Project MKHEXE

While the film falls into the same negative cliches and aspects typical of the genre, such as some spotty performances, annoying and persistent quick cutting, and some lame jump scares, the film as a whole stands as a largely well constructed, creepy, formidable entry in the found footage genre. Despite some actors falling short, certain performances, like that of the mother and older brother, ensure that the film maintains some level of tragedy and legitimacy. The idea of psychological and Lovecraftian elements being weaved throughout the narrative was compelling, as well as being pretty original in terms of a found footage film. There's also some very effective uses of primarily audio based/recorded horror that's usually not employed too often anymore, which was refreshingly unsettling. While I thought the conclusion fell a little short, I did appreciate how it connected to the central theme/message of the narrative: What we fear, we create.

I really wanted to like this movie a lot more. The premise was intriguing, but one that we've seen before in other films, and even episodes of the X-Files. The problem is in the execution.

Under perhaps a more adept screenwriter, director and DP, it could've been suspenseful, frightening, or even scary. Unfortunately, there were too many ideas presented, and too many characters I didn't really - and were never made to - care about. For instance, the Police response when the two leads attempt to present them with evidence of the conspiracy (for lack of better word) was so predictable, I could've written it in my sleep.

The acting was fine. The effects were fine. But in the end, there was just no payoff. Was it an ancient "Akkadian" god behind this, or the governement, or what? And if it was a god, why don't we get to see it (not that we need too as proved by 2022's Glorius)?

It just wasn't enough to make it stand out from so many other similar works.

If you've got nothing better to watch, Project MKHEXE is a perfectly servicable distraction. I just wanted more from it.

Some of the worst acting I've ever seen. The story itself is a good concept but it's not as smart as they believe it is. Found footage films can be a lot of fun when done well, even if they're a little predictable, but this is very poorly executed. Again, I cannot stress enough just how bad the acting is, it's almost worth watching just to see how fake these characters are, especially his mother and the "friends", it's difficult to understand how this movie was watched by the filmmakers and still released. Absolutely terrible, it seems more like a highschool film made for a class project by people with no acting training and no filmmaking experience.

I respect their idea here, I really do. I bought in at about the 20 minute mark, but then after 40 more minutes of the same interviews and half built concepts the movie turns into something like a nightmare. Not like a cool nightmare movie, more like a nightmare for the audience to endure.

So many flashing lights, yelling, split screens, confusion, nothing adds up.

I haven't watched a movie in a while where I was annoyed and angry at the end. This is one of those movies. Nothing even makes sense in the last 30 minutes. My headache just got worse and worse and worse. Please for all young filmmakers, if you're doing a found footage movie it needs to be under 1 hour and 30 minutes and it needs a coherent plot something there...I have a migraine now. Great. 2.2/10.

PROJECT MKHEXE was riveting, creepy, and full of dread. I could not take my eyes off of it.

The movie blends found-footage with true crime documentary, psychological horror, and cosmic horror to create something unique, heartbreaking, and horrifying. This isn't a typical shaky cam FF film, but one that also blends interviews and footage from various eras.

This story is also a journey of grief, obsession, and paranoia, what it feels like to be searching for answers to questions that are unanswerable. The protagonist is angry and obsessive, his mother is trying to suppress her emotions, and his father is trying to dismiss his - all grief responses I feel like I've seen in real life, acted incredibly well.

Added to this is a complex, intriguing Lore that goes DEEP, about secret government programs, mind control experiments, and apocalyptic death cults. Feels very relevant to what's going on in the world.

One really cool thing for me is it is that this movie was clearly meant for multiple rewatches. I've now watched and rewatched multiple times. I keep finding new things I never noticed before, particularly in the lore, but also in smaller moments in the acting. As a film, Project Mkhexe is a feast.

My suggestion? Put away your phone and focus on what's being presented and you won't be disappointed.