found footage Archives ⋆

Hell House LLC

Posted by :MickMac On : March 31, 2018

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Tags:documentary, Hell House, haunted attraction, found footage

“What happens when a haunted attraction goes wrong and the fear is real?!”

Ahhhh found footage horror. This is a genre known all too well by horror fans as of late. Over the past decade or so it has pretty much become a staple in the community ever since the flood gates were opened with the release of Paranormal Activity. It could even go back further to the iconic film The Blair Witch Project. Or, for the purists, we could trace it back to the Godfather of the genre with the cult classic Cannibal Holocaust! The problem with found footage films is that since the release of these classics, pretty much everyone who can operate a camera thought they could make a horror movie. However, true fans know that it’s not as easy as it looks.

Well, once in a while a true gem comes along that breathes new life back into this hit or miss trend. In 2016, a little known film popped up on VOD formats that got everyone talking….. Hell House LLC! Written and directed by Stephen Cognetti, this is found footage done the way it’s supposed to be! Winner of Best Paranormal Film at the Fear Fete Film Festival in October of 2015, it’s sure to send a chill down your spine.

THE PLOT

The film follows a traveling haunted attraction company called Hell House as they gear up for another Halloween season by setting up in an abandoned hotel just outside of New York. Led by Alex (Danny Bellini), who is strongly business-minded and won’t settle for anything less than perfect execution. The rest of the crew include his loyal and supportive girlfriend Sara (Ryan Jennifer Jones), jokester Paul (Gore Abrams), and his two technical prop guys Tony (Jared Hacker) and Andrew (Adam Schneider).

The film is a bit Tarantino-ish starting out 5 years after an apparent “malfunction” of the attraction, which resulted in tragedy. A documentary crew led by Diane Graves (Alice Bahlke) tries to piece everything together and get down to the bottom of what happened that October night. As she interviews local authorities and witnesses, it starts to become clear that more went on at that hotel than what has been revealed to the public. Surprisingly, one of the survivors is Sara herself who agrees to let the documentary crew review all the footage taken from inside the hotel where Hell House was set up. It’s here that all the questions are answered, and the truth about what happened is shockingly revealed!

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

I can confidently say that this is one of the BEST found footage movies I’ve seen in a long time! To say that it’s flawless may be a stretch, but it’s done expertly. What makes it work so well is the setup. We are immediately thrown into the chaos that transpired, and then we get to see how it all came to be. This was perfect for keeping me engaged throughout. The local interviews kept it interesting and made everything seem that much more real. At times, I felt like I was actually watching a REAL documentary!

The entire cast was spot on with their performances, and being relatively unknown made their character development more effective. The best part of this movie was the cinematography. Many people complain about found footage films being too chaotic with the shaky camera technique, but in this instance it worked brilliantly! The tension build up with that whole “what’s gonna pop up around the corner” approach was genius and because of the great acting and camera work, we only catch glimpses of the horror. This movie is legitimately scary and never lets up all the way to the shocking conclusion! I can’t recommend this one enough, because it’s THAT good! So, the next time you go through a haunted attraction during the Halloween season, this movie might make you think twice about whether or not you are a spectator or have become part of the haunt itself!

Not rated yet!

Hell House LLC

20151 h 33 min

Metadata

Certification —

Director Stephen Cognetti

Producer —

Runtime 1 h 33 min

Release Date 16 October 2015

Images

No images were imported for this movie.

Actors

Starring: Kristin Michelle Taylor, Theodore Bouloukos, Gore Abrams, Natalie Gee, Miranda Robbins, Jeb Kreager, Jared Hacker, Adam Schneider, Danny Bellini, Ryan Jennifer, Alice Bahlke

Trailer

No trailer added for this movie.

Rorschach

Posted by :MickMac On : September 4, 2016

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Category: Uncategorized

“Sometimes even the most skeptic paranormal researcher can’t debunk everything!”

