saleemfrazer Review of Specter

Specter (I) (2012)

Specter Film Review (Penny For Your Movie Thoughts Blog)

[6/10 · 24 February 2015]

Specter is what I like to call a last minute reminder that found footage films can be somewhat enjoyable and creative if the right filmmakers are behind the camera. There are so many directions that can come out of this type of filmmaking yet the majority of today's found footage film directors believes that making a typical haunted house or demonic possession film is the only way to go. In the case of Specter, there is a bold sense of filmmaking (the type of film that could've easily been a short in one of the "V/H/S" films) that delivers on its concept and mystery angle. Also it doesn't hurt that the film actually takes place in a real life storm disaster. The atmosphere because of this reality is its own character and adds to the tension of the situations explored in the film. So take that into consideration when talking about whether or not this found footage film should be tossed aside with the rest of the Paranormal Activity impostors. Every single scene involving a flash flood, trees tossing, boats crashing, etc. is all taking place in real time from nature's fury. The brilliance of this film comes with the mere fact that the story centers around the storm, but doesn't focus on it too much. What we have is your typical teenage crew doing illegal activities until we see them getting picked off one by one in the end by a supernatural force. Yes, it sounds like every other film out there, but as I stated, the brilliance comes with the real terror that surrounds them being a bonus. The acting is what you would typically find in this genre of films (no one watches a found footage science fiction horror to find Oscar worthy performances). The characters themselves worked just enough to get me through the experience however no one really stood out to me as someone to root for. The story itself like I said is your overly done unknown supernatural force killing off a young adult crowd, but the execution this time around is the eye catcher. Yes I've praised the filmmaking boldness of the massive natural disaster already, but beyond that, the wide scaled destruction of the story is also done well. The film emphasizes on the fact that this force of destruction has killed off possibly the entire county of people during the storm. There are great shots of emptiness as well as the flaming remains of people scattered around. There is definitely some haunting imagery in the film and it genuinely adds to the film's tone instead of desperately calling for shock value (for the most part). Surprisingly, I found myself a little on edge (in a good way) in the last few minutes of the film where we find our cameraman searching for his friend through all of the chaos happening. It's a chilling and downright nerve wrecking experience as the audio and atmosphere took me in for a little joy ride through a nightmarish situation. I'll say in the end, "Specter" is a found footage film that puts effort in making an entertaining and haunting experience feel as real as the setting that film surrounds itself in. Whether you've given up on the genre of not, I'd still recommend at least checking it out as an interesting film project to say the least. It won't recover my faith for the current state of films in this overcrowding library of generic cheap horror films, but it will encourage me to keep an eye out for talented filmmakers looking to try something bold and unique.