Exists (2014) User Reviews

It has its moments.

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 5/10 · 12 March 2016]

This hand-held-footage tale of a group of college-aged people on a camping trip being set upon by Sasquatch isn't great, but it does have its moments.

Moments of suspense as they hear sometimes far away sounds, moments of terror as they hear Sasquatch growling and running toward them. One horrifying moment when we see what's his name trying to get away by racing away on a bike, and the creature running along side him, keeping up, with no difficulty. Also two moments of annoying behaviour from obnoxious characters, for no other reason than to have a pair of cheap jump scares within a couple of minutes' time (blasting the car horn, and then slamming the brakes)

I don't have a problem with shaky cam, if it suits the plot of the film. My problem with it is that I think it's difficult to sustain a full length movie with it. The creature effects were decent, the acting was hit and miss, there was a bit of atmosphere in the shots of the cabin and woods, but I wonder if the film would have played better with some occasionally stationary camera work, with mostly just Sasquatch's scenes, and a few establishing shots presented as found footage? As it is, it seems like two thin ideas (found footage, and Sasquatch) mashed together and padded to full length.

I agree with its 5/ 10 IMDb user rating.

Messing With Sasquatch: The Movie

[rprince-832-6294 · 6/10 · 30 November 2014]

-From the director of The Blair Witch Project comes a film about, and I kid you not, five teenagers who are on a cabin getaway and are hunted by Bigfoot. The teens must survive and find a way to escape in this interesting found-footage film.

-Exists is one of the most cliché movies I've ever seen, but I didn't really expect different. Especially because it's a film version of the Messing With Sasquatch commercials.

-The story is pretty cliché. There are five teens, the white leader, the black tough guy, the blonde, the smart girl, and the unlikable cameraman, who are at this cabin for some reason and nobody knows they are there. And then Bigfoot.

-The tone is pretty creepy, as much as I don't like found-footage films. It's still effective and it has a theme of 'you reap what you sow' which I found compelling. The pace is also pretty good. They get straight to the point, but they also miss some opportunity for character development.

-The acting's not worth anything in this. Everyone fills their horror stereotypes well, which means they are all not good.

-All you see of Bigfoot himself is pretty much what people would claim is Bigfoot in, well, real footage. So effective. He does also show up at the end, which is rewarding. Good job makeup team! -The music is eerie, but at one point I was wondering if it was even necessary.

-The scares are meh. The jumpscares are not scary, but the suspenseful elements are suspenseful.

-The film is rated-R for language really. It has some moderate language throughout.

-So Exists takes a super-cliché premise and makes an actually interesting found-footage film about Bigfoot. I found myself enjoying it. I will say that if you like the style, Exists is worth watching on Netflix/Redbox. I am only going to give it a 6.5 for its unoriginality and acting though.

Not Bad, Not Great.

[chrismackey1972 · 5/10 · 24 October 2014]

I've seen several big foot movies. The best of them all was The Lost Coast Tapes. Exists is a good big foot movie, and unlike The Lost Coast Tapes, this actually shows the monster. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on the costumes and special effects used. The Lost Coast Tapes did a great job while not showing the creature, and Exists does a good job showing it. There's not really much imagination needed when you think of what big foot looks like; tall, hairy, ape or man-like.

I gave this movie a 5-star rating. The acting was pretty good, as were the big foot costumes. When the camper is thrown down the hill, it looks like the people were really inside.

Some things annoyed me, such as in the cabin, there was a perfectly good cellar that the people didn't use until they had absolutely no choice. With a monster that is huge and powerful and looking to kill, I think they all would've moved down there immediately after finding the cellar.

Also, when going through the woods, trying to be undetected, Todd kept talking, and Dora wouldn't stop calling for Matt. Morons. One last complaint. I am so sick of the camcorder POV for these movies. Virtually the entire movie was through the camcorder. They could've done this movie just fine without doing that. Still, all-in-all, I was entertained watching it.

