Found

"Found" may very well be one of the most difficult films I ever reviewed… It completely wasn't what I expected, but then again I didn't really know what to expect. It is definitely a horror movie, but simultaneously also one of those films that are unclassifiable. Like several other reviewers around here, I'm tempted to label it as a "coming-of-age" story, but those are usually pretentious and boring, and "Found" most certainly is not! And finally, I don't want to use too many enthusiast superlatives, because it honestly isn't that unique or fantastic, neither. The least I can say for myself is that "Found" pleasantly surprised me in some ways and also that it made me think. Not necessarily about deeply philosophical subjects, but merely about how simple and identifiable the most shocking horror tales actually are.

The one thing I find absolutely astonishing in Todd Rigney's screenplay (adapted from his own novel) is the realism and authenticity of the lead characters, and particularly of the young protagonist Marty. I recognize a lot of myself in Marty from when I was around that age. Finally a normal 12-year-old who loves watching gory horror movies without hinting that he's abnormal, disturbed or potentially dangerous. Marty says early in the film: "I like watching violence, but I'm not a violent person myself". That's exactly what I'm forced to repeat to people over and over again when I tell them about my passion for extreme cinema. I have been intrigued with sick and sadist violence for as long as I can remember, and – like with Marty - my parents never made a big deal out of it, but I never felt the urge to hurt another living creature or was unable to function in society. I consider "Found" as one of the best horror stories of the last 10-15 years if it were only for the verity of Marty's character. And the same actually goes for his parents as well. They actually come across as good people and decent parents; not like the clichéd type of abusive and alcoholic parents who are generally responsible for the later failures of their children. Of course, I didn't have an older brother who was a serial killer and kept severed heads in his closet, but obviously Todd Rigney needed at least one extraordinary lead character, otherwise his novel and screenplay would have been quite boring.

So, Marty discovered that his older brother Steve is a murdering psychopath and he's terrified of him. Marty desperately tries to hide from Steve that he knows his dark secret, but also can't resist snooping around in his brother's horror closet and impressive VHS horror collection. Marty has very few friends and gets bullied at school, but the evil hobby of his brother and also Steve's increasingly protective behavior give Marty more confidence and strength to stand up for himself. "Found" is film of extreme opposites. The atmosphere of the main story is foreboding and the pacing is rather slow. There practically isn't any action and even the intense climax is suggestive and unsettling rather than explicit and confronting. In sheer contrast to all this, however, there's a large portion of film-within-film footage that is utterly violent, sickening and gratuitous. The supposedly lost horror movie is called "Headless" and follows a deranged killer wearing an eerie skull-mask as he's ruthlessly butchering young women and sodomizing their mutilated corpses. If it weren't for the "Headless" footage, and perhaps 2 or 3 human heads in a bowling bag, "Found" would only be a talkative and atmospheric coming-of-age story (albeit a very good one)

Based on popular demand, "Headless" got turned into a full-length separate film, directed by make-up wizard Arthur Cullipher and starring Shane Beasley as the deranged killer. According to many people whose opinions I trust, it's just as vile and uncompromising as the footage shown in "Found". Needless to say I will do whatever I can to see it as soon as possible.

I'm going to dive straight into a simple fact about this movie. It will mess with you. At the deep emotional level, this movie will be extremely disturbing to anyone that gives it a chance. This is the type of movie that will stick with you for days, if not weeks. You will be driving to work days after watching it, see a Family walking down the street and wonder what secrets and personal issues they have solely because of this movie. I watched this movie almost 3 weeks ago, and I still find myself disturbed by it. It's not due to gore however.

Although I am confident in saying that even self-proclaimed horror/slasher film buffs will find a few scenes within "Found" extremely hard to watch. The gore isn't overdone or even a focus of the movie at all. When it is done, it is done very very well and is very very disturbing. I never personally get grossed out by film gore. Ever. However in one scene in particular, I seriously paused the film and sat there by myself wondering if I even wanted to continue watching the movie at all. The scenes in which gore isn't involved at all are just as, if not more disturbing than the gory scenes. Watching a 12 year old boy having to face such horrific realizations, all the while dealing with being bullied and having absent parents is disturbing in and of itself.

The acting would be the only reason this film didn't receive a perfect score of 10 from me. As much as I loved this movie and wish this wasn't the case, the acting by the Father is horrible. Luckily for us he doesn't spend more than 2 minutes on screen at a time, and only has a few lines of dialogue throughout the movie.

To sum this up, I'm going to talk about the final 8 or so minutes of this movie(Without spoilers of course). The final 8 minutes of this movie is by far the single most disturbing piece of film I have ever seen, and hope to never see again. Don't get me wrong, I love this movie. The final scene is just... It's indescribably horrific and dark. I genuinely hope I don't watch a movie with a scene that dark in it again for as long as I live.

