There’s been a glut of found-footage horror films ever since the original The Blair Witch Project back in 1999. Now, on the cusp of a new Blair Witch film and no sign of indie horror filmmakers slowing down production of these (usually less than stellar) flicks, comes a new meta-narrative film that pokes fun while hopefully delivering some fresh scares of its own. Found Footage 3D is a mockumentary about the making of a fake found-footage horror film called Spectre Of Death, and appears to mock the tropes of the subgenre and the glibness with which people approach these projects before delving into some scarier (and bloodier) fare.
Found Footage 3D is, of course, an absurd concept. Why would some random filmmakers be shooting in 3D in the first place? Luckily, the film, directed by Steven DeGennaro, is well aware of this absurdity, and seems to be a meta-deconstruction of found-footage movies. And when it turns out that the movie in question is being filmed at a haunted house, then the horror amps up as well. The premise sounds similar to Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon, mixed with an 8 1/2 inside-baseball like approach to filmmaking as a whole. The films stars Carter Roy, Alena von Stroheim, Chris O’Brien, Tom Saporit, and film critic Scott Weinberg as himself. It was produced by DeGennaro, Charles Mulford, and Kim Henkel (co-creator of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre).
Found Footage 3D is premiering at Bruce Campbell’s Horror Film Festival in Chicago on August 2o, and will also have its international premiere at London’s FrightFest on August 29.