Paranormal “found footage” style horror films have become very popular in recent years. The low budget smash hit Paranormal Activity really paved the way for this growing trend. Although most have been a hit, there have been a few misses as well. In October of 2015, an independent film hit the web and has quickly gained notoriety as possibly the “scariest film online.” That film is simply known as Rorschach. Written and directed by C.A. Smith, and co-produced by Smith and Nihar Brahmbhatt, Rorschach is a great example of “sometimes less is more.”

THE PLOT

Two skeptic, but open-minded paranormal researchers, Ricky (Ricky Lee Barnes) and Ross (Ross Compton) are on their way to their next case. A single mother Jamy (Jamy Gillespie) is concerned that some sort of entity may be trying to communicate with her 7 year old daughter, Ashlynn (Ashlynn Allen). When they arrive at the residence, they do what most people in their field would do. They sit down with the client to get a background on their family history and the history of the home. Being both skeptics and scientists, they explain that most paranormal claims can be dismissed as natural occurrences such as environmental surroundings and common old-home sounds such as creaks and knocks.

After doing a walk through without any significant activity, they decide to set up some recording equipment to see what may happen. Immediately, they capture something odd and decide to stick around for a while to see what else may happen. Over the next few nights, the activity slowly increases with no logical explanations. Now it quickly becomes apparent that things may not be what they seem!

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

I have to say that my wife and I really enjoyed this film! It legitimately gave us that uneasy feeling, similar to what we experienced upon our first viewing of Paranormal Activity. What makes Rorschach so effective is the realistic documentary vibe and the slow-burn pace with the ever increasing tension that really delivers! A nice and refreshing twist on the whole story is the addition of the young daughter’s child-like doll named Patrick. If you’re familiar with the name Annabelle….enough said!

I would definitely recommend this gem of a movie to any fan of “found footage” style paranormal films. I believe that the filmmakers behind this one really did a great job, and I look forward to what they have in store for us in the future. Those things that go bump in the night could be more than what you think…and could really test your courage if you decide to investigate the sound yourself!

For a limited time, watch the movie for free on YouTube by clicking here.

Not rated yet!

Metadata

Certification —

Director —

Producer —

Runtime —

Release Date —

Images

Actors

Starring: —

Trailer

No trailer added for this movie.

Grave Encounters

Posted by :MickMac On : August 6, 2016

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Category: Uncategorized

“What happens when a reality show becomes VERY much a reality and no longer a show?!”

In the mid 2000’s, paranormal investigation reality shows were on the rise. Shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, etc., were becoming a household name and began inspiring many other shows and a few films as well. One of those films was 2011’s creepy found footage movie Grave Encounters. Written and directed by Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz, collectively known as The Vicious Brothers, Grave Encounters was a clever and interesting twist on the very popular found footage horror films at the time.

THE PLOT

The film begins with a television producer describing the popular, but short lived paranormal reality show, know as Grave Encounters. He explains that the “found footage” he’s about to show is the raw and uncut last episode ever filmed.

The crew of Grave Encounters is a paranormal investigative group led by the show’s host Lance Preston (Sean Rogerson). Along with Preston are an occult specialist Sasha Parker (Ashleigh Gryzko), tech. expert Matt White (Juan Riedinger), and camera man T.C. Gibson (Merwin Mondesir). Joining the crew for this final episode is special guest medium Houston Gray (Mackenzie Gray). For the show’s final episode, they decide to go out with a bang and do an all night investigation of the long time abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital. After receiving a tour from the hospital’s caretaker and learning the twisted history of the place, Lance and the crew decide to voluntarily lock themselves in for the night with confidence that the caretaker will let them out at first light the following morning.

