I guess that's too many genres for one movie, but I think they're all accurate.
The story revolves around an apparent spree-killing in a tiny, destitute Arizona border town near Nogales, Mx.
The main suspect is also an amatuer photog and though not initially found, when a roll of film that he had taken during the entire night of the killings is developed, the story takes on a much darker tone.
I have a soft spot in my heart for low budget horror films, but this one really is pretty high quality. Only one or two of the actors couldn't pull off the doc/reality part (the sherriff being the most annoying of them).
There is a bit of a twist at the end, when one of the characters' book is published, and a "cover-up" is potentially revealed, but for the most part this fizzles at the end unfortunately.
Over all, it's really well done for the resources they had, and the photo vs video aspect of the found "footage" was unique and really something I hadn't seen before.
If you like "The Bay" but weren't really into the heavy-handedness and lack of "fright" you may just like this a lot.
65 Reviews
Intense and effective--definitely a notch above the average "found-footage/pseudo documentary" horror films out there.
hinghammark27 September 2014
It seems like whenever I'm about to call it quits and give up on the whole tired deluge of mediocre "found footage"/"fake documentary" movies that have flooded the horror genre in recent years, one will come along and win me back by effectively using that narrative platform in clever and inventive ways that help better reveal their stories and characters.
As easy as it is to find dozens of bad examples of these kind of movies over the past few years, there have also been a few gems like THE CONSPIRACY and AFFLICTED that stand head and shoulders over the others and serve to demonstrate how much potential these kind of movies can have if they're done correctly.
I caught SAVAGELAND tonight as part of the New Orleans Horror Film Festival and, I'm happy to report, that it is definitely counts as another one of these "found-footage"/"fake documentary" gems that has, at least temporarily, restored my faith in that overplayed genre.
Told in news-footage/documentary style with the use of interviews, stock footage, etc., SAVAGELAND tells the story of the fictional massacre of an entire small Arizona border town and the one man, an illegal immigrant, arrested for the crime. But as more information and evidence comes to light, the audience is forced to delve deeper into the mystery of what really happened that night.
While I found the movie to be a little too long and repetitive in places, it is generally gripping and very intense. I also think the filmmakers may have given the answers away to the audience a little too easily and a little too soon in the movie, but as a whole, SAVAGELAND succeeds at using its' documentary format to draw you into the story and identify with the characters.
If you're like me and are constantly looking for a beacon of light at the end of the long tunnel of mediocre found-footage horror movies, I recommend checking out SAVAGELAND.
As easy as it is to find dozens of bad examples of these kind of movies over the past few years, there have also been a few gems like THE CONSPIRACY and AFFLICTED that stand head and shoulders over the others and serve to demonstrate how much potential these kind of movies can have if they're done correctly.
I caught SAVAGELAND tonight as part of the New Orleans Horror Film Festival and, I'm happy to report, that it is definitely counts as another one of these "found-footage"/"fake documentary" gems that has, at least temporarily, restored my faith in that overplayed genre.
Told in news-footage/documentary style with the use of interviews, stock footage, etc., SAVAGELAND tells the story of the fictional massacre of an entire small Arizona border town and the one man, an illegal immigrant, arrested for the crime. But as more information and evidence comes to light, the audience is forced to delve deeper into the mystery of what really happened that night.
While I found the movie to be a little too long and repetitive in places, it is generally gripping and very intense. I also think the filmmakers may have given the answers away to the audience a little too easily and a little too soon in the movie, but as a whole, SAVAGELAND succeeds at using its' documentary format to draw you into the story and identify with the characters.
If you're like me and are constantly looking for a beacon of light at the end of the long tunnel of mediocre found-footage horror movies, I recommend checking out SAVAGELAND.
