This movie is somehow very comparable to Skinamarink and that's not a good thing at all. You have absolutely no idea what's going on the entire runtime and it's full of horrible filmmaking with extremely dark shots with a flashlight every once in a while. If the darkness bothers you, don't worry because you'll end up getting screams and running with no context. If that doesn't bother you then you'll just be treated to random footage thrown together going from night to day and so on and so on. I really don't know what the heck was going on in this movie. If it's this easy to make a movie then maybe I need to pick up my iPhone and just start shooting random footage and ask a studio to buy my horribly shot movie and release it theatrically to piss everyone off. Apparently it's that's easy in 2023.
149 Reviews
No Idea What Happened
stevendbeard13 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I saw The Outwaters, starring Robbie Banfitch-The Trouble With Barry, Hastey Hastey Follow Your Heart; Michelle May-this is her second movie after Bikini Model Academy; Angela Basolis-her first movie and Scott Schamell-his first movie.
This is one of those found footage movies-you can blame The Blair Witch Project-that is produced, written and directed by one of the stars, Robbie Banfitch. Robbie, Angela, Scott and Michelle are 4 people that go into the Mojave Desert to film a music video. Michelle is the singer/star of the video. They are never seen again-someone found the footage. The four camp in the desert-filming during the day-and during the night, they start hearing strange noises and see strange lights in the sky. During the day, they see 5 donkeys and a snake. During the night, an ax is seen in the hands of a human looking figure, off in the distance. One night, they are attacked-presumably by the human looking figure with the ax-and Robbie runs around all bloody-trying to find everyone else-ripping his own clothes off, so yes, he is naked. At one point, Robbie sees all 4 of them-yes, he sees himself, too-walking into the desert like they did at the beginning of the film and then proceeds to dismember parts of his own body. Did he kill them or is there some kind of time travel involved? I have no idea what happened to his friends-or himself-or even what caused all of this in the first place. I guess I'm just not smart enough and need someone to explain it to me-if you do see it, please get in touch with me.
It has an NR rating but it has violence, language, bloody images and nudity-both male and female-and has a running time of 1 hour & 40 minutes.
It's not one that I would buy on DVD or rent. If you want to see it, I'd wait until it comes to free tv.
This is one of those found footage movies-you can blame The Blair Witch Project-that is produced, written and directed by one of the stars, Robbie Banfitch. Robbie, Angela, Scott and Michelle are 4 people that go into the Mojave Desert to film a music video. Michelle is the singer/star of the video. They are never seen again-someone found the footage. The four camp in the desert-filming during the day-and during the night, they start hearing strange noises and see strange lights in the sky. During the day, they see 5 donkeys and a snake. During the night, an ax is seen in the hands of a human looking figure, off in the distance. One night, they are attacked-presumably by the human looking figure with the ax-and Robbie runs around all bloody-trying to find everyone else-ripping his own clothes off, so yes, he is naked. At one point, Robbie sees all 4 of them-yes, he sees himself, too-walking into the desert like they did at the beginning of the film and then proceeds to dismember parts of his own body. Did he kill them or is there some kind of time travel involved? I have no idea what happened to his friends-or himself-or even what caused all of this in the first place. I guess I'm just not smart enough and need someone to explain it to me-if you do see it, please get in touch with me.
It has an NR rating but it has violence, language, bloody images and nudity-both male and female-and has a running time of 1 hour & 40 minutes.
It's not one that I would buy on DVD or rent. If you want to see it, I'd wait until it comes to free tv.
I Could Hardly See What Was Going On!
elvis-sheperd717 February 2023
I truly wish I could give this film a better rating. The premise is great, the blood effects are phenomenal, I just couldn't see much of anything! You rely on the small beam of light a character uses in the second half and all you can make out are eyes and faces! Don't believe the hype. This is a disappointing attempt at avant garde found footage filmmaking, that literally loses itself in the dark. Also, the dialogue and character interactions are incredibly jarring, it doesn't flow well in my opinion, and most of it is stiff and unnatural. The first 20 or so minutes will be the only coherent dialogue so brace yourself.
Complete mess. Shady con-job by Bloody Disgusting
brandonlewissmu25 February 2023
Total embarrassment to Found Footage horror.
You get an hour of the most boring and monotonous story you can imagine followed by maybe the most nonsensical trash I've ever seen. There's no rhyme or reason. No coherent storyline. Why is this happening? Better yet, what is happening? I have no idea.
Loud noises. They love the loud noises.
Random flashes of..stuff.
No idea what is happening.
Lots of blood from an attack by..?? No idea.
Main character walks around being weird.
Still no idea what is happening.
Lots of lights, weird imagery, and fast shaky shots of..no idea.
More loud noises Main character gets even weirder.
The end.
I have no idea what happened and I don't even care. This was like an art-house attempt at being weird for the sake of being weird. The only thing that stands out about this movie is the audio. Without that, you might have the most pointless found footage film of all time. You probably still do.