As night falls, the crew starts their investigation. Although not much happens for the first few hours, Lance is extremely optimistic that this will be their best case ever! Before long, the activity kicks in, and the team is floored at what they have caught. As dawn approaches, they decide that they’ve captured enough evidence and start to pack up. Little do they know, the hospital contains some dark secrets and they quickly realize that not only are they not alone, but the hospital’s “inhabitants” have no plans to let them leave without the best “evidence” that they or any other paranormal research team has ever captured!

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

I for one LOVED this film! During its release, my wife and I were really into ghost hunting reality shows, and paranormal movies as well. It’s a very creepy movie, full of some really great special effects and excellent jump scares. Being a found footage style film, you get a first-hand look at the chaos and high tension fear that the characters are going through. Throw in some nice twists along the way, and you never know what might happen next! If you ever have the urge to do some “ghost hunting”, be sure that you always have an escape plan, because you never know…YOU may be the hunted!

Not rated yet!

Grave Encounters

They Were Searching For Proof. They Found it.

20111 h 32 min

Metadata

Certification NR

Director Stuart Ortiz, Colin Minihan

Producer Shawn Angelski

Runtime 1 h 32 min

Release Date 9 September 2011

Images

Actors

Starring: Sean Rogerson, Juan Riedinger, Ashleigh Gryzko, Mackenzie Gray, Arthur Corber, Ben Wilkinson, Michele Cummins, Luis Javier, Shawn Macdonald, Merwin Mondesir, Bob Rathie, Fred Keating

Trailer

Paranormal Activity

Posted by :MickMac On : July 8, 2016

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Category: Uncategorized

“Cannibal Holocaust started it…The Blair Witch Project revived it…Paranormal Activity REVOLUTIONIZED it!”

Found footage style horror movies are the newest trend lately, and although not all are hugely successful, this new style of film making MUST give credit to the 2007 smash hit Paranormal Activity! Written and directed by Oren Peli (Area 51) and co-produced by Blumhouse Productions founder Jason Blum (Sinister, Insidious, The Purge) the film has set the standard for today’s horror cinema. Filmed in Peli’s own home and on a paper thin budget of only $15K, it stands as one of the most profitable movies ever made when it comes to the budget to profit ratio. Originally meant to be a big budget Hollywood movie, Steven Spielberg suggested releasing it as is (but with a different ending) due to the legitimate fright that it caused him.

THE PLOT

Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston) are a young couple starting their lives together in their new suburban home. All seems well at first, but Katie begins to feel like something is wrong in the house. This prompts Micah to purchase a hand-held camera to try and document any strange occurrences. A visit from a psychic reveals that the entity in their home is demonic and possibly malevolent, and he strongly advises against trying to communicate with it, adding that it may feed off of negative energy.

Micah seems to be nothing more than amused at this “evil spirit” and continually tries to antagonize it by asking for its reveal and mocking it every chance he gets, no matter how much it upsets Katie. He sets up the camera on a tripod in the bedroom, and each night as they sleep, the activity seems to get worse and worse until it becomes clear that they’re now dealing with something that neither one of them could’ve expected and are powerless to stop! This demonic entity seems to have followed Katie since her childhood, and it will continue to follow her until it gets what it wants!

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

My wife stumbled across the trailer for this movie one night, and after one viewing my first reaction was “WE’RE WATCHING IT!” After an online “demand it” feature, it was finally released nearby for a one night only midnight screening. I wasn’t about to miss this opportunity, and I’m very glad I didn’t! It had been a long time since a horror movie legitimately scared me, but this one REALLY did! In fact my wife and I were affected by it so much, that we both had some sleepless night for several weeks after. The surprise success of this film eventually launched a full on franchise of the series, and has since began a long line of “found footage” style horror movies that I personally have really enjoyed. For a first time viewer of this film, I would recommend watching it in the dark without distraction to get the full effect. It’s not for everyone, and requires an open mind. Will this film scare you like it did me? Well, that depends on what you consider to be scary. Sure, a maniac with a weapon is pretty scary, but an unseen presence lurking in the dark waiting to attack is pretty terrifying!

Not rated yet!