Mostly fake reviews but they're not all that wrong
brandonlewissmu4 August 2019
Unlike the fake 9 and 10/10 reviews, I'll keep it honest and give it a 6. Interesting story and the images are indeed creepy. The problem is, at about 30 minutes in, it's like alright cool, we get the point..now what? What's the twist or turning point gonna be? Well, there's not one. It just continues the same formula..talk, interview, show a couple more scary photos, reinforcing what we already know, and repeat.
Over and over.
The best way I could describe this is as a one trick pony. You could turn it off after 30 minutes and you'd have gotten the story, minus a few other creepy pics.
I love found footage movies so I'll throw it a 6/10. I can't see traditional viewers enjoying it. **The best part of the movie is an enlightening statement made by a photographer they're interviewing. He talks about the false sense of security you get when looking at scary events through a lens as it makes you feel detached and safe. A great point..logic that should apply to found footage films..kill that whole "why is he still filming complaint
I love found footage movies so I'll throw it a 6/10. I can't see traditional viewers enjoying it. **The best part of the movie is an enlightening statement made by a photographer they're interviewing. He talks about the false sense of security you get when looking at scary events through a lens as it makes you feel detached and safe. A great point..logic that should apply to found footage films..kill that whole "why is he still filming complaint
Interesting take on a well worn theme
ArcherAdam16 December 2020
I didn't expect nearly as much as I got, particularly with such a low budget, but it delivered. The film actually doesn't spend much time with the man charged in the murder of an entire town, but instead we get to see what he saw that night using a set of blurry, yet unsettling photos depicting the carnage that went on as he made his way through town. There is no shortage of plot holes that can't be so easily filled in with the racism theme the movie is going for, but the creep factor is dialed to 11. You catch on to what is happening fairly early into the movie, but the most interesting thing is the way it makes an old trope feel new. You'll have a much better experience with it if you avoid any and all spoilers.
Interesting and unique mockumentary. Wasn't as effective as it could have been.
frankblack-7996113 September 2020
This was a good mockumentary, I was a little bored during a good portion. I liked the way it was presented, but it could have been a lot more effective if more of the film dealt with a broader scope of events. Something like this would have had much more of an effect on the surrounding areas, if going by the way the film portrays they happened. Still good though. Just a little slow paced.
It's all in your Head...
ariefadityatubagus41320 December 2017
Here's the theory, the scariest yet beautiful place in this whole universe is our imagination., and this movie will help us to prove this theory.
Found footage/documentary, since blair witch project and paranormal activity was dominated horror genre in recent year, but it was hard to mention a good one , either it was too cliche, repetitive, meaningless or as simply as didn't scary at all. With all my disappointed, then, i decided to give it a go with this movie.
i was expecting a few teenager, using their camera, drone, google glass, will make a stupid trip into a haunted land, and they got eaten or killed one by one by a ghost, which is recorded on camera.
But, this movie didn't deliver this. it was just series of interview about what happened in some little town which lost all of its resident in one night.
there's no ghost. monsters, serial killer caught on cams, really...
if there's no explanation, that it was a movie, maybe some of us would believe it was a real events. without no well-known actor, i felt that i watched some real interview.
but, the best part was not about the concept. but how this movie played our imagination, what really happened in those town is reveals by the series of chronological interview, and that made me imagine the tragedy that killed 52 persons. there's no explanation about what's really happened, but it was just happens. i didn't think i ever watched similar movie. it has no jump scare moment, cheap CGI, disturbing score, or even a protagonist, but i didn't need it to enjoy a movie as a whole package.
kudos!!
A decent mockumentary
billyfriedrich9 April 2019
Unique!
anikb-8709915 June 2021
Whoever came up with the concept of this film is a genius or rather i would say "savage". This is not your conventional zombie apocalypse film it takes a whole new approach to narrate it.
Basically, it is a mockumentary where two parties have to decide whether a man named "Salazar" found guilty of mass murdering an entire town is really guilty or not because the photos that he clicked the night those murders took place, suggest something completely different and terrifying.
So this is basically the two parties discussing/debating the night of the deadly incident through those 36 photos that Salazar took. The narration is quite interesting and as you hear it out along with looking at the pictures, you have to imagine what happened.
