While it seems that the found footage sub-genre is almost non-existent at this point, there are still a few filmmakers who dare to try their hand at it. Some manage to do so quite effectively, I might add. The latest evidence of this is Victor Mathieu’s The Monster Project.
The Plot
A couple of buddies who want to increase their [YouTube] viewer count decide to make a documentary about real life monsters. They have all the right ingredients for a killer project — a creepy old house, a lunar eclipse, and three individuals who claim to be real vampires, demons, and skinwalkers.
My Thoughts
At this point, we’ve pretty much seen it all, right? There have been found footage films about possession and witches, zombies and vampires, so on and so forth. That doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun by throwing a bunch of monsters into the mix.
The Monster Project starts off kind of slow, but shows promise pretty early on. The acting is actually quite good, aside from a few instances of actor Jamal Quezaire being a little too animated for my liking. Other than that, I really have no qualms about any of the performances. The entire cast is talented and able to bring something to the table.
Director Victor Mathieu, with the help of co-writer, Shariya Lynn, was able to create a small cast of characters that provide a little more substance than one might expect from a typical low-budget monster movie. Although not the most fleshed out, the character development that we do get certainly helps to move the film along, during its more sluggish moments.
The Monster Project really gets to show off its true potential once the halfway mark hits. This is when we get to see the monsters come to life, so to speak. Shiori the demon, Steven the skinwalker, and Shayla the vampire all get their moments to shine and I loved every second of their screen time. The idea of having three different monsters roaming around a dark house is truly terrifying and makes for a very effective horror flick.
While some of the digital effects used to create the demon’s face were a tad bit weak, it did not take away from the overall feel of the film. Any time that I felt like things were getting a little cheesy, I got another glimpse of the skinwalker or the freaky movements of the vampire and I was drawn back in immediately.
The Verdict
The Monster Project is proof that found footage films can still be fun when done right. It features good practical effects, clever lighting and photography techniques, and is original enough to make a 95 minute movie fly by in what feels like half that time.
If you need a found footage fix and love monster movies as much as me, give The Monster Project a watch. I think you’re really going to like it!
I give this one 3.5 monsters wanted ads out of 5!
