Evidence (2011)

Directed by:
Howie Asins

Written by:
Ryan McCoy

Main Cast:
Brett Rosenberg, Ryan McCoy, Abigail Richie, Ashley Bracken

The Plot:
While filming a documentary about Brett's first time camping in the wilderness, amateur filmmaker Mark, his girlfriend Abi, and Brett's girlfriend Ashley come to realize that not only are they not alone, but that something is watching them and waiting for the right moment to charge.

The Review:
Monster movies of quality are pretty rare now. Likewise, found footage has seen better days. The latter is especially difficult because it is up to the production team to find consistently believable reasons for why the person, or people, operating the camera would continue to hold it under dire circumstances. In this regard, and a couple others, Evidence falters. But, overall, it is a success.

Blending elements of The Blair Witch Project with other films that I cannot reveal in the interest of avoiding spoilers, Evidence starts off very slowly, establishing the camaraderie of the friends. The chemistry amongst the cast is palpable, even though the people they are playing are sketchily written at best. Ryan, in particular, is painted to be insufferable, but this is balanced out by the increasingly hostile reactions of his friends to his juvenile attitude.

The setup is key, as we get a tour of the woodsy setting, and an escalating sense that malevolence could really come in to play at any second. Similar to Blair Witch, there are the obligatory scenes of someone hearing a noise off in the dark and the others not believing him, or tents being shaken in the middle of the night, or petulant arguments that stem from the frazzled nerves, etc.  The opening hour is the film's best, surprisingly, and that is due to the clever manipulation techniques of the director, and the conviction of the actors. It's legitimately spooky, and the scares are brilliantly timed. There is also a rather bizarre interlude involving a wandering traveller who may or may not pose a threat of his own. I'm still trying to figure out how it fits in with the rest of the plot, and I'm not entirely sure that it does, but it's very brief and serves its purpose to unsettle.

Where the plot goes in the concluding half-hour dare not be given away, but it will certainly surprise and polarize viewers. I applaud the filmmakers for taking a creative risk, but there was a sense of deflation in my experience when I realized that the sense of claustrophobia and danger being built up during the earlier portion of the film was being exchanged for something more reminiscent of a overly chaotic survival video game. I ended up with a similar after viewing M. Night Shyamalan's The Village: "why couldn't it just be a straightforward monster movie?"

While Evidence earns points for ambition, which is invaluable in contemporary horror, there is a bit of stumbling in the conception of the denouement which leaves something to be desired. It is always refreshing to watch independent films swing for the fences. But sometimes, like in this case, less would have been more.

**1/2 out of ****