The photos are enough to give you an insomnia attack if you watch it at night. However, the film as a whole might not terrify you exactly. Also, it is a very straightforward film with no twists and turns which i didn't like exactly. Nothing to talk about performances as there is not much acting only talking.
Overall, i would suggest you give it a try cuz it is a different kind of film that attempts to have a unique take on an old concept. Watch out for the photos i really felt black and white photos of demons were way more scary than actually seeing one in motion.
Basically, it is a mockumentary where two parties have to decide whether a man named "Salazar" found guilty of mass murdering an entire town is really guilty or not because the photos that he clicked the night those murders took place, suggest something completely different and terrifying.
So this is basically the two parties discussing/debating the night of the deadly incident through those 36 photos that Salazar took. The narration is quite interesting and as you hear it out along with looking at the pictures, you have to imagine what happened.
The photos are enough to give you an insomnia attack if you watch it at night. However, the film as a whole might not terrify you exactly. Also, it is a very straightforward film with no twists and turns which i didn't like exactly. Nothing to talk about performances as there is not much acting only talking.
Overall, i would suggest you give it a try cuz it is a different kind of film that attempts to have a unique take on an old concept. Watch out for the photos i really felt black and white photos of demons were way more scary than actually seeing one in motion.
A great concept that just gets a little sloppy in places
jtindahouse19 December 2020
The synopsis for 'Savageland' is great. It's hard to read that and not want to immediately watch the film. The film treats itself as documentary (or a mockumentary if you will) and yet it quite strangely does some things that a documentary would never do, like have its interviewees swear for example. It also fails to really drive home just what we are looking at in these photos. I assume they wanted the audience's imagination to run wild, but to not have any character speculation is just bizarre. I did enjoy this film but some little things like that held me back from entirely loving it.
I liked the way the photos were created. Some were especially creepy. Because the story is a retelling of past events it is never able to be scary, and so the only real horror element is can provide is the eerie photos it offers. It was imperative that they did these well and got them right, otherwise the film would have nothing to offer. Luckily they did.
This is a short film at a scratch over 80 minutes. I think that was a good thing because by the end it is getting a little repetitive and running out of ideas. I had a good time with 'Savageland' and would say it is worth a look, but just don't get your expectations too high.
I liked the way the photos were created. Some were especially creepy. Because the story is a retelling of past events it is never able to be scary, and so the only real horror element is can provide is the eerie photos it offers. It was imperative that they did these well and got them right, otherwise the film would have nothing to offer. Luckily they did.
This is a short film at a scratch over 80 minutes. I think that was a good thing because by the end it is getting a little repetitive and running out of ideas. I had a good time with 'Savageland' and would say it is worth a look, but just don't get your expectations too high.
Creepy but with no payoff
moviefansme22 February 2015
This story is a fictional documentary. Very creepy in the way the story builds, but then when it's time to explain what happened, there's nothing. Do these events make sense? We'll never know. How disappointing.
Like the podcast "Serial," this film attempts to uncover what really happened one night when the residents of a small town in Arizona on the Mixican border are massacred, mutilated, and disappeared. It focuses on determining the involvement--guilty or innocent--of the lone survivor, arrested for the apparent crimes and railroaded toward a death sentence.
Not really a mockumentary--it's not making fun of documentaries--but a documentary style of storytelling to recount a fake event. Not really found footage but found photos. The content, documentary style, is mainly interviews with law enforcement, journalists, and photography experts. The discussion is illustrated with clips from a jail house confession and photos taken of the event as it unfolded. A 3-D drawing of the town shows what occurred when and where. The photos are unclear, adding to the mystery of what happened. Likewise, the survivor is alternatingly uncommunicative and incoherent, open to interpretation of what really happened and how he was involved.