PS. Bloody Disgusting and primarily Brad, really lose a ton of credibility for hyping this movie up. I didn't realize they had money in it. Also, check the reviews with the high scores and you'll see the users just joined and this is the only movie they've ever reviewed.
You get an hour of the most boring and monotonous story you can imagine followed by maybe the most nonsensical trash I've ever seen. There's no rhyme or reason. No coherent storyline. Why is this happening? Better yet, what is happening? I have no idea.
Loud noises. They love the loud noises.
Random flashes of..stuff.
No idea what is happening.
Lots of blood from an attack by..?? No idea.
Main character walks around being weird.
Still no idea what is happening.
Lots of lights, weird imagery, and fast shaky shots of..no idea.
More loud noises Main character gets even weirder.
The end.
I have no idea what happened and I don't even care. This was like an art-house attempt at being weird for the sake of being weird. The only thing that stands out about this movie is the audio. Without that, you might have the most pointless found footage film of all time. You probably still do.
PS. Bloody Disgusting and primarily Brad, really lose a ton of credibility for hyping this movie up. I didn't realize they had money in it. Also, check the reviews with the high scores and you'll see the users just joined and this is the only movie they've ever reviewed.
I love found footage. This is just bad.
Rancid_Planet19 February 2023
You won't know what's going on. But not in a "over your head" artistic kind if way. More of a "not going to explain it because I don't know how" bad filmmaker kind of way.
The story is non-existent and won't ever be explained so don't hold your breath. And again, not explaining your story isn't artistic, it's lazy. High concepts are confusing. But confusion isn't high concept.
The acting is good and the poor cast shines early when the movie is setting up for its terrible 2nd and 3rd acts.
Look I'm an expert in found footage. I've seen them all. I love the genre and I can even find beauty and meaning in the Bad Ben series of films.
But THIS? Skip it. It's just a mish mash of gore and severely limited views. What an overrated mess. Omg.
The story is non-existent and won't ever be explained so don't hold your breath. And again, not explaining your story isn't artistic, it's lazy. High concepts are confusing. But confusion isn't high concept.
The acting is good and the poor cast shines early when the movie is setting up for its terrible 2nd and 3rd acts.
Look I'm an expert in found footage. I've seen them all. I love the genre and I can even find beauty and meaning in the Bad Ben series of films.
But THIS? Skip it. It's just a mish mash of gore and severely limited views. What an overrated mess. Omg.
Too ambitious for it's own budget...
nicolasroop10 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This film had potential to really go deep and scare you to it's core. The ingredients are all there but, and I'm assuming because of it's budget, writer/director Robert Banfitch just can't pull it off.
The reviewers are spreading these wild claims about how disturbing and horrible the things are in this film, and although some of it was mildly alarming, it's just nothing we haven't seen before. The blood and viscera are plenty but it's rarely shown coming out of anyone and is used more as set decoration than from acts of violence. In fact, all of the violence takes place off screen minus at the very very end of the film, which leads into a very anticlimatic ending. You see the crew covered in blood, but the entire time you have no idea why because it's all being shot by quite possibly the worst cameraman in the history of the found footage genre. The pinhole flashlight technique did not bother me as much as I thought it would, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the guy with the camera never focuses on anything but the ground the entire time, with extremely brief glimpses of blood trails or maybe someone in the distance. This is what leads me to believe that they just didn't have the budget to show anything that might've elevated this film to where it needed to be.
My other gripe with the film is the question I always ask myself when watching a film like this. Why are you continuing to film this??? A major issue that I have with found footage movies is they rarely explain why anyone would keep filming the events unfolding in front of them. This film is no different. That dude would've lost that camera somewhere between the running and the dimension travelling, and he wouldn't have looked back considering what he was experiencing. Just illogically stupid.
My last point to make here is that the film is narratively incoherent. Even during the initial build up, you're not quite sure what is going on. This is what bothered me the most about the film. There is no story here. The first 40 minutes you're getting to know the characters, but you have no clue what they are doing from one minute to the next. I didn't know we were even going to the desert until we got there. And when the horror stuff starts happening, it gets even less coherent. The only thing that the story does that is coherent is the time flip at the end. That I could pick out and finally get a grip on what the character might be experiencing. Other than that, the viewers are left in the dark just like our protagonist.
Overall, I am highly disappointed. The film is way too over hyped, undercooked and, frankly, frustrating. I wanted more than what I got offered. The film might hit you different but as it stand for me, the film was too long and too pointless to be considering anything like what the reviewers are saying it is.
1 eldritch being out of 5.
