown nose was reminiscent of the carnival balls from Hell House LLC Origins. The creepy clown masks that seemed to have a mind of their own, similar to the OG Hell House LLC. The dysfunctional paranormal crew, getting pushed beyond their limits by their clout-chasing, borderline psychopathic leader (see Grave Encounters, Gonjiam, Dead Stream). A creepy, supernatural VHS (ahem, Sinister, V/H/S, etc.)
This is a true love letter to the genre of found footage. Bravo.
Now, for some of the negatives.
Although I did like the short run-time, I think the team could’ve bought themselves an extra 5-10 minutes to develop a stronger setting and motivation. For a group of paranormal investigators, it didn’t really feel like they had any reason to be in that house. The premise is simply that there was a serial killer living there. They get there eventually with some passing dialogue, but it takes way too long to get there. I could see this film benefiting greatly from more opening context; e.g. a news broadcast hinting at an otherworldly connection with the killer or perhaps more time spent on the intro take with Tony and Amy discussing some rumors that his vengeful spirit still haunts this house… This is that extra bit of polish that really could’ve brought it all together for me, personally.
I was also a bit confused about the motivations of the crew throughout the film. There were tons of creepy, supernatural phenomena sprinkled in from the very start… but it felt like Tony and Amy didn’t want to engage with any of it. This is a veteran crew supposedly on their final episode of their web series, yet every time they get a whiff of something paranormal they immediately dismiss it. This felt inconsistent to me. I’d imagine they’d want to play up every little piece of content they can get until they realize they’re dealing with more than they bargained for. This is where I think they could’ve borrowed more inspiration from films like Gonjiam and Grave Encounters that execute this really well.
And what’s the deal with Katie? Why did they bring a fan with them? Why is this her favorite show? Why is this the final episode? These are additional layers that would have really elevated the story, in my opinion.
now, the rating.
Major kudos to you on this triumph, DBS films. Although I do have some constructive feedback, I was pretty entertained by this movie overall and I still can’t get over the final shot. Fucking sick.
Not quite the cream of the crop, but a genuinely fun film from a crew with a ton of potential. Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Have yourselves an
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