For this style of storytelling--where you're told what happened, not shown--the film is pretty good. Tension builds as everyone interprets the vague evidence according to their own biases. As the documentary tries to unravel what really happened, each revelation is even more horrific. I kept thinking, "I can't wait to find out what really caused this!" Unfortunately, I never did. My rating is 8 for most of the film but 2 for the ending.
Like the podcast "Serial," this film attempts to uncover what really happened one night when the residents of a small town in Arizona on the Mixican border are massacred, mutilated, and disappeared. It focuses on determining the involvement--guilty or innocent--of the lone survivor, arrested for the apparent crimes and railroaded toward a death sentence.
Not really a mockumentary--it's not making fun of documentaries--but a documentary style of storytelling to recount a fake event. Not really found footage but found photos. The content, documentary style, is mainly interviews with law enforcement, journalists, and photography experts. The discussion is illustrated with clips from a jail house confession and photos taken of the event as it unfolded. A 3-D drawing of the town shows what occurred when and where. The photos are unclear, adding to the mystery of what happened. Likewise, the survivor is alternatingly uncommunicative and incoherent, open to interpretation of what really happened and how he was involved.
For this style of storytelling--where you're told what happened, not shown--the film is pretty good. Tension builds as everyone interprets the vague evidence according to their own biases. As the documentary tries to unravel what really happened, each revelation is even more horrific. I kept thinking, "I can't wait to find out what really caused this!" Unfortunately, I never did. My rating is 8 for most of the film but 2 for the ending.
Unexpected gem--CAUTION-spoilers below
crajen22 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Found this movie because a friend put me onto it and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I liked the fact that everything was NOT completely explained. The movie built up the tension as the initial focus was on this survivor (of course how one guy could supposedly wipe out 57 people and get rid of all of their bodies in a few hours--go figure, BUT I know they were poking fun at the 'good ole boy' sheriff and townspeople).
I thought the minimal use of "found footage" was a lot more powerful than a whole movie in that format--good work!
I liked the escalation and the side characters trying to decide what really went on.
Really good horror. Good enough I'll watch it again and probably add it to my collection!
I liked the fact that everything was NOT completely explained. The movie built up the tension as the initial focus was on this survivor (of course how one guy could supposedly wipe out 57 people and get rid of all of their bodies in a few hours--go figure, BUT I know they were poking fun at the 'good ole boy' sheriff and townspeople).
I thought the minimal use of "found footage" was a lot more powerful than a whole movie in that format--good work!
I liked the escalation and the side characters trying to decide what really went on.
Really good horror. Good enough I'll watch it again and probably add it to my collection!
Still asleep
andrewmcl83-170-7644161 September 2019
There was absolutely nothing horrific in this horror movie except a couple pictures with some smudged zombie looking faces. You get lost wondering if it's a documentary about racism or the worst movie ever about zombies and I have no idea how people are giving this movie eights and nines for their rating
Surprisingly Good
holzermhol31 March 2018
I went into this movie with low expectations and by the end of it I was genuinely surprised at how good it was. I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie which is funny in retrospect considering there wasn't a single action scene. The director really knew how to keep the entire movie in a state of suspense.
Chilling mockumentary, with minor flaws
ranwulfs8 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This one will stick with me for a while. It's the photos, of course: they're just blurry enough to keep you guessing what's going on. Then you see the last one, and it's all over but the shouting. A bit of background story into where the zombies for lack of a better word came from would have been nice, but not absolutely necessary. At first Salazar's refusal to speak on his own behalf was frustrating to me, but then I considered the trauma he had been through and I realized he probably just wanted to be put out of his own misery at this point. Fictional yes, but imagine what some people IRL have seen - war, homicide, torture, etc. - and I kind of understand his eventually going catatonic. I think my only real complaints are: 1) the photos being ruled inadmissible as evidence. How would Salazar have had time to photoshop any of them? It's a stupid statement that wouldn't hold water. 2) At the end of the day, no one in his or her right mind would believe for a moment that one person was capable of killing that many people without resistance in a single night without a gun, and a rapid fire variety at that. What bodies were found were frequently far apart, mutilated inexplicably, and some had even lept off of a water tower. Certainly, someone would have resisted and fought back, as one of the victim's family members states. Even The Good Old boy racist jackass sheriff wouldn't have been able to railroad a case like this through the court, and there I think we lose a tiny thread of reality. Or as much reality can be expected in a movie about zombies. Still and all, a great found footage entry, and quite a few notches above average. I'd recommend it for fans of the genre, or people like me who just like a scary movie.