The reviewers are spreading these wild claims about how disturbing and horrible the things are in this film, and although some of it was mildly alarming, it's just nothing we haven't seen before. The blood and viscera are plenty but it's rarely shown coming out of anyone and is used more as set decoration than from acts of violence. In fact, all of the violence takes place off screen minus at the very very end of the film, which leads into a very anticlimatic ending. You see the crew covered in blood, but the entire time you have no idea why because it's all being shot by quite possibly the worst cameraman in the history of the found footage genre. The pinhole flashlight technique did not bother me as much as I thought it would, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the guy with the camera never focuses on anything but the ground the entire time, with extremely brief glimpses of blood trails or maybe someone in the distance. This is what leads me to believe that they just didn't have the budget to show anything that might've elevated this film to where it needed to be.
My other gripe with the film is the question I always ask myself when watching a film like this. Why are you continuing to film this??? A major issue that I have with found footage movies is they rarely explain why anyone would keep filming the events unfolding in front of them. This film is no different. That dude would've lost that camera somewhere between the running and the dimension travelling, and he wouldn't have looked back considering what he was experiencing. Just illogically stupid.
My last point to make here is that the film is narratively incoherent. Even during the initial build up, you're not quite sure what is going on. This is what bothered me the most about the film. There is no story here. The first 40 minutes you're getting to know the characters, but you have no clue what they are doing from one minute to the next. I didn't know we were even going to the desert until we got there. And when the horror stuff starts happening, it gets even less coherent. The only thing that the story does that is coherent is the time flip at the end. That I could pick out and finally get a grip on what the character might be experiencing. Other than that, the viewers are left in the dark just like our protagonist.
Overall, I am highly disappointed. The film is way too over hyped, undercooked and, frankly, frustrating. I wanted more than what I got offered. The film might hit you different but as it stand for me, the film was too long and too pointless to be considering anything like what the reviewers are saying it is.
1 eldritch being out of 5.
Could have used a better flashlight.
LawrenceOfAlabama14 February 2023
Terrible plot, bad camera work (especially since the main character is a cameraman), bad lighting. I felt like I was looking through a glory hole for 90 minutes.
This is what happens when someone tells you that you just need to get out there and shoot a film. You don't need money, actors, script, fx, or any of the other trapping that make up a films closing credits. Just run around, throw gallons of syrup on your feet, throw in an occasional wiener/boob visual (you know for those edgy scenes to make it legit adult horror) and presto; some people will show up.
The best part of this film was probably some of the sounds. Too bad film is a visual medium.
This is what happens when someone tells you that you just need to get out there and shoot a film. You don't need money, actors, script, fx, or any of the other trapping that make up a films closing credits. Just run around, throw gallons of syrup on your feet, throw in an occasional wiener/boob visual (you know for those edgy scenes to make it legit adult horror) and presto; some people will show up.
The best part of this film was probably some of the sounds. Too bad film is a visual medium.
Could be worst movie I've ever seen
jmagandolfo-479-21415726 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Okay .. I've seen some pretty bad movies. At least some of them have a somewhat redeeming quality...a great but washed up actor...unintentional comedy...a good idea depicted poorly. This is just a slog. If there were only low reviews I would have turned it off after about 40 minutes. The fact that ANYONE gave this abysmal excuse for a movie more than 3 stars is un fathomable. Where to start...well ,found footage flicks are hit or miss, but this is found terrible footage. The starts and stops ,the filming of nothing , the completely boring "backstory ". They are going to the middle of the desert to film a music video not for a few hours , but for a few days....whaaat ?.... They hear "terrifying noises" that sound like thunder....they see an abandoned axe....they call 9-1-1 and scream...they are not dead but just covered in blood...they use the same high pitched sound effect to signal unspeakable terror coming!!!! You never see anything because of the horrible starts and starts of the camera ..yet the main ? Character holds the camera still, as he dismembers his member..and disembowels himself ....stop right there gore fans, you don't actually see it . You just see feet and hear the dude recite the Lord's Prayer or just moan as he walks aimlessly around the desert. I guess you can add a star if you have some kind of bloody foot fetish. I kept waiting for SOME redeeming quality as I kept praying for the movie to end . I rewarded myself with a shot of bourbon and a salami and provolone sandwich for finishing this 4 hour "masterpiece ".....wait....what..you're kidding ....it was only like an hour and a half . Trust me it's that bad !
Here we are again
haskel-7295119 February 2023
Usually there is one film per year that is totally polarizing and divisive. We've now had two in thirty days. Much like Skinamarink, most will love this movie or hate it with few in between. Again like Skinamarink I'm in between. By all measures, this is the better film of the two, by far. That does not, however, make it a good film. It starts as a normal, run of the mill found footage movie. Slow, lots of "get to know us" moments. The first third of the movie is astoundingly brightly lit, in sharp contrast to what is to come. The second and thirds acts are dark - often lit only by a small flashlight, and increasingly bizarre, making less and less sense. I won't elaborate further because I would only be giving my theory of what happened, and it is certainly a film that you must draw your own conclusions on - nothing is spoon fed and little is served up nicely. Not for everyone, I thought it was ok but certainly not great.
