THE PREMISE:

"After finding mysterious video clips, siblings investigate the strange recordings and uncover a disturbing secret spreading through their Texas town." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

Bigfoot. Lizard people. The Deep State. Whether you were raised by The X-Files or the internet, chances are you’re familiar with one (or all) of these conspiracies and the numerous theories attached to them. While many believe conspiracy theories are a product of the digital age, they have been around since mankind could communicate. They are the product of mankind’s attempt to make sense of the unknown. The digital age has only made it harder to distinguish fact from fiction. The new found footage film Man Finds Tape has that exact understanding in mind as it examines what the unraveling of modern-day conspiracy would look like.

Directed by Paul Gandersman and Peter Hall, the film is told from the perspective of a brother and sister who uncover a strange secret about Larkin, the Texas town they used to call home. The film is formatted as a faux documentary put together by the sister, Lynn. However, as she reveals, the story starts when her brother Lucas begins posting mysterious videos online. Some are home movies. Others are videos he’s uncovered from his own research around his town. It isn’t until he finds a video depicting the public murder of a man in front of several strangers that Lynn finally decides to begin her own investigation. But upon returning to her hometown, several other odd occurrences take place - all stemming from the appearance of a mysterious man carrying an empty knapsack. In an effort to uncover the truth, the duo embark on a chilling investigation that leads them (and subsequently the audience) down an unforgettable rabbit hole.  

Like fellow found footage juggernauts The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, Man Finds Tape is littered with surprises at every corner. It’s impressive how many left turns the story takes from the moment Lynn decides to investigate until the moment the credits roll. But it’s a testament to how smoothly Gandersman and Hall handle the story’s supernatural progression. 

The veil between reality and fiction is so thin, and the destination is so unclear, yet you still want to take the ride with the characters. You ask no questions because the directors have designed the film’s questions to be just exhilarating as any answers they may hold. 

The use of relatively unknown actors - and how they handle each one of the film’s twists - definitely helps to suspend the audience’s disbelief too. For example, the first time the film’s protagonists finally confront the man with the knapsack, there’s a subtle feeling of dread. Not just because both the characters and the audience have no idea what he’s capable of, but because the directors maximize the use of the term “found footage” by including everything from surveillance video and CCTV camera footage. In that moment, recorded on a security camera, it feels like we’re watching something we shouldn’t be. While it’s been done before, the way the directors use the technique here adds a bit more intrigue and excitement to the genre that has become too formulaic. 

That’s not to say the film is without any flaws. While ambiguity is its biggest strength in the first half, it also feels like Gandersman and Hall have a hard time entirely abandoning it in the second half - even when many of the film’s most pressing questions are answered. Sure, the ambiguity could be done intentionally to set up for a potential sequel or to give audiences some ideas to think about independently. However, there’s no denying it feels a bit too on-the-nose for a film which builds its entire foundation on the idea that a lack of answers paves the way for some of the craziest conspiracies.

Nevertheless, Man Finds Tape marks an exciting return to eerie, entertaining found footage horror movies. Not just for its mystery, but for its message. The horrifying truth about how Larkin’s residents are being victimized is a perfect parallel for the current state of technology and the internet. Tools that should make our lives easier have only made the search for the truth harder. The real horror being how we may already be just as caught up as the film’s characters, so numb to the obvious abuse that we may never be able to pause it.