Above average F.F movie
dieharddave4416 February 2021
After spending half an hour looking for a decent horror movie to watch on Prime, I came across this little gem. Started a little slow but the story and very good acting keeps you interested and wanting more. Very creepy concept, using photos as opposed to a shakey cam, made it more tolerable to watch. Recommended.
Amateurish snoozefest of a pseudo-doc
Larry-11524 February 2017
Diluted pseudo-doc that leans heavily on ominous music and blurry photography to hint at awful activities on the Arizona/Mexico border. It tries to present itself as a hard hitting expose doc, complete with iconoclastic investigative reporter, but it's flat and lame because we know it's all phony and there isn't much success at suspending the sense of disbelief. When we finally get glimpses of what really happened it all looks very high school play, and you will roll your eyes in disappointment.
The pic also tries to be a statement about US discrimination against Mexican immigrants but the analogy is a bit heavy handed and not very thoughtfully presented.
All that aside, and that's a lot to try to put aside, this amateurish production commits the cardinal offense for a horror movie: it's not in the least bit scary and is deeply boring.
My sense from the IMDb rating that suckered me into renting this is that it was logrolled by people involved in the production. I'm sure as more people see it and roll their eyes the rating will come down but in the meantime, don't make my mistake.
The pic also tries to be a statement about US discrimination against Mexican immigrants but the analogy is a bit heavy handed and not very thoughtfully presented.
All that aside, and that's a lot to try to put aside, this amateurish production commits the cardinal offense for a horror movie: it's not in the least bit scary and is deeply boring.
My sense from the IMDb rating that suckered me into renting this is that it was logrolled by people involved in the production. I'm sure as more people see it and roll their eyes the rating will come down but in the meantime, don't make my mistake.
A must see for true horror fans.
daighowe14 February 2018
Sometimes the trailers lie...not this time. For some reason, this movie took some digging to find, a part from its trailers. As far as this sub-genre goes, this movie will be hard to top. I usually fast forward or pause a film, not this time. Not quite a mystery. More like a puzzle that someone keeps handing you pieces of, and even after you can see the basic shape, the pieces keep coming faster.
By my usual 3 categories; story, acting, effects. 1, The story was interest all round. From how it was told; using video interviews, photos, and lastly a clip of found video, and point of view. Pacing was near perfect as we are carried a long. Skillfully put together. 2, the acting was really well done, very believable, no over acting. 3, effects. How do I explain this without spoilers? There is a definite art to what is clearly shown and what is indistinct, hinted at, in a horror movie. This balance was masterfully achieved in this movie. There are no big budget effects. In truth only one small snippet of live action at the end. Mostly its done with B&W photographs taken by the main character. 30 some photos that will leave you very uncomfortable. This film has a great sense of realism. The movie ends, but the story goes on.
By my usual 3 categories; story, acting, effects. 1, The story was interest all round. From how it was told; using video interviews, photos, and lastly a clip of found video, and point of view. Pacing was near perfect as we are carried a long. Skillfully put together. 2, the acting was really well done, very believable, no over acting. 3, effects. How do I explain this without spoilers? There is a definite art to what is clearly shown and what is indistinct, hinted at, in a horror movie. This balance was masterfully achieved in this movie. There are no big budget effects. In truth only one small snippet of live action at the end. Mostly its done with B&W photographs taken by the main character. 30 some photos that will leave you very uncomfortable. This film has a great sense of realism. The movie ends, but the story goes on.
