In the title I have found footage in quotes because this isn’t QUITE found footage. It’s one of those movies that frustrate me to no end, the ones that have one foot in found footage and another in more traditional filmmaking techniques.
There’s nothing wrong with mixing techniques and styles.
At all.
It’s not that.
It’s when a film is MOSTLY found footage and then breaks that. It just frustrates me to no end because it’s more than likely a film I wouldn’t have watched had they not presented themselves that way.
Hmph!
For those that don’t follow internet strangeness – the dark web is essentially the back alley of the internet where less savory things are. It used to be a much darker place than it is today, but there are still people peddling illegal porn, drugs, weapons, and other illegal goods and services. For years now there have been ghost stories about there being snuff rooms and websites one could happen upon where people were being murdered on camera for an audience and for a price. It’s generally the stuff of ghost stories but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t terrible things to discover if one digs deep enough.
The film deals with the idea of murder rooms, and of Deep Web Mystery Boxes, which are a silly fad where people purchase a box of something from someone on the Deep Web. The allure of discovering something horrible is tempered by the reality that it’s just someone selling something random and potentially strange. While deeply weird things have been received, this is generally another snipe hunt.
There, table set.
THEY ARE WATCHING follows a vlogger who focuses on the strange and supernatural. As a means of generating interest in his channel, he decides to purchase a Deep Web Mystery Box and unbox it live. The vlogger’s camera person is none too happy about this new wrinkle to the channel but agrees to film it. What the vlogger purchased was a box that, the deeper he gets into it, has numbers and images on it and is covered in what may be blood. Inside is a thumb drive with videos that the two decide must be an artsy fake. The vlogger decides to get another package and receives another package that, like the first, holds a thumb drive with more files and an even deeper mystery. Suddenly the vlogger and his camera person have entered into a world they didn’t think existed, and may not be able to get free.
Here’s the thing, the “found footage” aspect of the film is done pretty well. The banter between the vlogger and the camera person is good, it flows well, and it makes sense. There are a lot of folks doing stuff like this so it’s an interesting idea. The mystery is engaging and it ramps up well.
The PROBLEM is that with the found footage there are also traditionally filmed parts that are in black and white and very artistic. At first, these are shown as the footage from the thumb drives and they are very interesting. It reminded me of the film they show of the mad doctor from the HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL remake. The footage is interesting and creepy and definitely adds the sheer horror to the film but it starts to intrude on the story and at points makes it seem as if an unseen camera person is shooting it all. The two styles clashed and threw me off as to what was happening.
There is also the core mystery at play, which shows a lot, and has a lot of monologuing from an unseen “doctor” but it never pays off. We never learn anything about the people or person behind the sent footage and the brief mention we get at the beginning of the film – which also doesn’t really fit with where it’s placed – doesn’t offer enough. Heck, we’re told again and again that “THEY’RE” watching, and we can infer what that means but, as with a film like THE DEN< we need to really KNOW who is behind the camera and who is watching the footage. It matters.
While I can’t say I liked the whole of the film a lot, the parts are really good. The filmmaker has a heck of an eye for the artsy stuff and did a great job with so many hats. I think they have the makings of a voice that could really roar in horror with some time and perhaps some honed writing.
I love the ideas here, and liked the different styles but they don’t work together and all it did was distract from an interesting story. Unfortunately, the plot dead ends but it’s a nice effort with a lot to admire.
2 out of 5
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 