As a paranormal investigator, I hate the portrayal of our community in film. I also hate found-footage movies… normally. Imagine my surprise when I found a horror flick about ghost hunters using found footage and I actually liked it.
Hell hath officially frozen over.
In “Malibu Horror Story,” the two have combined to make, dare I say it, a pretty good movie. Now, I’m not saying it’s the best horror movie I’ve ever seen — but it’s a nice little flick, particularly at this time of year.
The premise isn’t completely original — a group of young adults are trying to follow up on an old mystery of why some students went to a mysterious cave and disappeared many years ago. Yeah, I know… can you say “Blair Witch Project?”
But hear me out.
First of all, the writer/director, Scott Slone, did a great job of portraying paranormal investigators in a much more realistic light than that infamous douchebag on a very famous ghost-hunting show — a.k.a. “He Who Shall Be Not Named.”
You know who I’m talking about.
I hate watching a movie that portrays paranormal investigators like that idiot. Spoiler alert — people in the real paranormal community can’t stand that guy and laugh at him. Just sayin’…
I also like the way they mixed in some Native American lore into the backstory. It’s always nice to see a little social commentary without being too heavy-handed about it. It also gives some credence and depth as to what is happening. How much of it is fact? Who knows, but it’s convincing.
Anyway, in this film, this group of investigators is making a documentary about these disappearances, and what really makes this work, besides accurate portrayals of ghost hunters and convincing backstory, is that the director mixes found footage with live-action.
Hallelujah!
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s watching a found footage movie where they insist on making all, I repeat, ALL footage found footage. It completely takes me out of the film and “suspension of disbelief” because I am constantly thinking, “No one would actually film this shit. They’re fighting for their life and they’re really going to stop, pick up, and hold onto a camera while they’re running and being chased by some monster? I don’t think so.”
“Malibu Horror Story” does not even look like an independent film. Sure, it’s at a limited location, and there are no special effects, but another thing that impressed me was the quality of the acting by these relative unknowns (they do have some nice credits.) I’ll often watch the trailer of an independent film or maybe the first five minutes and I immediately decide if I’m going to continue, which all too often, I can immediately hit STOP — the acting is horrible, the script is terrible, and it’s strictly amateur hour.
This is not the case with “Malibu Horror Story.” This movie is bound to inspire a lot of other independent filmmakers with its quality production. What a novel idea — thinking creatively and originally instead of just throwing money at a production. And let’s hope all those found footage wannabe directors and writers take a cue from this film on a good script, good actors, and how to incorporate found footage the right way.
Not to mention how to scare the shit out of you.
Release Date: October 20, 2023 (In 200+ Theaters Nationwide)
Directed/Written By: Scott Slone
Based on Characters Created By: Scott Slone
Produced By: Dustin Harris, Scott Slone, Andrew Williams
Executive Producers: Ricardo E Gonzalez, Dominic Luisi, Brandon Edgley, David Wayne Berry, James V. Frank, Michael Sherry, Kristina Warner, Nick Royak, Riva Madan
Director of Photography: Robert Morris
Edited By: Scott Slone, Dustin Fine
Music By: Josh Lim
Starring: Dylan Sprayberry (Teen Wolf, Light as a Feather, Sick), Robert Bailey Jr. (Nightshift, Emergence), Valentina de Angelis (Gossip Girl), Rebecca Forsythe (Replace, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), “Twisty” Troy James (Nightmare Alley, Hellboy, Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark), Douglas Tait (Annabelle Comes Home, Hellboy and Halloween Kills), Tommy Cramer, Veno Miller, Jacob Hughes, and Hector Gomez Jr..
Special Makeup and FX: Spectral Motion
Distributor: Iconic Events Releasing
Production Company: Sunny Oak Films
Rated: R