Interesting, different...
AndyVanScoyoc10 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Slow...very slow, but worth a watch.
A very different take on zombie films and though this movie leaves a lot to be desired, a definite "A" for effort.
Loads of plot holes and I really don't understand the lack of cast listing.
This film is listed here on the IMDb, so it's obviously not real footage, so the lack of listing of ALL cast members is not only a disservice to them, but extremely frustrating.
Some trivia on parts of the film that were actually interesting, would have been wonderful.
Such as, the town. Was it a real town, possibly abandoned? It looked like it and being a film maker myself, trivia is always an important part of helping immerse a viewer in the world you're creating.
More explanation into how the border zombies came to be and less on the survivor, would have helped.
As I said...great concept, good movie...but needed a LOT of help to see its full potential.
A very different take on zombie films and though this movie leaves a lot to be desired, a definite "A" for effort.
Loads of plot holes and I really don't understand the lack of cast listing.
This film is listed here on the IMDb, so it's obviously not real footage, so the lack of listing of ALL cast members is not only a disservice to them, but extremely frustrating.
Some trivia on parts of the film that were actually interesting, would have been wonderful.
Such as, the town. Was it a real town, possibly abandoned? It looked like it and being a film maker myself, trivia is always an important part of helping immerse a viewer in the world you're creating.
More explanation into how the border zombies came to be and less on the survivor, would have helped.
As I said...great concept, good movie...but needed a LOT of help to see its full potential.
More sewage than savage
janedoe53005 June 2022
I admire the idea behind this, the vision, the attempt at making something unique, or at least quite different. But the admiration ends there, unequivocally. This is the most boring piece of slop I've ever seen pretend to be horror.
My first problem with this mockumentary, is that the directors seem to think, that to make it look real, they need to have interviews with the same people in different locations. I've hardly ever seen that in a real doc, people are interviewed once, in one location, but here the locations change, and all it does is confuse the viewer.
The second thing I found annoying was the overt political commentary. We get it, the whole town, not least of all the police, are racist bigots, they are white trash morons, they are the scum of the earth! Subtlety goes a long way in conveying social commentary, this is just so in your face, the directors might as well have made a tape of themselves shouting "all white people in southern states are evil" for 20 minutes.
Then there is the issue of the portrayal of victims. Granted, in true documentary style, a lot of the victims are getting a significant amount of screen time dedicated to them and their "memory". Whether this is done solely to maintain the illusion of a real documentary, or if it's also meant to have some sort of emotional resonance, I couldn't say. All I can say is that it's boring, and it takes up waaaay too much time! The idea that anyone would feel empathy (or any other emotion for that matter) watching home videos and hearing tearful remembrances of fake dead people, which seems to be the idea the directors had, is preposterous. It is insanely boring, to the point of being obnoxious.
Another annoying aspect, is Salazars inability to answer a question within 5 minutes. We get it, he's traumatized, and yes, once again, that might be the most realistic behavior. But even a REAL documentary, at least a decent one, would cut those long silences in post production, because when you've seen a man take forever to answer a simple question more than once, you get it, he is shock, it has been established, moving on. Not here, we are treated to the same coma inducing interview time and time again.
Last, but not least, the element of the still pictures, basically the center for the whole film, admirable as the vision and attempt is (like I said before), is just not effective as a horror trope. It's not scary, and since we know this is a work of fiction, albeit masquerading as fact, there is no suspense. We expect the pictures to be increasingly horrible (which they aren't), but knowing this is fiction, there are no limits to what we might see, and it eliminates any curiosity. In a real documentary we would be on the edge of our seats to know what the living hell is going on, but in a work of fiction, we know it's something monstrous. Another problem is that since we already know the story, the pictures are left revealing very little else than WHAT exactly killed the town. A better film would have let the pictures tell the story, but here we already have all the facts, the story is already over, before it even begins: A town has been wiped out, there is one survivor, he is obviously innocent, he has pictures of the whole thing to prove it, but the racists won't believe him, he is convicted, and his appeal is rejected. The only thing left to tell us, is what the creatures look like, and how they work, and the film takes an hour to do this, utilizing (of course) the most blurred series of black and white photographs ever taken in the history of mankind, because scary (at one point a "professional photographer" even calls the pictures perfect, as if that line is supposed to make us think the pictures are anything less than ridiculously bad).
