The Monster Project

I first saw this film advertised on the IMDb homepage so decided to check it out after finding the trailer really interesting. Ever since the Blair Witch Project the hand held 'real life' camera method has always given the film an air of mystery as we don't always tend to see what the character sees. However, I can assure you this film is different and doesn't just build up anti-climatic suspense.

The film contains a group of adults wanting to make a documentary about different kinds of monsters to bump up views for their YouTube page when they're contacted by volunteers to give interviews, whilst the crew initially brush the claims off as ridiculousness, they soon start to change their beliefs.

The premise is interesting and the film starts that way too even if it is a little slow to get into. A film like this shouldn't really go over the 80 minute mark but what you gonna do?

There are a few jump scares and once the 'chaos' kicks in it does get really intense. The first 2/3 of the film are the most suspenseful and intriguing parts but come the final third act, we are left with that unfulfilling feeling of emptiness and predictability that these camcorder films tend to conjure up.

Overall, its a fun little film to watch with your friends on a weekend night for a few scares, but it's not a film that will leave a trace in your memory. 5/10

Okay so I'm only 20 minutes into it and about to shut it off mainly because the black guy is so OVER THE TOP at being a black guy stereotype it's almost unwatchable. You know that stereotype where the black person in the theater yells at the screen. This is like that. He has a comment for everything and it's just ridiculously annoying. I seriously hope he dies later because if he survives, i'm coming back and giving this a 2.

I saw the trailer for this film, and I thought the premise was unique, interesting and could potentially yield an entertaining and thoughtfully made film, and I was almost completely right in my assessment. From the onset, the film makes no qualms about what it is trying to achieve. A group of people set out to prove that monsters are real by interviewing 3 people who claim to be real life monsters. It is a premise that writes itself. The acting is competent, and most of the actors are quite talented. The standout of this film, by far, are the special effects. The Skinwalker and the vampire were really well done, and the action scenes were filmed with a competence usually exerted by bigger budget films. It seems like whoever budgeted this movie made it a point to not skimp out on the SFX, and this elevated the film to a much higher standard. I was constantly impressed by some of the make-up and transformations. If more independent movies allocated their funds to SFX, they would produce much more entertaining films. Overall, it is a decent film that does some incredibly clever things that have not been attempted before. If nothing else, people should watch this film just to see an original and unique production. It is a rarity in this age of sequels.

I will end my review with this; The character who played "Jamal" was horrible, offensive, needlessly loud, and entirely stereotypical. Whoever wrote his character should be ashamed of themselves for perpetuating such limited and thoughtless characteristics on any character. Never mind that he was the absolute worst of the entire cast, every time he spoke, it was like nails on a chalkboard. 2 points were removed from my score simply because I hated the character so much. He nearly ruined what was a very decent and entertaining film.

This movie is good and it's like the Blair Witch Project with a focus on vampires, demons and skin walkers. The story works and the characters that play the monsters do really well. The pace is also good considering it's a b rated film. Is it scary? Yeah. I'd give it a 7.0 in terms of scariness. Now, on to the two major flaws. The first is the slow pick up. Literally the first 20 minutes is well....boring. I wasn't sure if it was worth watching. Glad I hung in there. The 2nd part that sucked royally....was the token black dude. OMG when I read reviews before watching and saw many people complaining, let me say as a black guy...i felt a certain kind of way. However, fast forward, let me say that.... they didn't complain ENOUGH. Wow that black dude really was SUPER ANNOYING. Drove me crazy. He was SO LOUD and OBNOXIOUS, kinda in the way most of the time and was very "black" stereotypical when he talked WHICH WAS ESPECIALLY A LOT in those first 20 minutes I told you about. So if not for these two things, I easily would have given it an 8. Oh and one more bad thing as an honorable mention is the effects. Which I didn't really care about and found it forgivable considering that it was a b-rated film with the shot on "camera" appearance. I recommend the movie and if you're willing, maybe skip the first 15 minutes or maybe turn the volume off lol for 15 minutes.

If you can get through 10 minutes of the black guys voice horrible over acting i give you credit....this movie sucks. Mostly bc of the black guy