I heard about this film because a friend of mine works for the company that will be distributing it. Saw it at Culver City Film Festival, where it was very well received. I am NOT a big horror movie fan, but occasionally enjoy a good one. This film was exceptional. A perfect blend of comedy and genuinely scary moments. Terrific cast and a unique twist on the found footage story. Great pacing that will keep you entertained and guessing throughout. After the movie, a guy in the theater said: "I usually don't like the endings of horror movies, but this one nailed it." Totally agree! Highly recommended.
8 Reviews
A Disappointing Borefest
filmguyci-2280421 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I saw the preview for this during The Exorcist: Believer and was excited to see it. The preview looked scary and gave off vibes of The Descent, a favorite horror film.
The plot: Four twentysomethings set out to make a documentary on what happened to four teenage boys who disappeared ten years earlier while hiking through a local cave with a disturbing history.
The first half of this film plays like a dull true crime show on Investigation Discovery. Then we watch a lot of found footage of the obnoxious teens who disappeared ten years earlier. Found footage that gives way too much information to make one wonder why the police hadn't investigated the disappearance further.
Our documentary filmmakers find themselves in the cave hoping to summon spirits and find out what really happened to the boys so they can complete their project.
Will they meet the same fate? Will anyone care?
The film fails to create any tension. In addition,, the found footage angle has been done to death. The documentarians are flat characters and the filmmaker gives us no reason to care about them. There are some scary images and a couple of creepy moments but not nearly enough to compensate for the build up.
I couldn't wait for this to end and left genuinely disappointed as the film never lived up to the promise of the trailer.
The plot: Four twentysomethings set out to make a documentary on what happened to four teenage boys who disappeared ten years earlier while hiking through a local cave with a disturbing history.
The first half of this film plays like a dull true crime show on Investigation Discovery. Then we watch a lot of found footage of the obnoxious teens who disappeared ten years earlier. Found footage that gives way too much information to make one wonder why the police hadn't investigated the disappearance further.
Our documentary filmmakers find themselves in the cave hoping to summon spirits and find out what really happened to the boys so they can complete their project.
Will they meet the same fate? Will anyone care?
The film fails to create any tension. In addition,, the found footage angle has been done to death. The documentarians are flat characters and the filmmaker gives us no reason to care about them. There are some scary images and a couple of creepy moments but not nearly enough to compensate for the build up.
I couldn't wait for this to end and left genuinely disappointed as the film never lived up to the promise of the trailer.
Frighteningly fun!
mattnotis24 October 2023
While corporations pump out sequels and remakes galore, it's so refreshing to see something unique in cinemas these days. Malibu Horror Story offers plenty of creepy vibes from rookie writer/director Scott Slone. Granted, the runtime doesn't give the movie as many opportunities to really develop the characters as much as I would've liked to have seen and there are some horror tropes that kept it from feeling as fresh as it could be. But overall, if you're a fan of horror or found footage films, I think there's plenty to enjoy from MHS. So go and turn down the lights, grab a bowl of popcorn and hold on tight.
Wery amateurish
olcayozfirat13 December 2023
Mediocre horror movie made in 2023. I think those who gave very high scores in the comments watched another movie. Because many similar movies have been made. So it's not an original scenario. The acting is also very amateur. Directing is also mediocre. In other words, one cannot become a good director by taking a lot of inspiration from Exorcissist and Blair Witch movies.
A group of young people disappeared. Later, their cameras were found. Another group that goes to investigate the mystery of the incident encounters unexpected results.
It's a predictable story from the beginning until the end. Really waste of time. The first half is so sluggish that it bores the audience. The movie does not arouse curiosity. I was deceived by the score but prayed for it to end.
There is no sexuality or nudity in the movie.
A group of young people disappeared. Later, their cameras were found. Another group that goes to investigate the mystery of the incident encounters unexpected results.
It's a predictable story from the beginning until the end. Really waste of time. The first half is so sluggish that it bores the audience. The movie does not arouse curiosity. I was deceived by the score but prayed for it to end.
There is no sexuality or nudity in the movie.
An exciting new approach to found footage
arpagano24 October 2023
It makes sense why Malibu Horror Story did so well on the festival circuit... the structure of this found footage film and reflexive storytelling devices utilizing news footage, a paranormal investigation crew investigating the missing teens, and the teens experiencing the monster/evil entity firsthand. The structure kept me guessing throughout each act and built up to an exciting and scary third act of the film. The writing and editing effectively string you along to make the ending even more terrifying than expected.
I hope people take the time to see this unique approach to horror in theaters!
I hope people take the time to see this unique approach to horror in theaters!
Good technique
BandSAboutMovies14 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
In this film from director and writer Scott Slone, a paranormal team has followed the trail of four dead young men who followed a night of partying and taking way too many mushrooms by going into a sacred cave in Malibu - filled with Native American legend - and not coming out alive.
Malibu Horror Story begins as a true crime show, giving the backstory in an intriguing way before going to behind the camera found footage as the team gets to the cave. One of the dead teens came from a family whose land took over from the Native Americans who had lived there for centuries, leading to a shaman seeing to avenge the genocide of his people by conjuring a Skinwalker that is ready to possess and murder anyone who sets foot in the cave.
A movie a decade in the filming, I really liked how this movie uses shifts in media to move the story along and isn't content to remain all found footage. While I usually dislike this genre of horror, this concept works well for me. While the movie doesn't break any new ground, it's well told and if you love shaky cam scares, you'll probably love it.
Malibu Horror Story begins as a true crime show, giving the backstory in an intriguing way before going to behind the camera found footage as the team gets to the cave. One of the dead teens came from a family whose land took over from the Native Americans who had lived there for centuries, leading to a shaman seeing to avenge the genocide of his people by conjuring a Skinwalker that is ready to possess and murder anyone who sets foot in the cave.
