traditional creature feature in found footage style

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2016)

The military recovers a camera from Central Park in NYC after a mysterious incident. The movie consists of the footage found on the camera. Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) and girlfriend Beth McIntyre (Odette Annable) are going to Coney Island. Then the tape is recorded over at a later date. Jason Hawkins (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lily Ford (Jessica Lucas) are throwing a surprise farewell party for his brother Rob who is moving to Japan for work. Idiot friend Hud Platt (T.J. Miller) is given the job of recording. He starts flirting with disinterested friend of a friend Marlena Diamond (Lizzy Caplan). Then things start happening and the group goes out into the streets.
The story is a traditional creature feature. The young cast is photogenic and charismatic. The found footage is good as far as the new style goes. The main problem I have is the camera always finding just the right frame. It gets a little too obvious over time. I like all the big effects but the scariest stuff happens in the dark tunnel. This is bigger than most found footage movies and done well.