You may not identify with the lead character, but he is being as real and as well painted as he can. And that has something to do, that the boy is based on the directors childhood. Some look for comedy in their search for their own truth. He went on and made practical effects, dolls and other stuff to pass time (and scare people too as a byproduct).
The story itself is a bit predictable, but you can feel the love for the genre, the love for filmmaking, in every pore of this movie. So while this isn't without its flaws, it has enough tension and especially effects to hold the viewers attention. If that sounds like something you can also get excited about, you probably will have a good time watching this. I know it had an overall good reaction at Frightfest where it played
