The Conspiracy

Aaron and Jim are documentary filmmakers who become fascinated by a street preaching conspiracy theorist. A man who spends all his time spreading a message, like a modern day prophet, about how we are all slaves and the world is run by a group of rich men who are connected by secret societies. When this man suddenly vanishes, Aaron begins to study the clues the missing man left them and believing in the conspiracy as well.

Anyone familiar with the dark side of YouTube will know what this film is exploring. It's a mockumentary with elements of found-footage horror that touches on as many different conspiracy theories as possible but eventually focuses in on a particular secret society.

The Conspiracy is a perfect horror story for our times. Don't expect an average horror film, this is Blair Witch Project meets Eyes Wide Shut. The writer/director, Christopher MacBride, fearless dives into the frightening subject matter and keeps the film as real as possible, working well within the small budget. The film is quite an accomplishment in more ways than one.

This proved to be one of the most surprisingly effective thrillers I have seen in recent memory. At a glance we have an unknown first time writer/director in Christopher MacBride matched with a relatively small budget of just under $1.2 million. Maybe I'm wired a bit different than the average film addict, but when I come upon a new indie film like this my anticipation for the result is much greater than say your average Hollywood blockbuster. Finding greatness in the unknown is what drives me as a fan, while it doesn't always pan out, nothing beats when it does, as this film proves to.

The Conspiracy starts off at a somewhat slow pace as we are introduced to the main characters Jim (James Gilbert) and Aaron (Aaron Poole), two documentary filmmakers who are out to make a film not unlike many you may already be aware of. It's theme based on the age old conspiracy of a worldwide secret society of powerful, wealthy individuals behind such things as staging events to start wars such as WWI, Vietnam and 9/11 Iraq. They become interested not so much into the truth of such conspiracies, but in the people who so adamantly and wholeheartedly believe in them. They find Terrance (Alan C. Peterson) through an internet link, a man who is exactly one of those people. His house is covered in news articles connecting everything and anything that could possibly be evidence in his search for his desired truth. After Terrence goes missing and his landlord is disposing of his possessions, Jim and Aaron take Terrence's research from his apartment walls and begin their own quest to find truth within the mountain of information. After finding the existence of a secret group called Tarsus, they make contact with one of it's members Mark Tucker (Bruce Clayton) , who later gives them access and a chance at finding and filming one of their secret rituals.

The first half of "The Conspiracy" can appear deceptively mundane. Do not make the assumption that this is just another propaganda film filled with unconfirmed speculations. The last act is the real deal, it's as chilling as it gets. The score pulls you into the scenes as the true reality of the events is slowly revealed to each of the characters. Their mini spy cams give off a perspective from their eyes that really pays off. For a small budget indie film from a first time writer/director it was an extremely original, effective thriller which I would surely recommend. One thing I should note though, while listed as a thriller/horror film it stays mainly within the confines of a thriller, replacing needless gore instead with a very sinister atmosphere, which proves to be a worthwhile trade.

This movie had no fan fare that I am aware of and I came upon it by chance. The documentary style the film is shot in and the storyline are all really interesting and quiet believable. The film starts out as interview piece with one person in particular who believes in conspiracy theories. One world Order and a group of high powered individuals controlling us is the theme and it is perfectly pitched for our times. The acting, particularly the person who plays Terrace at the beginning of the film is good, I feel I could have spent more time with Terrance, he is an engrossing character. The movie which goes from Documentary style to a Thriller with ease is a real surprise package, I really enjoyed the experience.

The Conspiracy A really interesting mockumentary dealing with conspiracy theories and secret societies. If your a fan on the conspiracy TV shows i.e Joe Rogan Questions Everything or Jesse Ventura 's Conspiracy Theory you will love it. With many movies using the found footage idea the market as been flooded they are cheap to make and some people think there real i.e Blair Witch but the filmmakers here use some nice little tricks. The movie starts off a little slow as they build it around nine eleven and introduce you the the secret society and the conspirator but it does kick into gear. It progresses very nicely by introducing people they interview who want to have anonymity which is a great ploy to keep the tension going for the rest of the movie. A very solid effort on an interesting topic. 7/10

The story is about a couple of guys are making a documentary about the people (or specifically one person) who are true believers in conspiracy theories. When their subject disappears, they get wrapped up in the conspiracy theory and investigate it. They end up sneaking into a Bohemian Grove type setting.

Really good, relatively low budget film. The cinematography is good especially where they are filming through "hidden cameras," giving enough for the viewer to understand whats going on but believably hidden. The acting was good and I was satisfied by the ending.

The film isn't completely surprising, but it builds the tension well and leads to some pretty creepy scenes. And I agree with the Moviesdotcom review that said that it's the smartest found footage film since "Blair Witch." Bottom line- I was pleasantly surprised by how good the movie was.