I love found footage movies - too bad this isn't a good one at all
Mudsharkbytes11 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I really really wanted to like this movie, but there were just too many problems.
For starters, if you're going to embrace the found footage genre, then your movie has to actually LOOK like found footage. In found footage there can't be sound continuity across cuts. That happens all the time here - the camera cuts to a different shot but the sound continues from the previous one uninterrupted. While an argument could be made that early in the movie, when we're viewing the first SD card perhaps the people shooting the video did some editing, that's not possible for the last approx 40 minutes or so though.
The destruction of any illusion this is found footage is far from the main issue here. Found footage or not, to be entertaining a movie has to have some kind of suspense, drama, lead up, something to excuse the set up to the 'payoff,' the reason you went to see it in the first place.
That just doesn't happen here.
The set-up is you're supposedly viewing evidence from the contents of 3 SD cards. You might as well toss out card 1 for all the interest it contains. Four somewhat likable friends hang out making a music video, sort of. They fly around and we're treated to an earthquake, sort of, but not much else. Card 2 they're pretty much doing the same thing while camping out in the desert somewhere. Where and why are they camping out? Who knows? Who cares? I was growing really weary of the movie by now because it hadn't set up any expectations that there was anything at all amiss... You know, storytelling - creating tension, making you care about the characters on screen - none of that. Towards the end of card 2 there's some weird night sounds, but more like thunder with no rain, and more to the point, no explanation.
After 2/3 of the movie goes by and you're aching for something, ANYTHING to happen it finally does with card 3. Problem is, without any explanation or reasoning or build-up it feels more like random torture porn than it does any kind of actual horror. With very little build up all hell breaks loose quite suddenly with virtually no explanation for any of it, and for the next 40 minutes it's blood soaked prolonged death with very little in the way of rhyme or reason, which isn't scary, it's disgusting. Not once was I in the least bit frightened while watching this movie, but I was plenty disgusted by the time it ended.
The overall impression was after watching about an hours worth of boring videos of some seemingly nice enough kids trying to make a music video I then watched them destroyed for no particular reason other than the filmmaker thought if I throw a lot of blood and severed organs out there and make it hard to see any of it a lot of the time by reducing your field of vision to a small shaky flashlight spot, throw in some weird screaming snakes and a guy with an ax that has no real point other than he makes a cool silhouette, I've created an artsy horror film.
No, you haven't. What you've done is insulted your audience.
It's too bad too because it wouldn't've taken much to make this movie considerably better. Cutting the first 2/3 by half would be a good start.
Really, the only thing I found impressive here was the sound design - if you're into that I recommend checking it out, otherwise, it's just not ready for the big screen.
For starters, if you're going to embrace the found footage genre, then your movie has to actually LOOK like found footage. In found footage there can't be sound continuity across cuts. That happens all the time here - the camera cuts to a different shot but the sound continues from the previous one uninterrupted. While an argument could be made that early in the movie, when we're viewing the first SD card perhaps the people shooting the video did some editing, that's not possible for the last approx 40 minutes or so though.
The destruction of any illusion this is found footage is far from the main issue here. Found footage or not, to be entertaining a movie has to have some kind of suspense, drama, lead up, something to excuse the set up to the 'payoff,' the reason you went to see it in the first place.
That just doesn't happen here.
The set-up is you're supposedly viewing evidence from the contents of 3 SD cards. You might as well toss out card 1 for all the interest it contains. Four somewhat likable friends hang out making a music video, sort of. They fly around and we're treated to an earthquake, sort of, but not much else. Card 2 they're pretty much doing the same thing while camping out in the desert somewhere. Where and why are they camping out? Who knows? Who cares? I was growing really weary of the movie by now because it hadn't set up any expectations that there was anything at all amiss... You know, storytelling - creating tension, making you care about the characters on screen - none of that. Towards the end of card 2 there's some weird night sounds, but more like thunder with no rain, and more to the point, no explanation.
After 2/3 of the movie goes by and you're aching for something, ANYTHING to happen it finally does with card 3. Problem is, without any explanation or reasoning or build-up it feels more like random torture porn than it does any kind of actual horror. With very little build up all hell breaks loose quite suddenly with virtually no explanation for any of it, and for the next 40 minutes it's blood soaked prolonged death with very little in the way of rhyme or reason, which isn't scary, it's disgusting. Not once was I in the least bit frightened while watching this movie, but I was plenty disgusted by the time it ended.
The overall impression was after watching about an hours worth of boring videos of some seemingly nice enough kids trying to make a music video I then watched them destroyed for no particular reason other than the filmmaker thought if I throw a lot of blood and severed organs out there and make it hard to see any of it a lot of the time by reducing your field of vision to a small shaky flashlight spot, throw in some weird screaming snakes and a guy with an ax that has no real point other than he makes a cool silhouette, I've created an artsy horror film.
No, you haven't. What you've done is insulted your audience.
