A few weeks ago, Horror-Nation finally got a chance to view and review the much talked about and highly decorated independent film, “The Fear Footage.” Writer/Director Ricky Umberger stole horror hearts with his fast paced, brilliantly edited, fear fest. Never setting out to be a one and done production, the team behind this found footage phenom released the second part of the story in 2020. Does this follow up hold up to the original, or like most sequels, flounder in the wake of its acclaimed predecessor?
Daniel Blanch, a character from the first film, views the original film and is mystified and frightened to see himself in it. Through research, he finds a couple of other real-life folks whose apparent doppelgangers were offed in the first film. Daniel convinces one of the other unknowing stars of the feature, James, to head to Darkbluff (the central setting of the films) to find some answers. The duo are weary of each other and the town’s past as they explore the area, meet up with strange locals, all while residing in a creepy cabin with strong links to the mysterious horrors that encompass the town. As the two supernatural sleuths start to unravel the horrific secrets of Darkbluff, sinister scenarios begin to take shape in both physical and metaphysical form. Can Daniel and James unravel the mystery before they become a permanent part of the legend.
Umberger flips the script again from the jump. Taking the plot of the film from being cut up into segments and diving into a full one-story shriek show. While stand alone films such as: “Siren” and “Terrifier” have come from segmented productions, this is one of the first of a kind for a series to change formats mid-franchise. “Curse of the Tape” exchanges a high-octane narrative for that of a slow burn story. A brave but, once again, very original choice as to expanding this dark universe. Both actors play off of each other well, speaking with realistic thick Southeastern Baltimore accents instead of prettying up the dialogue which brings altruistic depth to their performances. It was always going to be a tough task to keep the audience glued to the story with a slower moving plot and there are few instances where the film just starts to drag on. However, Umberger quickly reels the viewer back in with smart selections such as cutting to interviews with town locals and by building personal tension between the two leads. While some turn their noses up toward films that do not hit that magic 90-minute run time, the choice to have the tale go at 75-minutes is a smart one and the viewer will be held captive as the plot unravels. Too often, slow burn horror films lead to an inevitable let down, this is not the case for this curse. Umberger shines once more in the third act as the action kicks in. Several jump scares once again will have even the hardest of hardcore horror fans heart’s beating. Coupled with great B-Roll sound, a few of the shots that bring the screams are A-List quality, amazing, considering the estimated budget on the film was around one-thousand dollars. Sequels to highly regarded films always start off with two strikes. To recapture the intimacy and originality of a favored film is a seeming impossible task. “The Fear Footage 2: Curse Of The Tape,” is an exception to the rule. This is a film that not only ties in nicely with its predecessor but brings new perspective to the mythical legend that is the focal point of the piece. Fans can keep getting excited as it is known now to the whole horror world that the franchise is a deeply thought-out trilogy of terror. Give these terrific films a peep between your trembling fingers and try to unravel the mystery before our last review of the third film in the series, “The Fear Footage: 3AM,” coming soon to Horror-Nation.com
Scream Score: 8.3/10
(The Fear Footage Films can be purchased at thefearfootage.com or on amazon prime.)