8 Found Dead

I had never even heard about this 2022 horror movie titled "8 Found Dead" from writer Jonathan Buchanan and director Travis Greene prior to stumbling upon it by random luck here in 2024. And given my love of the horror genre, of course I opted to give this movie a fair chance.

Well, if you enjoy offbeat movies then you're in for a treat here, because writer Jonathan Buchanan definitely put together something that was refreshingly unique. And thus, "8 Found Dead" was not just another run-of-the-mill horror movie crammed with jump scares to get a reaction out of the audience. While the storyline was rather bizarre, I must say that I actually found it to be adequately entertaining.

While the movie wasn't crammed with an abundance of familiar actors and actresses, I will say that the cast ensemble was nicely cast, and they definitely had some good talents to participate in the movie. The only performers I was familiar with were William Gabriel Grier and Jenny Tran.

Visually then, and while the movie wasn't heavily relying on special effects, then the effects were fair and served their purpose well enough.

"8 Found Dead" is worth sitting down and checking out if you want something that deviates from the usual horror tropes.

My rating of director Travis Greene's 2022 movie "8 Found Dead" lands on a five out of ten stars.

I don't know why everyone seems to want to hate on this. It's a decent B-movie slasher.

Does it make much sense? No, not really but does that matter? No, not really!

It's entertaining, doesn't require any brain power, and is engaging enough to keep your attention.

Was I rooting for any of the characters? Absolutely not There's a little twist at the end, which is fun, if predictable.

There's a post credit scene which hints at a prequel. I'd be happy to watch that if it ever gets made.

I was going to give it a six, because the timeline is a little confusing, but I'm feeling generous and not mean, so a solid seven it is!

And that is the guy who "played" the old creepy dude. He just was entirely not a good actor in any way. It seemed like he was hired as a favor to some financial backer's retired grandfather to get him out of the house so grandma and her book club could meet in peace.

It also doesn't help that every line written for him is just so smarmy and corny. Nothing he says sounds earned or true to character. There is also something entirely off about every non-expression he attempts. The old lady wasn't all that good either. It seems like they wanted a Lin Shaye-type but at least the second choice actress seemed seasoned and attempted actual acting. Her dialogue was just as cringe though.

And why on Earth is there both a Richard and a Ricky? Just rename out of them. It didn't help that the two non-old couples intentionally looked similar as well. I did like the cop couple. Most notably the red-headed one.

Needless to say, I also hate how it ended. The "franchise" hopefully ends here.

One star for each found dead. But really solid movie. Did not feel like a normal horror movie, really well written. The intricate plot follows the four couples through the dramatic events. Tim and Rosanne bring their A game and then some. The practical locations were excellently chosen, there was a scene that was in a home of a dog painting. The dog looks like a very cute puppy. I wonder if it was a painting of someone's actual dog. Overall really liked the movie. Hope there is a part two to further the story and explain how some of the people got in that situation. I am also excited to see another story from the writer.

Of the 8 reviews until now, there are 4 with a raving score of 10. I hardly can believe that they watched the same movie as I did. In my opinion this is a totally failed wannabe thriller-horror flick, that I only sat through because I (stupidly) paid 5 euro to stream it.

Maybe the premise has some potential (two couples have booked an isolated cottage in the desert, only to find that there's already a weird older couple in the house that has no intention whatsoever to make way, but instead starts to behave more and more creepy), but out of some misguided arty whim the director decided to mix up the timelines of the individual couples arriving at the house, as well as that of the police officers that later arrive. This makes the already flimsy story completely chaotic and a tiresome watch.

Add to this that all characters (except the female officer) are extremely unsympathetic and even unpleasant to look at, that the dialogues are cringing, that the setting is limited to the uninspiring interior of the cheap looking cottage, and that the acting of the whole cast is below every reasonable par. Gradually the story derails into some kind of bloody grand guignol theater, but unfortunately without the needed tongue-in-cheekness that maybe could have saved this ill-fated project. Please don't waste money on this!