It's too bad too because it wouldn't've taken much to make this movie considerably better. Cutting the first 2/3 by half would be a good start.
Really, the only thing I found impressive here was the sound design - if you're into that I recommend checking it out, otherwise, it's just not ready for the big screen.
What. The. F--kkkkkk?!?!?!
afoteyannum28 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
WHAAAAAT THEEEE HELL DID I JUST WATCH?!?!?!
This movie is absolutely bananas.
The last 40 minutes or so are an absolute assault on sanity.
I swear on everything I love that this is, BY FAR, the most messed up cosmic horror-based found footage movie I have EVER seen.
Not gonna lie, the first two acts are somewhat mediocre. Lots of decent hints as to what comes at the end, which is admittedly cool. IF you can catch them. Pretty standard fare, honestly.
But YOOOOOOO!!!!
When Ol Boy literally goes into what I'm assuming is Hell itself (not a spoiler)?!?!?!?
JEEEEESSSUUUUS EFFING CHRIST
Absolute chaos, sheer madness, total Lovecraftian nonsense that I barely understood. You don't know what the hell is happening, but you do get just enough to get an idea of where he is when it's happening LMAO
I honestly feel like this is EXACTLY what it would be like if you ran into a Lovecraftian horror IRL. You would legit lose your mind with how insanely horrific these monsters are as written in the fiction. According to the lore, they are so incredibly evil and incomprehensibly monstrous that the mind breaks when you see them.
That's kind of EXACTLY what happens in the last act.
Robbie Banfitch, the director and star of this film, has done an INCREDIBLE job with a relative shoestring budget. He only lights up the last act with a flashlight. You only see a tiny bit of what's happening, and it's just enough to have you saying "what the eff was THAT" multiple times within that last 40 minutes or so.
HIGHLY recommended. It's playing at the Chattanooga Film Festival at the time of this writing, an online event. And it will be playing at other film festivals before (what damn well better be) the inevitable wide release.
I STRONGLY suggest you watch this film, and nowhere near children.
8/10.
This movie is absolutely bananas.
The last 40 minutes or so are an absolute assault on sanity.
I swear on everything I love that this is, BY FAR, the most messed up cosmic horror-based found footage movie I have EVER seen.
Not gonna lie, the first two acts are somewhat mediocre. Lots of decent hints as to what comes at the end, which is admittedly cool. IF you can catch them. Pretty standard fare, honestly.
But YOOOOOOO!!!!
When Ol Boy literally goes into what I'm assuming is Hell itself (not a spoiler)?!?!?!?
JEEEEESSSUUUUS EFFING CHRIST
Absolute chaos, sheer madness, total Lovecraftian nonsense that I barely understood. You don't know what the hell is happening, but you do get just enough to get an idea of where he is when it's happening LMAO
I honestly feel like this is EXACTLY what it would be like if you ran into a Lovecraftian horror IRL. You would legit lose your mind with how insanely horrific these monsters are as written in the fiction. According to the lore, they are so incredibly evil and incomprehensibly monstrous that the mind breaks when you see them.
That's kind of EXACTLY what happens in the last act.
Robbie Banfitch, the director and star of this film, has done an INCREDIBLE job with a relative shoestring budget. He only lights up the last act with a flashlight. You only see a tiny bit of what's happening, and it's just enough to have you saying "what the eff was THAT" multiple times within that last 40 minutes or so.
HIGHLY recommended. It's playing at the Chattanooga Film Festival at the time of this writing, an online event. And it will be playing at other film festivals before (what damn well better be) the inevitable wide release.
I STRONGLY suggest you watch this film, and nowhere near children.
8/10.
Not a Bad Movie But Ambiguity Isn't For Everyone
davidjkobb1 June 2023
It isn't a spoiler to say that this movie is ambiguous pretty much the entire third act. I believe it is that ambiguity that has caused many viewers to give the film low scores. Ambiguity drives some people insane. I get it.
I didn't mind the Ambiguity too much, though I do always appreciate a movie that can tie itself together. What I did knock a few points off for is the pacing and overall run time. There is zero reason for the list movie to be. 150 minutes. It would have been much better to have been cut to around 90 minutes.
Where the movie does shine, though is the way confuses, frightens and intentionally frustrates viewers.
I really think f5 5 stars is an accurate rating, but I rounded up to 6 simply because of screaming snake creatures.
I didn't mind the Ambiguity too much, though I do always appreciate a movie that can tie itself together. What I did knock a few points off for is the pacing and overall run time. There is zero reason for the list movie to be. 150 minutes. It would have been much better to have been cut to around 90 minutes.
Where the movie does shine, though is the way confuses, frightens and intentionally frustrates viewers.
I really think f5 5 stars is an accurate rating, but I rounded up to 6 simply because of screaming snake creatures.