A movie a decade in the filming, I really liked how this movie uses shifts in media to move the story along and isn't content to remain all found footage. While I usually dislike this genre of horror, this concept works well for me. While the movie doesn't break any new ground, it's well told and if you love shaky cam scares, you'll probably love it.
Malibu Horror Story contains some worthwhile elements that make it worth a watch for horror enthusiasts, but not enough to make it a good movie
kevin_robbins22 October 2023
I watched Malibu Horror Story (2023) in theaters last night. The storyline follows a group of Malibu high school friends who go missing in some historically mysterious hills in California. A tape from the hikers surfaces that a group that researches paranormal activity get their hands on. They set out for the hill to uncover what may have led to the teen's disappearance.
This movie is written and directed by Scott Slone (2001: An EDM Odyssey) and stars Dylan Sprayberry (Teen Wolf), Robert Bailey Jr (The Happening), Valentina de Angelis (As the World Turns) and Rebecca Forsythe (Replace).
This film had all the ingredients for a worthwhile found footage movie. The storyline was unique and unlike anything I'd seen before in the genre. The execution reminded me of a mix of The Blair Witch Project and The Descent. Most of the found footage shots were well done, creepy, and the creature was excellent, until they used CGI to show its transformation that included random CGI flames (which seemed unnecessary). The acting and depiction of the news, police, and other interviews were mediocre to bad. I didn't particularly like any of the docuseries elements. The kills in the movie are actually pretty good, but the ending falls short.
In conclusion, Malibu Horror Story contains some worthwhile elements that make it worth a watch for horror enthusiasts, but not enough to make it a good movie. I would rate this a 4/10 and recommend it only to die-hard fans of the horror genre.
This movie is written and directed by Scott Slone (2001: An EDM Odyssey) and stars Dylan Sprayberry (Teen Wolf), Robert Bailey Jr (The Happening), Valentina de Angelis (As the World Turns) and Rebecca Forsythe (Replace).
This film had all the ingredients for a worthwhile found footage movie. The storyline was unique and unlike anything I'd seen before in the genre. The execution reminded me of a mix of The Blair Witch Project and The Descent. Most of the found footage shots were well done, creepy, and the creature was excellent, until they used CGI to show its transformation that included random CGI flames (which seemed unnecessary). The acting and depiction of the news, police, and other interviews were mediocre to bad. I didn't particularly like any of the docuseries elements. The kills in the movie are actually pretty good, but the ending falls short.
In conclusion, Malibu Horror Story contains some worthwhile elements that make it worth a watch for horror enthusiasts, but not enough to make it a good movie. I would rate this a 4/10 and recommend it only to die-hard fans of the horror genre.
Fun little horror film
TonyDood4 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Saw this at a free screening (but have no connections with anyone connected to the film) so I had no expectations at all which is always helpful.
The first half contained a (fictional) documentary explaining how a crew of young men mysteriously disappeared in the mountains surrounding Malibu. The second half concerned the crew making the documentary running into trouble as they uncover secrets in the cursed mountains that they should have left alone. If it sounds familiar it is--the hat-tip to Blair Witch is obvious as are nods to several other films, including The Exorcist, Poltergeist (1 and 2), Paranormal Activity, The Hangover, Project X and, oddly enough, The Brady Bunch in Hawaii TV movie. There are similarities to the recent no-budget film "Antrum" as well.
I choose to think the director is aware of these similarities (one of the main characters is even named "Josh" and another is named "Jake" Torrance). At any rate, this is a fun, efficient little thriller that doesn't try to be anything more than fun and scary with a little gore, some cool make-up and shock effects and gratuitous use of the "f" word.
The acting is really nice, the cast is good looking and charismatic even if one wishes we could have gotten to know them all a bit better, the direction is clean and the photography is lovely. Nice soundtrack as well.
The first half was probably my favorite--the news/documentary footage in the set-up was remarkably realistic and engaging, the mystery of what happened to the guys was interesting and I liked the found-footage of the guys in the mountains. If the end was (*semi-spoiler here) reduced to a bit of a predictable extended hunt-and-kill through dark cave passages it was certainly spooky enough. Again, the film didn't seem to seek more than to be entertaining and on that score did a fine job, great for streaming if you're in the mood.
The first half contained a (fictional) documentary explaining how a crew of young men mysteriously disappeared in the mountains surrounding Malibu. The second half concerned the crew making the documentary running into trouble as they uncover secrets in the cursed mountains that they should have left alone. If it sounds familiar it is--the hat-tip to Blair Witch is obvious as are nods to several other films, including The Exorcist, Poltergeist (1 and 2), Paranormal Activity, The Hangover, Project X and, oddly enough, The Brady Bunch in Hawaii TV movie. There are similarities to the recent no-budget film "Antrum" as well.
I choose to think the director is aware of these similarities (one of the main characters is even named "Josh" and another is named "Jake" Torrance). At any rate, this is a fun, efficient little thriller that doesn't try to be anything more than fun and scary with a little gore, some cool make-up and shock effects and gratuitous use of the "f" word.
The acting is really nice, the cast is good looking and charismatic even if one wishes we could have gotten to know them all a bit better, the direction is clean and the photography is lovely. Nice soundtrack as well.
The first half was probably my favorite--the news/documentary footage in the set-up was remarkably realistic and engaging, the mystery of what happened to the guys was interesting and I liked the found-footage of the guys in the mountains. If the end was (*semi-spoiler here) reduced to a bit of a predictable extended hunt-and-kill through dark cave passages it was certainly spooky enough. Again, the film didn't seem to seek more than to be entertaining and on that score did a fine job, great for streaming if you're in the mood.
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