31 Days of Horror 2025 Day 17 Frogman

 

TITLE-Frogman

SOURCE-Terror Vision Collector's Edition Blu ray

This is something I normally would have watched before buying.  Being not only a modern low budget horror film but also found footage. But also I like supporting smaller media labels and Terror Vision is a tiny label. So when I was in Walmart and saw this I took a chance.

Starting off in 1999 a family is on vacation and the son captures on video,for a fleeting second,a giant frog/man looking thing. Skip ahead 20 years and everyone claims the Frogman footage is fake. But the now grown kid is sure Frogman is real. So he takes a buddy and this girl he has been in love with for years up to Loveland Ohio to film a documentary about Frogman.

I know ,I know,sounds so much like Blair Witch Project. And the first bit being set in 1999 really makes this feel like a Blair Witch ripoff. Slowly we see that while this is inspired by Blair Witch it takes a different turn.

SPOILERS
----------------------------

First off we see the Frogman in this fairly clearly. And then we got the part near the end. Which gives this a Lovecraft vibe. Seem the residents of Loveland worship Frogman.

------------------------------------------------------

SPOILERS OVER

Now I've never been a huge found  footage fan.  I don't hate it but so many films that use this gimmick don't do it right.  Frogman does.  Like how not everything is framed right or even captures in the camera's view. Making this really feel like footage 3 folks in the woods shot when they were scared for their lives.

This Blu ray is loaded. Got a commentary on the film. Then a pile of BTS stuff. Plus a bunch of short films from the same director,some of which also have commentaries.  

Betting this is streaming on one of the Free Ad Supported TV apps like Tubi or PLutoTV. And if it is and you like found footage and regional folklore this is totally worth seeing. I am happy with my blu ray and feel it is worth the 20 bucks it cost me.

Frogman gets a C+

31 Days of Horror Day 05 Amityville:No Escape

Title-Amityville:No Escape
Source-DVD

Yep another low budget unofficial Amityville sequel. This one from the folks at Camp Motion  Pictures. Camp has become known over the past 15 years for bringing lots of 80s and 90s DTV horror movies to DVD. Stuff like Ghoul School,Video Violence 1&2 and the infamous Splatter Farm.The past few years they have even started making new movies. In 2016 they released Amityville No Escape.No one working behind or in front of the camera is anyone I have ever heard of.

Like lots of indie horror in the past 5 or so years Amityville No Escape is a found footage film. Fuck I am so tired of low budget ,and even big budget ,found footage films. Released at the end of summer in 2016 Amityville No Escape is about a group of college students that go off into the woods of Amityville. They go into these woods,supposedly the most haunted woods on the planet.

The movie was originally titled The Fear Tapes. I am assuming it was retitled after filming in hopes that people would rent/buy it cause they thought it was part of the official Amityville franchise.

The cast tries their best. And are pretty good. But they aren't given much to work with.The film's low budget and rushed production show. I am not a fan of found footage movies. The last 10 years it is more of an excuse to have shitty acting,camera work,etc. And Amityville No Escape has it's share of bad camera work.Why must every found footage film be filled with shaky cam?

I do like how since part of the film is set in the mid 90s whoever was in  charge of the production tries to make sure everyone is wearing 97ish clothing. And even the footage from the 90s part of the film are in 4:3 instead of 16:9. But that and the film's short running time,with credits and all it is barely 78 minutes long,are the only good parts of the film.

One other positive I can say for Amityville No Escape is it isn't the worst found footage Amityville movie. That would be the previously reviewed Amityville Haunting. Amityville No Escape is a half step better than that piece of crap.

Amityville:No Escape gets a D+.

31 Days of Horror Day 15 The Visit

TITLE-The Visit
FORMAT-Universal Blu Ray

Months back a buddy gave me a milk crate of Blu Rays. Lots of comedies I will never watch. But a few decent films in the crate. I had never heard of M Night's The Visit before getting the Blu Ray. And so far I have liked one M Night film.

A lady sends her young teen children off to her parents' home. All so she can go off on a cruise with her new boyfriend. The kicker is the lady hasn't seen her parents in 15 years since she married the childrens' father.

The kids get there and decide to film the entire visit. Shit starts to get "creepy". And then whammo at the end we get a stupid as fuck twist. Now the kids have never seen their grandparents. And the mother never sees them,she just sends the kids off. The twist is the people pretending to be the grandparents are killers. Meh.

It has taken me 4 viewings to make it all the way thru this shitty film.The pacing is horrible. The twist isn't bad,but it doesn't make up for how crappy the rest of the movie had been.

The Visit gets a F+