Couldn't even get to the end it was so bad
boucherjjustin27 February 2023
First off I will say that I very much enjoy horror movies, be it action, found footage, si-fi, oldschool, etc. A good movie is a good movie, but this however is not. I have never written a review before for any movie but this one was so bad that I was compelled to. I paid for this movie and with about 30mins left I had to shut it off, it was just that bad. The plot was terrible, it made no sense whatsoever, there was nothing connecting me to a single character. The footage gave me a headache considering most of the movie is shot looking at a pinhole flashlight. I hate to say it but... garbage.
An assault on the senses
HorrorMatt20 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Where to start with this sorry excuse for a movie. I love found footage and was excited for a new entry, but the "cinematography" in this movie was painful, both literally and figuratively. The sounds alone in this movie made me want to leave the theater. The constant screeching and high pitched noises not only served no purpose but literally hurt my ears. There's one scene where it's a full minute of it and NOTHING HAPPENS. Besides that, the first half of the movie is dreadfully boring, then when things appear to start picking up, chaos ensues...in the absolute worst possible way. I expected shaky camera angles, of course, but not 45 minutes of literal darkness or blur. The very end adds some shock mutilation for no reason at all, to shamefully goad a reaction perhaps, but I was mentally long done with it by then. Worst of all, the concept was actually interesting, but the execution was inexcusably bad.
Don't waste your time, folks. I'm going to watch Hell House again lol.
Don't waste your time, folks. I'm going to watch Hell House again lol.
Mind numbingly bad
fiorentinomay21 February 2023
Absolute garbage from start to end .. I don't understand the editing process of films like this, you're telling me a group of people literally watched this and thought it was good enough to release ??? They should refund every purchase made of this film and whoever created this shouldn't make films anymore. The trailer had all these rave reviews which is what made us decide to watch it ... we should have known better yet here I am with 10 min left of the movie (that we fast forwarded through most of).. so compelled to tell the general public how bad it is. . Do notttt waste your time or money.
No Thank You. I'll Go Watch Paint Dry.
patrickkeown18 February 2023
Horrible. I'd honestly rather watch paint dry. It's like watching someone's home movies for much longer than you want to; home movies of someone you don't even really know all that well. Pure torture. I'm not sure what people are smoking when they say it's the most terrifying movie they've ever seen, because I wasn't terrified one bit; just bored to death. And the characters? Oh my, they were so annoying. I honestly wanted them to get it in the end because they deserved it after the pain it put us through. I cannot believe this movie gets compared to Blair Witch because it is not even in the same galaxy of greatness.
The worst most boring pointless movie I've ever seen
gmoconnor53211 February 2023
Please don't waste your time. The only thing more stupid and pointless then the first half is the second. No scares, no point, no nothing. There's a seizure warning in the beginning and half way thru you start thinking maybe that wouldn't be so bad. The chair in front of me was more entertaining
Only watch this movie if you like loud noises flickering lights and the only other option is stare at the floor. Which somehow may be an improvement
This movie made me debate if I should ever watch another movie.
Scariest part of the movie. I dropped chicken on my shirt and ran out of napkins.
Anyone who claims to like this movie is a pretentious fart who wants to seem deep or witty or artsy but they're a liar and the reason movies like this can keep being made. Don't support them and their foolishness.
Only watch this movie if you like loud noises flickering lights and the only other option is stare at the floor. Which somehow may be an improvement
This movie made me debate if I should ever watch another movie.
Scariest part of the movie. I dropped chicken on my shirt and ran out of napkins.
Anyone who claims to like this movie is a pretentious fart who wants to seem deep or witty or artsy but they're a liar and the reason movies like this can keep being made. Don't support them and their foolishness.
Shockingly awful
brownsfan32112 February 2023
Been an avid IMDB user for years, but never taken the time to actually leave a review. The Outwaters forced my hand. This was possibly the worst movie I've ever watched and the first time I've ever really considered walking out of a theatre. I read a few reviews beforehand, one of which said it was "an assault on the senses". That turned out to be accurate in the worst possible ways. After a painfully slow first half, the whole second half is just dizzying camera work that shows nothing in particular and unnecessarily loud noises. It's touted as this gory and visceral experience, but the few things you could actually see were just for shock value towards the end and not remotely scary. The premise had potential and the acting wasn't too bad in the few scenes where they were allowed to "act". I understand the director had a small budget to work with, but that doesn't excuse the baffling decisions he made with most of his camera and sound work. I wanted to like this film, but in the end it's just truly an atrocious experience. Avoid at all costs.
Moral of the "story": never chase 5 donkeys across a desert, otherwise your script will evaporate and you'll be forced to improvise.
fedor810 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
When shooting a found-footage stinker in a desert, bring 50 gallons of fake blood. Just don't bring a script... Apparently it isn't necessary. Perhaps scripts will soon completely disappear from films?
You can skip the first 30 minutes completely, you won't miss a thing. In fact, even if you start from the 50th minute you still won't have missed anything remotely relevant or interesting. No exaggeration, no lie: a fact.
