







The found footage genre can be an extremely hard sell these days. Due to numerous underwhelming indie projects and directors that don't know how to handle that type of film making in a creative way, many horror fans have abandoned or dismissed these movies altogether.





From way too many alien abduction flicks to hundreds of digital releases that require their actors to walk around aimlessly screaming out their friend's names, found footage has quickly run a course that seemed like it was fully worn and ready to hit the trash heap. Now, we get a hyper creative horror flick called The Monster Project that once again invigorates the style with a passionate new spin that pits a group of 'youtubers' against a terrifying trifecta of evil incarnate.





Much like Chronicle did years ago, director Victor Mathieu brings us a refreshing tale that actually qualifies as real film making, not just another overdone trope.





When a small crew decides they want to make a new online series of videos called The Monster Project, all hell breaks loose and main characters are quickly vanquished by three separate entities. What's really interesting about this release is the passion that's put into creating great visuals, perfect scares, and modernized spins on the skinwalker (werewolf), a demon, and a sexually charged female vampire. Mathieu takes his job seriously and aggressively changes the context by which we always relate to these three different beings. Watching them play together is cool and works well in the context of this project.





I'm here to bite you. Is that okay?





Yes, some might be thrown by the typical shaky cam usage, but it actually works very well here. Luckily, there's not too much distortion of the imagery on screen. Plus, some of the practical effect usage on the werewolf is second to none. Considering the lower budget for this feature, the visuals are definitely grand. Other than a few skewed scenes of the demonic presence that's on the loose here, almost all the FX look great, truly lending themselves to creating a horrific environment that's hell bent on stepping up what some might disqualify as another one of 'those movies'. This isn't. Out of the dozens of horror screeners I've reviewed this year, this one is my favorite. Mathieu puts a lot of heart into The Monster Project and it's felt all over this thing.





If you've ever been a fan of demons, lycans, or blood thirsty vampires, I would definitely suggest you see this when it gets released. It hits on August 18th and should be on the radar for found footage followers and genre fans alike.





Score





-CG







