Planning to visit Birmingham in two weeks with a friend,I decided to check the listings for upcoming releases at The Electric Cinema (the oldest working cinema in the UK) in Birmingham. Going down the listings,I was surprised to find a screening taking place with a Q&A by the cast/crew this weekend,this led to me quickly grabbing a "Gin Jarmusch" and meeting the Spook Hunter.
View on the film:
Inspired to make the film after chatting on the way home about how disappointing they had found Conjuring 2 to be, co-writers/co-directors Kathryn MacCorgarry Gray & Daniel Rands make a impressive feature debut, featuring sly visual gags on jump scares and the Found Footage genre. Made on a low budget and in a fake documentary format,the directors do very well at not breaking the rules (such as not placing it at angles where it would be impossible to hold) that many fake doc/Found Footage flicks break,thanks to the documentary crew following Matty squeezing into each room to capture him "curing" the Damon-Murray family.
Visiting the Damon-Murray haunted house, the screenplay by Gray & Rands lays out a scattering of Horror moments leading to a spooky twists that allows for a jolly spoofing of ghost hunting shows. Doing spook hunting as a part time job, the writers give the dialogue a fake documentary "in the moment" feel, as Matty hilariously stumbles awkwardly into letting out too much info, such as that this part-time ghost hunting is used for him to pick up women, and cringe-inducting comments on Africa and Jason Bourne. Appearing in every scene, Matt van Niftrik gives a excellent deadpan, completely lacking in self-awareness as Matty, who unintentionally becomes a real spook hunter.
View on the film:
Inspired to make the film after chatting on the way home about how disappointing they had found Conjuring 2 to be, co-writers/co-directors Kathryn MacCorgarry Gray & Daniel Rands make a impressive feature debut, featuring sly visual gags on jump scares and the Found Footage genre. Made on a low budget and in a fake documentary format,the directors do very well at not breaking the rules (such as not placing it at angles where it would be impossible to hold) that many fake doc/Found Footage flicks break,thanks to the documentary crew following Matty squeezing into each room to capture him "curing" the Damon-Murray family.
Visiting the Damon-Murray haunted house, the screenplay by Gray & Rands lays out a scattering of Horror moments leading to a spooky twists that allows for a jolly spoofing of ghost hunting shows. Doing spook hunting as a part time job, the writers give the dialogue a fake documentary "in the moment" feel, as Matty hilariously stumbles awkwardly into letting out too much info, such as that this part-time ghost hunting is used for him to pick up women, and cringe-inducting comments on Africa and Jason Bourne. Appearing in every scene, Matt van Niftrik gives a excellent deadpan, completely lacking in self-awareness as Matty, who unintentionally becomes a real spook hunter.