Best yet, skip the first 110 minutes, which I should have done.
The nerve this movie has to give us practically nothing for the first 50 minutes - but then suddenly dump on us a stretch of near-complete darkness for 7-8 minutes, when finally something started to happen.
What happened? I have no clue. Nobody does. (Read the other comments: nobody can explain this "plot".) People started screaming and there were hundreds of gallons of blood: that's all I know. I also know that the rest of the movie is also mostly enveloped in darkness and random malarkey, so good luck trying to follow the "plot". Remember: no script.
The term "found footage" means "middle finger" in Latin. Did you know this? Yeah, I Googled it. Every camcorder director is giving you the middle finger, because that's all he CAN do. He isn't capable of doing anything else. That's the extent of his abilities.
To give you an additional idea how brazenly he sticks out his middle finger, consider the fact that many scenes are out-of-focus, upside-down or side-ways. If you gave a camera to a random chimp he'd have come up with better footage - even if he was chased by a pack of polar bears. Not that a chimp holding a camera while running away from a pack of bears makes any less sense than a man who'd completely lost his mind (plus amnesia) filming the continuation of this "plot" for days on end. Why would he? Why's he still clinging on to his stupid camcorder(s)?
Ah, yes, he's got his camera on (with an inexhaustible battery supply apparently) so that the movie could have a resolution. What exactly is this resolution? It's not that I don't wanna tell ya, it's just that there isn't one. In fact, there isn't a middle section either. Four brainless hipsters (?) go into a desert to shoot a cheesy video (destined to get 500 clicks on YT), and suddenly they're all covered in blood, screaming. That's the whole "story". (At least one of them must be a hipster, judging from the way this "movie" was shot.)
There are also some snake-like creatures screaming (yup, screaming snakes: just what the world needed), but at least the blonde had stopped singing. I'd rather listen to the snakes shriek than her bad hipster folk.
For fans of gore: yes, there's plenty of gore, but it's not very visible. In fact, this is like a radio version of found-footage. It's basically just sounds, and a dark screen. And the blood is endless. It's as if 150 people were on this excursion, that's how much blood and body parts there are. I mean, I know one of the four is a fat chick, but still...
Perhaps the movie is about 4 hipsters finding Hell in a desert. That would make sense inasmuch that all hipsters go to Hell, but aside from the obvious hell-hipster connection what else is going on here?
Time-warp? Snake people? Aliens? Axe killer? What?
Answer: none of the above. It's just 4 hacks going into the desert to film a horror film, without preparing a script or even a vague notion of what they'll do. They did bring along tons of fake blood and animal parts, that's for sure. The local butcher shop had to go close down for a week.
Only hipsters would go into a movie without a script...
6 minutes of end-credits for this. No joke. Despite the fact that probably no more than 4 people worked on this "movie". Guess which four...
You can skip the first 30 minutes completely, you won't miss a thing. In fact, even if you start from the 50th minute you still won't have missed anything remotely relevant or interesting. No exaggeration, no lie: a fact.
Best yet, skip the first 110 minutes, which I should have done.
The nerve this movie has to give us practically nothing for the first 50 minutes - but then suddenly dump on us a stretch of near-complete darkness for 7-8 minutes, when finally something started to happen.
What happened? I have no clue. Nobody does. (Read the other comments: nobody can explain this "plot".) People started screaming and there were hundreds of gallons of blood: that's all I know. I also know that the rest of the movie is also mostly enveloped in darkness and random malarkey, so good luck trying to follow the "plot". Remember: no script.
The term "found footage" means "middle finger" in Latin. Did you know this? Yeah, I Googled it. Every camcorder director is giving you the middle finger, because that's all he CAN do. He isn't capable of doing anything else. That's the extent of his abilities.
To give you an additional idea how brazenly he sticks out his middle finger, consider the fact that many scenes are out-of-focus, upside-down or side-ways. If you gave a camera to a random chimp he'd have come up with better footage - even if he was chased by a pack of polar bears. Not that a chimp holding a camera while running away from a pack of bears makes any less sense than a man who'd completely lost his mind (plus amnesia) filming the continuation of this "plot" for days on end. Why would he? Why's he still clinging on to his stupid camcorder(s)?
Ah, yes, he's got his camera on (with an inexhaustible battery supply apparently) so that the movie could have a resolution. What exactly is this resolution? It's not that I don't wanna tell ya, it's just that there isn't one. In fact, there isn't a middle section either. Four brainless hipsters (?) go into a desert to shoot a cheesy video (destined to get 500 clicks on YT), and suddenly they're all covered in blood, screaming. That's the whole "story". (At least one of them must be a hipster, judging from the way this "movie" was shot.)
There are also some snake-like creatures screaming (yup, screaming snakes: just what the world needed), but at least the blonde had stopped singing. I'd rather listen to the snakes shriek than her bad hipster folk.
