A much better than average found footage romp that geniunely made me feel that pang of dread even when it was showing these four lads just doing casual fun things.
It really makes a convincing recreation of real home movies against the unforgiving desert backdrop. I'm going to say right now, don't expect it to keep its cards anywhere neat as close to its chest as Blair witch part 1 did. This is sort the BWP for people who were ticked at not getting to actually see more of what the characters were running from.
Far from a masterpiece, it's still a lot better than so much you could get so if you're in the mood for this kind of thing and you're feeling undemanding, this won't annoy in any great degree.
I felt we saw a bit much and that the boys become too aware that something is up way too early in the movie. I'd have preferred more of the slow burn but I think I'm pressuring this movie to be what I think it should be without appreciating it for its own unique approach.
I wish the movie had just been the tapes themselves. Maybe with a little introduction. All this talk about conspiracy right off the bat sort of kills some of the mystery. It annoyed me how they cut in an interview with some sheriff during the titular tapes. That just disrupted the flow.
Ultimately though, this may have been potentially a lot better, but there is so much worse. This is worth the price of renting and deserves to be seen so much more than a lot of overhyped stuff is.
