If only ...

Rating: 10/10 (4 August 1999)

If only the ruse could have been kept up a little longer. If you haven't yet seen this film or heard anything about it (yeah, like that's possible), stop reading immediately and go see it. This was a great idea with amazing execution, and if I hadn't been told (by some idiot who will pay) that it's not a true story, I would say that it's the scariest film I've ever seen. Even with that knowledge, it was close.
I tried very hard to avoid all the preceding hype, and was almost successful, having seen no more than a print ad with the now-famous come-on (see above). The pains that were taken to make this amazing film seem real, along with the flawless performances by the actors, sucked me in like nothing else I have experienced. In a perfect world, everyone would see this movie the way its creators intended, with none of us knowing that it wasn't found footage. As I said, I had already been told, and I still spent the entire second half squirming with fear.
If you're looking for one of the gore-flicks that pass for horror films these days, this ain't it. But if you want a unique cinematic experience that is nothing short of harrowing, see this movie. It's just too bad they couldn't keep the secret.