This was easily one of my all time favorite horror films I have ever seen. I feel that the camera work and the acting from Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice were simply amazing. If you are someone who enjoys found footage style films, you'll enjoy this one a lot. In the following pictures, I'll explain exactly why this is easily one of the best found footage films I have ever watched, even as a massive fan of the genre myself.

Going into the main focus of the story, this is Mark Duplass, playing Josef. As you can see from the photo, he seems like a somewhat normal looking guy, but there is something a little creepy about his smile. This is one of the first shots you see of this character. Being able to come off as creepy without fully giving out what a psycho this character is, shows how well Mark understood his role in this movie, and what he should be going for. Once again showing what an excellent actor he is. Also to go into the camera work of this shot, he basically just appears into the frame, again giving off a major creep vibe.

I feel that his performance is what makes the entire movie. He was more or less the only thing I focused on the entire time and I was thoroughly entertained by his acting. I would say that in found footage films, often times you don't find very good actors, and I'm glad Duplass was able to prove that you can actually be a good actor in a found footage style film.

Here's another amazingly creepy scene from the movie. I won't give any spoilers of course, but the way it is shot is masterfully done. Essentially what is going on in this scene is just Josef messing around in the tub. this camera angle is the only one provided of this scene for the majority of it. Now, obviously, just looking at this image it seems quite silly, and it was. That was what made this character Josef so creepy, he would act extremely childish like this, and you never really knew what he was going to do next.

I feel that this was something that a lot of other movies missed when they are trying to make a scene creepy. The unpredictability of the entire situation is something that really adds a lot to a scene in my opinion, and this was one of the few movies that really does a good job of giving off that feeling. This would have to be one of my favorite scenes from the movie, and I know you would agree with me if you saw it. Fantastic job on this scene all around.

Here is once again Josef with a wolf head on. Again, this image comes off as somewhat silly and not scary at all, but the silliness of the mask actually makes everything that much creepier. The director uses this prop multiple times throughout the movie, and without giving spoilers as to exactly how, I will say he used it perfectly. The director essentially uses the mask to show the way Josef really is, behind his childish friendly exterior.

I think that the entire inclusion of the wolf's head really adds a new depth to the entire experience. It adds a new layer to the already very interesting character, and gives you a hint at what he's really like, without being too out there. I think that the writing team did an awesome job of adding this into the movie, as after this scene I was on the edge of my seat just waiting for Josef to snap.

Here I'd like to mention the guy that is on the other side of the camera. This is Aaron, a completely normal guy who only came out so that he could make some money filming whatever Josef wanted him to film. Again, spectacular work done by Patrick Brice is portraying this character, as the whole time you can tell that he is uncomfortable with a lot of the stuff going on, but he never explicitly says he's uncomfortable. Him being just a normal guy also shows that this kind of stuff can happen to anyone, and that you should always be careful.

The writers did a great job of making Aaron a relatable, likable character. I feel that if I were in his situation, I would be acting just as he did. Aaron continued to make very realistic decisions and acted like a real person throughout the film, and he didn't even act like an idiot like you would see in many horror films. Typically the person being the victim in horror movies is someone that deserves it in some sense, such as by being stupid and putting themselves in that situation; in this case, there was nothing Aaron could do to get out of this situation in my opinion.
Finally, I'd like to take a look at the cover of the movie. This shot is exactly what the whole movie is about. In this picture, you can tell someone is there but you don't know who they are. This is kind of what Aaron is going through the entire time he is working with Josef, he sees the guy standing there, but he doesn't really understand who he is. Not to mention the shot itself is very creepy and is an excellent cover to really catch the eye.

I know that when I first saw this cover, I instantly wanted to watch the film. I feel it's impossible to look at this and not be intrigued by the cover. Just another one of the many great decisions that the team made while creating this movie.

To conclude, I would say this movie is absolutely necessary for anyone who is a horror fan, especially those who enjoy found footage style horror. There are many scenes that I loved but was not able to put into this review as it may spoil things in the movie. To see them all, I would highly recommend checking out the full movie. You won't be disappointed.

I would also like to mention that a lot of found footage films come off as very similar to each other. In some sense if you've watched one you've watched them all. I feel that this movie breathes new life into the franchise and shows that there are still more very unique ideas that you can add to the genre. Easily one of my favorite horror films in general.