No pun intended - and before you shut off: yes I am wary when I read about a movie being or using the "found footage" genre or whatever you want to call it. The movie on hand here is quite fresh though and makes fun of the usual tropes. And achieves something that I would not think possible: making this fun and entertaining with just one lead character! Blair Witch send three people into the woods - this only needs one - an influencer, because he interacts with his followers. And some random people who just jump on his stream I reckon.

I imagine there are way more jokes in the comments that I was able to read - but even so, this may work as comedy in the beginning, but really knows when to push the switch (or smash button if you'll excuse the pun)! And go over to the horror movie tropes - and while it probably would not hold on to scrutiny - not if you really really think about it that is - it works superficially and for what it tries to say .. which is a bit of critique of social media and a social commentary too. While scaring you ... and having quite a few nods to horror movies of the past ... a love letter of sorts ... a haunted one, so not for the squeamish.

Saw this at the Overlook Film Festival, best way to describe it is like watching the first two Evil Dead movies combined. It's an amazing mix of horror/gore/tension, real scares/ and comedy. The crowd was going crazy. Will definitely watch it again on Shudder. Though I think it would have been a big hit in the theaters too.

SXSW 2022 Greetings again from the darkness. How about a modern day version of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) leaning heavily into our social media world? Co-writers and co-directors Joseph Winter and Vanessa Winter include touches of the multitude of Ghost Hunter-type TV shows while blending humor with a heavy dose of make-up, especially in the film's second half.

Joseph Winter stars in his film as Shawn Ruddy, a recently disgraced You-Tuber known for dumb pranks (in the mode of Johnny Knoxville) for his show, "Wrath of Shawn." In an effort to redeem his reputation, Shawn plans to live-stream his overnight in a dilapidated haunted in house in Utah. Built in 1880, it's known as 'Death Manor' due to the history of many deaths that have occurred within its walls. Shawn believes this will make great live content since he's deathly afraid of ghosts.

The set-up and first half of the film are excellent and a lot of fun. We get to know Shawn for what he is, including his effeminate screams of terror as things go bump in the night ... and even sometimes when they don't. Some of the best moments happen as he reads the viewer comments alongside his live stream. Just when it starts to drag a bit, Shawn's plan is upended by Chrissy (a terrific Melanie Stone), who claims to be a superfan. She brings a jolt of energy and immediately shifts the tone.

The best horror films employ a setting that takes on a role of its own, and 'Death Manor' is perfectly trippy to explore via GoPro and flashlight. The legend of Mildred collecting souls makes for an enticing legend, but the film's second half goes over-the-top, despite the most creative use of beef jerky and duct tape that you'll likely see in any movie. It just seems a bit too long, though lovers of midnight movies will appreciate the mixture of comedy and horror.