Don't Stop Filming @ Horror Three

Gary Robertson 🎥 Welcome back to part 3 of this journey into the world of found footage movies.

I hope you're enjoying this short series and welcome any comments, feedback, opinions or indeed movies you'd like me to take a look at. So without further ado.

"Oh look an abandoned haunted building let's go inside."

First off

Host, released in 2020 and directed by Rob Savage this movie centres around a group of young people who decide during these times of Covid lockdown to take part in an online séance. Naturally we have believers and sceptics but very soon into the movie things begin to go wrong with inevitable tragic consequences. Watch this one in the dark with the lights out (I mean how else would you watch a horror movie?) and you'll very quickly start feeling the terror. There are obvious similarities to Unfriended (another online video FF horror series) but IMO this is a more "grown up" movie. If you enjoy this give Unfriended a go or vice versa.

Next

Hell house LLC a 2015 production directed by Stephen Cognetti this is the original and without doubt best of the Abaddon Hotel series. This is definitely one of those movies I'd tie haters of found footage to a chair and make them watch. Centering around the very much American phenomenon of Halloween haunted houses a crew of young people open a spooky experience in an abandoned hotel which just so happened to have been the centre of murder and satanic rites in its gruesome past. The team work to get the place into readiness for the opening on All-Hallows eve and despite a number of unnerving and at times frightening experiences they persevere ... greed is king I guess ... anyway I'll give no more away you'll need to watch it to see what happens

And

Lake Mungo, a Joel Anderson directed mockumentary released in 2009, is a must if you're like me a believer in the paranormal.

When a young girl drowns her family struggle naturally with her loss and soon they start experiencing supernatural phenomenon and capturing it on camera leading them to the belief the spirit of their daughter still resides within the walls of their home.

This is one of the most atmospheric movies you'll ever watch. Again, the use of grainy footage spliced with documentary style and archive footage will have you glued to your seat from beginning to end. Don't miss this .,. you won't be disappointed.

Including

The Monster Project - Victor Matthieu directed this and was released to let's say "mixed reception" in 2017. Take a vampire a demon and a skinwalker, throw in a film crew and you have a recipe for disaster. The basic premise of this movie is a film crew enter a derelict building to interview three purported supernatural entities with of course unforeseen (?) consequences. I quite enjoyed this movie, to be honest. Despite its critics, it's a fun if not slightly over the top movie with jump scares and, yeah, whilst I wouldn't rest my ailing reputation on the shoulders of this piece I'd encourage you to give it a go although perhaps not in the class of What We Do In The Shadows it's still worth your time

Finally (for this week)

The Bay, a 2011 production directed by Barry Levinson. This one I pondered with before adding it to the list. In these Covid times we really don't want killer virus movies on our screens but perhaps we do ... I know personally this was one of the first I reached for when we went into lockdown one (I remember the pre pandemic days). But I digress ... a virus enters the water system of a small Maryland town and quickly causes havoc, death and destruction amongst the residents. Whilst some movies you look at and think "nah couldn't possibly happen" this is one of those that warn us what can happen when we take the world we live in for granted. Of the film's I've recommended this week if I had to choose one it would be this. Don't miss it - you won't be disappointed.

Happy viewing

⏩ Gary Robertson is a patron of TPQ.