Go watch it, it's an amazing accomplishment in the World of film. However, consider this review a warning.

Sometimes you can say it runs in the family ... sometimes it is just one bad sheep that will put a bad name to all. What could be the case here? Is being rebelious the same as being an ice cold killer? Of course not, right? There are more degrees to what consists of being a bad person or a bad parent/sibling and the movie explores a few of them.

Depending on your view on things you may feel different things on the characters displayed. I would argue that you can have empathy for at least the kid. That doesn't mean you will condone his behaviour. There are good arguments to be made and there are certain things said that make sense. This is not the greatest movie, but it does try to be more than just a slasher/horror movie. The low budget nature of it means, you have to forgive a few downfalls in certain areas ... if you do, there is a decent movie here

"found." is Scott Schirmer's dark caveat to what could arguably be the true meaning of horror starring Gavin Brown, Ethan Philbeck, Phyllis Munro, Louie Lawless and Alex Kogin. The film follows a young boy who's life is abruptly altered when he discovers his older brother is a budding serial killer. The story delves deep into the nuances of family dynamic like nothing I have ever seen before. Marty is a boy transitioning into his own only to have to deal with bullying, loss of familiarity and the complete and utterly disturbing degradation of family stability. "found." is so much more than a horror story, it is a visual ode to a very deep and personal problem lying unmentioned, ignored or unnoticed within our world of paved pathways that guide us along our daily destinations dotted by manicured lawns and cookie-cutter homes. That problem which Schirmer brutally forces us to notice is the complete and utter break down of family cohesion. That one aspect of life that for many of us is an assumed respite, a place of safety and comfort-home, viciously ripped away to expose a darkness that in this film is unequivocally the birth of evil.

The story plays with you completely from the very beginning. It grabs at your emotional center and squeezes slowly but firmly all the while pushing you to the very edge of tense anguish as felt through the eyes and mind of a child. "found" has done something that so few movies are capable of, it made me reevaluate how I define horror. The characters are so modest and honest that you relate to them in a truly gripping way. It exposes the twisted nature of misguided youth forced to face life with very few answers and nearly absent representation. Then simultaneously placing you head first into racism and bullying. But wait, as if that wasn't enough to make this well defined nightmare affective there is an added element that forces you as a viewer to test your limit of what is acceptable horror. It is a question that people have argued for quite some time- are horror films warping young people? This is truly the first time that I have seen that subject matter carefully and poignantly dealt with in the horror industry in such an honest manner while taking you into some of the most sickest and twisted areas of shock/horror cinema.

In my opinion this is truly a masterful tale of terror that carries a deeper message that needs to be addressed, and manages to do so in a fresh and exciting way. It carries all the emotion of surrealistic art film, complete brutality and gore of a horror film in the most systematically harmonious ways imaginable. There is an element of truth that this story pulsates from that creates an atmosphere so haunting and tragic. The film is held together by a chilling soundtrack that allows the story with all it's components to flow seamlessly. Quite frankly I hope more people than just the horror community experiences this film because although the visuals are graphic the heart of the drama is one that needs to be exposed because the true nightmare of this film is the fact that it could very well be happening in your neighborhood or more disturbingly in your very home. I recommend that everyone who comes across this film-watch it! It is just that powerful. A truly terrifying look into the mouth of madness is what you get with "found."

Found is a refreshing intelligently written horror movie with a prominent coming of age theme.

There is no delay in finding out that Marty's older brother is a serial killer. I quickly identified with the 12 year old's obsession with finding his family members' hidden secrets, like his mom's love notes from an ex-boyfriend, his dad's typical porn stash, and of course, his brother's non-typical rotating selection of heads in the closet.

The acting was incredible, and I often felt like I was intruding on private affairs as opposed to just watching a movie. Gavin Brown does an excellent job as Marty. He often provides narration through the movie, which felt more genuine than most voice-overs, with real emotion and no over-acting.

Most of the movie really is about the relationship between the two brothers, and the horror elements are provided by the movies within the movie. Of note is the one called "Headless," which provides the older brother, Steve, with gruesome inspiration. Until the climax of Found, "Headless" is the part that will have you squirming in your seat.

And with the level of detail put into the special effects, you will squirm. The attention put into making everything realistic is evident. Right after seeing the premier, everyone was talking about particular scenes where the special effects really transmitted the feeling to the audience.

This is a story about the dynamic between older and younger brother, and how it changes as they get older, all wrapped up in a horror movie shell. The balance of drama, suspense, horror, and comedy, is perfect. It's the type of movie you'll find yourself still thinking about the next day.