(2012) ***
Writer of true crime books Ellison Oswalt and his family move into a notorious murder house so he can research his next book. Right from the beginning strange things are happening to him while his wife, ignorant to these things has no idea that they are living in the actual house. Ellison finds a box in the attic containing some old super 8 films and a projector. He discovers that the films contain footage of the actual murder as well as 3 other families being murdered. He spots a shadowy figure with a creepy face in a couple of the films and begins investigating the connection between the murders. As he delves deeper into it he realizes he’s neck deep into something he should never have poked into.
I’m happy to say that this film actually does have some genuine scares in it. The overall ambiance is truly sinister so the name is very appropriate. The found footage films are the most spine-chilling part of the film and they keep going back to them. We are taken along with Ellison into that creepy icky feeling of watching something we shouldn’t be watching. He knows he should just turn the films over to the cops but he is blindsided by the dollar signs he is seeing upon the release of his new book. The film loses some steam as the mystery is revealed, better usage of the creepy faced Mr. Boogie would have suited me. Still, it has some truly chilling moments and was better than I’ve come to expect of recently done horror.
3 comments:
I just know that I'm going to like this - excellent summary!
One thing that annoyed me that I forgot to mention was the excessive shushing (you'll know what I mean when you see it).
JPX I bet you'll dig this one.
When the trailers were airing I was hoping it would have some game, and it looks like I'll dig it. Great point about the dwindling mystery factor; I consider myself warned.
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