In 1999, the entire film universe was upended with the release of, “The Blair Witch Project.” Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez changed the game as the highly original concept production brought in nearly two-hundred-fifty million in gross sales off a sixty-thousand-dollar budget. From the terrific “Paranormal Activity,” to the terrible, “Area 51,” these modern avant-garde films have split horror nation audiences over the last two decades. While most praise the ingenuity and passion of the artists behind these projects, some feel these films are a cheap version of proper productions. In 2018, Writer/Director Ricky Umberger, inspired by the late great George Romero, took his first stab at filmmaking with the highly decorated and praised film, “The Fear Footage.”
Deputy Leo Cole is dispatched after an unusual call comes into the Darkbluff, Maryland Sheriff’s Department. The caller explains that a house that has been demolished has suddenly appeared in the neighborhood where he walks his dog every day. After a quick search through the apparently empty house, Deputy Cole finds a VHS tape resting outside of its player, beckoning to be viewed. The terror tape shows footage of three separate supernatural tales. From crazed clowns to killer cults, each segment alludes to the mystery of Cole’s current paranormal predicament. At the conclusion of the third tale in the tape, Cole must quickly decide to abandon reason for escape before he becomes fodder for more footage.
Seemingly, every other horror film that is released comes with the tagline: “Scariest Film You Will Ever See.” “The Fear Footage” is the rare spook fest that lives up to that hype. While the plot of the film and its subsequent sequels ask the audience to unravel the mystery, there is no question as to why this film was selected to several top film festivals, winning best picture at The Edmonton Festival of Fear. While most micro-budget films skimp on depth and subtext, Umberger litters his film with it. Simple decisions such as: a quick phone call from Cole’s wife, give the character empathy. A dark past of drug abuse gives another character explanation for disbelief. And a child’s consistent clamoring of bumps in the night, give that segment a reasonable explanation for the lack of urgency for the boy who cries clown. It is these subtle second-degree dialogues that separate the average from great story tellers. If the perfectly played plot was not great enough, Umberger’s P.O.V shot selection is even better. Not resting the camera in one spot too long, nor cutting back and forth too many times during the tense scenes, the scare shots will have even the hardest of horror hounds barking in fear. The selection to dirty up the film with grainy screens only adds to the reality of the piece. While most anthology works have a dud or two sandwiched in a terror treat, all three segments are well thought out and bring a different level of dark atmosphere with each tale. “The Fear Footage” is the perfect personification of what an artist can do with no money and buckets of creativity and hard work. Since Umberger and his team obviously poured their sweat and blood-soaked tears into this project, the audience owes it to them to watch the film properly. That is, on a dark night, alone, and without distraction. Do this, and this reviewer promises you not only a bloody good time, but a few skips of the heart as well. (The film can be purchased at: thefearfootage.com or on Amazon)
Scream Score: 9.2/10
(Please check in at horrornation.com and our social media pages as we will review the two sequels to “The Found Footage” terror train.)