This started off slow, and turned into nothing short of a boring mess of a film. If you wanna watch a great mockumentary horror, watch Lake Mungo (2008). In fact, watch anything but this drag.
My first problem with this mockumentary, is that the directors seem to think, that to make it look real, they need to have interviews with the same people in different locations. I've hardly ever seen that in a real doc, people are interviewed once, in one location, but here the locations change, and all it does is confuse the viewer.
The second thing I found annoying was the overt political commentary. We get it, the whole town, not least of all the police, are racist bigots, they are white trash morons, they are the scum of the earth! Subtlety goes a long way in conveying social commentary, this is just so in your face, the directors might as well have made a tape of themselves shouting "all white people in southern states are evil" for 20 minutes.
Then there is the issue of the portrayal of victims. Granted, in true documentary style, a lot of the victims are getting a significant amount of screen time dedicated to them and their "memory". Whether this is done solely to maintain the illusion of a real documentary, or if it's also meant to have some sort of emotional resonance, I couldn't say. All I can say is that it's boring, and it takes up waaaay too much time! The idea that anyone would feel empathy (or any other emotion for that matter) watching home videos and hearing tearful remembrances of fake dead people, which seems to be the idea the directors had, is preposterous. It is insanely boring, to the point of being obnoxious.
Another annoying aspect, is Salazars inability to answer a question within 5 minutes. We get it, he's traumatized, and yes, once again, that might be the most realistic behavior. But even a REAL documentary, at least a decent one, would cut those long silences in post production, because when you've seen a man take forever to answer a simple question more than once, you get it, he is shock, it has been established, moving on. Not here, we are treated to the same coma inducing interview time and time again.
Last, but not least, the element of the still pictures, basically the center for the whole film, admirable as the vision and attempt is (like I said before), is just not effective as a horror trope. It's not scary, and since we know this is a work of fiction, albeit masquerading as fact, there is no suspense. We expect the pictures to be increasingly horrible (which they aren't), but knowing this is fiction, there are no limits to what we might see, and it eliminates any curiosity. In a real documentary we would be on the edge of our seats to know what the living hell is going on, but in a work of fiction, we know it's something monstrous. Another problem is that since we already know the story, the pictures are left revealing very little else than WHAT exactly killed the town. A better film would have let the pictures tell the story, but here we already have all the facts, the story is already over, before it even begins: A town has been wiped out, there is one survivor, he is obviously innocent, he has pictures of the whole thing to prove it, but the racists won't believe him, he is convicted, and his appeal is rejected. The only thing left to tell us, is what the creatures look like, and how they work, and the film takes an hour to do this, utilizing (of course) the most blurred series of black and white photographs ever taken in the history of mankind, because scary (at one point a "professional photographer" even calls the pictures perfect, as if that line is supposed to make us think the pictures are anything less than ridiculously bad).
This started off slow, and turned into nothing short of a boring mess of a film. If you wanna watch a great mockumentary horror, watch Lake Mungo (2008). In fact, watch anything but this drag.
Really enjoyed this
dominicjarvis-0726926 February 2017
Horror, tension, gore, mystery. Really enjoyed this film. An excellent faux- documentary with a very genuine cast. Clearly a lot of thought went into it, and a lot of love for genre filmmaking. Would love to see more films out there like this. From start to finish, it doesn't let you go, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. Definitely will watch again, and hope to see more from these filmmakers in the future. Would be great to see more.
