Willow Creek

I admit that I like found footage films, or, rather, I find that story telling device compelling. Assuming it's done well. To do it well, your film relies heavily on acting first, then editing, then sound They all work well here.

Too often, these sorts of films have actors who don't know what to say, or how to say it, as they are expected to improvise and aren't confident how to be "natural". In this film, the actors are brilliantly natural and their chemistry is superb. They are a very believable as a couple and as people.

The goal itself is interesting, as I have rarely watched a Bigfoot movie, so I found that part of the film at interesting spin. But really, the slow burn here is what really makes me like this movie.

As with other films in which the protagonist is a wannabe filmmaker, there are lots of establishing shots with the local townsfolk to talk up the legend, and to get a sense of what is to come. It's all done pretty realistically, and, again, the actors dialogue/exchanges with each other are especially convincing.

Again, this film is very much about the slow burn of tension. This is very much exemplified in a scene near the end that lasts nearly twenty minutes for one continuous shot. And it's not boring. At all. The actors are brilliant in the scene, as is the sound. It's a highly effective scene and you really begin to get into the same dread of what's next as the characters due to the immersive nature of the scene.

Overall, I really liked it. I think the director did a great job in choice/direction of actors, and the overall story was not over the top. It's a great example of how found-footage should be done.

Though, the film doesn't actually try to tell you it's found footage, it's just that the only point of view is the camera(s) used by the characters. But I'll assume someone found the footage in that fictional universe at some point.

I'll be honest. This film definitely went for full Blair Witch and just barely did not make it. On the upside though, it did get very close. Willow Creek is one of those movies that although it doesn't quite scare you, it leaves you unnerved. The film is very amateur but this serves to benefit the film. The buildup is fantastic but in my opinion, the payoff was a tad lackluster, but perhaps that is just because i wanted to know more.

Willow Creek is by no means a masterpiece of horror but it is a very effective shaky cam film with good suspense and eerie atmosphere.

Warning though, some parts of this film do drag on... a lot. The beginning of the film lasts forever, and one scene in particular drums up the suspense well but ultimately runs too long in the middle of this very short movie.

If you read about this film and immediately though you might be interested, watch it. I did not go in expecting too much, but I was pleased with what I saw.

The entirety of the plot could be boiled down to, "Two insecure people hear sounds in their tent for 40 minutes." The characters are vapid, boring, and lack anything insightful or interesting to say. The interviews with the locals are as exciting as you'd expect "unedited" footage with a bunch of random people discussing Bigfoot to be.

When things finally do begin to happen, they don't proceed anywhere. It goes on and on with no point or purpose until all I wanted was for both of them to die, and die slowly.

Bobcat's other films showed some promise in some regards, but this was just awful.

First thing's first this film is boring, about 45 minutes of this film is talking and driving. Then our couple get to the woods and get warned off, which happens in most if these films. When that happened I thought great the film will pick up, it didn't for awhile. Then we get to the infamous tent scene, for me it didn't work. This part was meant to be 18 minutes of flights and scares, where? By the time we get to the end of the movie, I had lost interest in the film. There was nothing wrong in the acting, in fact they did look like a real couple, which worked. The film had one problem as I said earlier, nothing happened. I would give this a three and a half but since I can't I will give it a four.

Willow Creek is another Blair Witch Project rehash, but don't let that deter you. It's a different approach to minimalist found-footage horror, and it winds up being a truly frightening experience if you can make it past the first half. Not that the first half is poor - it's just a long setup to introduce you to these characters: Jim, the believer, and Kelly, the skeptic, on their hunt for the one and only Bigfoot. It's satirical in a way, watching Jim interview these townsfolk about Bigfoot sightings and you as a viewer knowing how ridiculous it all is, but that is what makes Willow Creek work so well. You're led to believe it's going to be a dumb satire on the Blair Witch Project for the first half of the film, which makes it all the more terrifying when things take a turn for the worse.

Rather than having jump scares and disturbing imagery, the scares in Willow Creek come almost entirely from sound. There's even a point where the main character shuts off the camera light so you can't see anything. All you can do is listen to the open wilderness: wood knocking from a distance, leaves crunching, ominous howls, getting closer and closer. It taps into everyone's innate fear of the unknown in the simplest and most effective way.

As far as minimalist horror goes, Willow Creek is right up there with Blair Witch, possibly even surpassing it. The only complaint I have aside from the overlong build up (which ends up paying off anyway) is the atrocious rock song that plays during the end credits. It takes the dreadful atmosphere you were experiencing moments before and slams your eardrums with this horrendous upbeat music. It can be a relief for some people, reminding us that it's only a movie, but I found it grating. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that Willow Creek is another reminder that found-footage can work with the right team in front and behind the camera. A perfect midnight horror movie.