For fans of gore: yes, there's plenty of gore, but it's not very visible. In fact, this is like a radio version of found-footage. It's basically just sounds, and a dark screen. And the blood is endless. It's as if 150 people were on this excursion, that's how much blood and body parts there are. I mean, I know one of the four is a fat chick, but still...
Perhaps the movie is about 4 hipsters finding Hell in a desert. That would make sense inasmuch that all hipsters go to Hell, but aside from the obvious hell-hipster connection what else is going on here?
Time-warp? Snake people? Aliens? Axe killer? What?
Answer: none of the above. It's just 4 hacks going into the desert to film a horror film, without preparing a script or even a vague notion of what they'll do. They did bring along tons of fake blood and animal parts, that's for sure. The local butcher shop had to go close down for a week.
Only hipsters would go into a movie without a script...
6 minutes of end-credits for this. No joke. Despite the fact that probably no more than 4 people worked on this "movie". Guess which four...
Experimental Horror
dt-5125117 September 2023
An experimental and cosmic horror that will not be everyone's cup of tea. It requires you to think, pay attention, and draw inferences. I noticed a lot more details on a second viewing. The desert setting is gorgeous. I don't write many reviews, but I was surprised that this movie had so many overwhelmingly negative reviews. I even saw where people didn't finish the movie yet somehow felt they could write a review of it. I do agree with what other reviewers said about the film being a bit too long. I disagree with the criticisms of it being illogical - there are clearly a couple of interpretations that could be made.
Ambitious + Boring Mess
scottaschroth8 February 2023
The Outwaters is a relatively ambitious but ultimately boring and self-indulgent Found Footage film. Despite the clear effort, and some truly excellent sequences- the majority of this film is very boring and lacks a clear direction. There is almost no characterization, very little plot, and very annoying sound design. Considering the circumstances around this movie (the budget, and the fact that this is basically a one man mission) - You can't help but be impressed at this ambitious mess at times. I hope that this director continues to improve, being a fellow New-Jerseyan, but I will never be re-visiting this one.
I can't get this movie out of my head
acala-438504 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's not hard to see why this movie is so polarizing, but for me, this is one of those films that just stays with you in both a fantastic and unsettling way. It's one of the best uses of found footage I've ever seen, especially when you consider just how deep down the rabbit hole the film goes in terms of time loops, alternate dimensions, and, in my opinion, literal hell. While you don't necessarily see everything, what you see is exactly what the camera saw and there's no denying it. These people are literally trapped in a hell on earth, and to witness a man's descent into madness as he loses control over any sense of reality is harrowing. The final 10-15 minutes are absolutely brutal. Give me more of movies like this that have the balls to try something crazy.
Disturbing, but not good
bknynbp11 February 2023
Weak first acts, followed by a sequence that had the potential to be amazing, but falls short with messy directorial work. Sound design is out of this world, and the ideas presented are really cool, just poor execution. Guy behind me loudly exclaimed "bro, no, why" at the climax of the film, and I agree. Too much staring at the ground through a pinhole, and too little information to guide the viewer along, which leaves a headache. I'll be closely looking to see what else Banfitch does in the future, and I am genuinely excited to see how he will improve in his future works. This one just wasn't perfect.
I give it 2 for premise and attempt
aciarleglio-124 February 2023
So I don't understand, was it just the same sequence over and over again? I have no idea. It seemed like it could be really scary but instead it felt like ground hog day of strange sounds and a couple images... did I miss something? Was my stream stuck on repeat or was it actually repeating the same footage over and over for 2 hours. Did anything change? Maybe I didn't really watch the entire movie, maybe I just think I did? I honestly have no idea what happened other than something with sounds and blood. Someone please explain so I know if I actually watched a movie or am I trapped in my own imaginary nightmare!!!! The only thing I understood was the beginning words on the screen and the end photos. Everything else was... I have no idea.
Never wrote a review until now..it was that bad..
boston-5049718 February 2023
First half had no idea where I was going..because it was totally pointless and had zero character development. Boring, completely uninteresting, no path, no destination.
Second half had no idea where I had been...because it was absolutely showed nothing in the dark, zero understandable dialogue, made absolutely no sense, and gave zero answers or left with too many questions that a person couldn't even correctly ask. Went everywhere and no where...and not in a good way.
It's like if I just typed gerkon a baffon book simply gosher...and expected people to appreciate this meaningless and meaningful sentence all in one..question mark exclamation mark period.
Second half had no idea where I had been...because it was absolutely showed nothing in the dark, zero understandable dialogue, made absolutely no sense, and gave zero answers or left with too many questions that a person couldn't even correctly ask. Went everywhere and no where...and not in a good way.
It's like if I just typed gerkon a baffon book simply gosher...and expected people to appreciate this meaningless and meaningful sentence all in one..question mark exclamation mark period.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