They had me for a minute
emtdarlane-764-75483910 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Not bad. Some truly outstanding moulage, interesting camera work and believable characters. I bought it. So much so, that I have to admit as a 55 year old lifelong Arizonan, I actually didn't really catch on until the effing sheriff. Halfway through the movie. Yup, hook line and sinker. I did keep asking myself "where the heck was I when all this went down?" Joke's on me. Well done indeed. It's all in good fun. Most sincerely, have a look.
Lake Mungo this ain't
themongoose9328 December 2020
I was recommended this movie by someone who loved Lake Mungo as much as I do, so I came in with above-average expectations. Well, I can say that the structure of this "documentary" didn't work well with the found-footage elements, although it came close. What I wanted was a story almost entirely grounded in reality, but with subtle hints of inexplicable things that built over time. This movie is structured to remove much of the mystery from the very beginning, so there's no subtle horror as I expected.
Great concept, but many flaws in execution.
jpfordguy20 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
As a whole, this is a good movie, and pretty creepy. The acting is, for the most part, solid. However, there are some REALLY BIG flaws that just spoil the movie. For one, the only survivor of the town is an illegal alien whose first language happens to be English (his Spanish accent is horrible). The next thing is that they drag politics into the mix, adding an Alex Jones local clone in there for spice. The problem is that someone like Alex Jones would be more apt to delve into the photos and conspiracy than what the script presents. The portrayal of the sheriff is good at times, and at others pretty obvious. The guys in the bar? A prime representation of what an LA screenwriter's concept of town locals would be, in that it is stereotypical, one-dimensional, and about 160 degrees out of phase with reality. The phone call of the pastor as part of the "evidence" is completely ridiculous, and - again - sounds like some LA screenwriter's concept of local pastor gone mad, but missing the mark by a wide margin. The movie went into a lot of miscellaneous detail about the families of the victims and the background of the sheriff that could have been completely lopped off and no one would have noticed. Lastly, there is all of this evidence laid out, and all of this material gone over, and yet absolutely no conclusions about what it was that killed the residents of the town. And that's pretty much what made me kind of mad that I spent all of this time wading through the film, only to end up with basically nothing.
That being said, much of the rest was done pretty well. The narration of events, coupled with the pictures keep you engaged through the film. And while they were a distraction in the narrative, the interviews with the family members were actually very well done. How they lay down each event as described by the pictures is very good. The most notable part of the film is the interviews with the "professional photographer" that I found bolstered the whole tone and direction of the film.
So, a bit of a mixed bag. I would have REALLY liked this thing if they had just tightened things up a bit. Maybe they'll do that in a sequel. Who knows...?
That being said, much of the rest was done pretty well. The narration of events, coupled with the pictures keep you engaged through the film. And while they were a distraction in the narrative, the interviews with the family members were actually very well done. How they lay down each event as described by the pictures is very good. The most notable part of the film is the interviews with the "professional photographer" that I found bolstered the whole tone and direction of the film.
So, a bit of a mixed bag. I would have REALLY liked this thing if they had just tightened things up a bit. Maybe they'll do that in a sequel. Who knows...?
A hidden gem.
korkysyard8 January 2023
Call me what you want but I love the found footage horror genre. I can't get enough of it. So imagine my delight when I stumbled across this little beauty on a Facebook horror group. Made in a documentary type of way. Yesss you'll get so many horror and movie fans saying the genre has been done to death but then so has every genre of the horror world. What we need now are just better films of the genres to watch. Anyway back to the film. Its hard to give a review for this without spoilers. A man is arrested for the mass grizzly murders of a town and we see the case of what he's supposed to have done and what evidence they have etc etc. It had the wow factor for me and I can't recommend it enough. Go see it.
Very smart
brunovanael27 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This review doesn't contain any real spoilers except from one. I was really wondering throughout this film if any of this was based on facts. And here comes the spoiler. After googling I found it was the directors main goal to convince the audience this was real. Well... job well done. You had me googling. Very smart.
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