Not Sánchez's best, but still not THAT bad.

[dfa120374 · 5/10 · 18 June 2020]

OK, where to start.

Well firstly, I don't think this film is as bad as some people are making it out to be. Yes, it's full of clichés, typical "creature feature" tropes and the usual bad decisions (and I'll touch on those in a few moments), but what were people really expecting from a Bigfoot type movie?! I don't think there was ever going to be an original idea here, so if the bad reviewers were expecting more then that's on their poorly formed expectations and judgements.

Secondly, clichés & tropes aside, there are a few decent moments scattered throughout the movie with a somewhat reasonable feeling of slight tension. The sounds of the creature as it moves through the woods and the occasional glimpses (before seeing too much) were done OK. I think it lost a bit of the feel when we started seeing more of the thing instead of the glancing views, though (which is one of the things that made the Blair Witch so good). That being said, the creature was done well enough to not look like just some dude in a bad Bigfoot costume who's out Trick or Treating.

Thirdly, the worst parts of the film for me were the extremely annoying characters and the very bad decisions they all seemed to do. I don't know what it is with these films where a group of 20-somethings leave the confines of city life to come out to the woods for a hiking getaway but decide to leave their common sense and rationale at home. I'm not usually one to raise my voice in frustration at the TV when people do dumb things, but this is one of those times. For instance......

1) Calling out and saying "Hello?" to an animal/creature, giving away your location

2) Stop riding your bike in the middle of the sticks to try and use a phone that has no reception. Keep going till you reach a road/house!

3) When the creature is attacking your friend, you drop your rifle instead of shooting it when you have a clear shot. Facepalm.

4) Constantly making noises instead of being damn quiet.

5) The old "leaving a trail to "take a shortcut"" move.

6) The black dude coming out of hiding to go all "gangsta" and shouting smack instead of staying quiet.

Plus many more.

This is by far not the worst film Eduardo Sánchez has either been involved with or directed (see the awful V/H/S 2 and Lovely Molly for a couple on that list), but it's definitely not his best work. That said, I'd still say this one is worth a viewing.

This was far better than expected.

[rpaleschi · 7/10 · 25 April 2015]

After loads of recently bad Bigfoot movies I was kind of dreading another disappointment but actually this was pretty good. There were no surprises plot wise but the action kept to a good pace and you actually get to see the monster which lets face it is the money shot of any horror. The filming was good and the acting fine.

I'm a bit of a fan when it comes to monster movies and have felt bad recently posting rubbish reviews so I'm really glad this movie did what it promised and was an way watch.

Probably not going to make it to the Oscar list but definitely worth a watch if you're into Bigfoot killing college kids, which lets face it is a winning formula.

Eduardo Sánchez embarrasses both himself and the viewer

[tdyt-hnwdjdnpd0 · 3/10 · 25 October 2014]

Oh dear. Eduardo Sánchez hang your head in shame. The only person who comes out of this with any credit is Mike Elizalde and the makeup department. Now and again I see a film so bad that I'm compelled to open an IMDb account as a warning to the world. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the film where it finally happened. I don't mind 'found-footage' films at all, but this really pushes the genre past the limit of remote believability. Why would you just sit there and not help when your friends are under attack? The main character, Brian, even films whilst his friend is dying next to him without lifting a finger. We're in a camper van about to be pushed over a cliff. Should I get out, or should I film it? Guess what he does? The dialogue is beyond embarrassing. The characters are awful and unlikeable. By the five minute mark, you'll hate them all and you've got all the characterisation you're going to get. They hit a Sasquatch in the car and even capture it on film. You or I would probably turn around, but not these guys. Off they go to the creepy, remote cabin. They film it on a ridge overlooking them. Are they bothered? Nope. Let's go swimming. I only just scraped past the skin-crawling section where Brian starts filming himself making monster noises in the woods in the middle of the night. If this film had been 15 minutes long, that would have been more than enough. It's one redeeming feature is the close-up of the creature at the end and that's why I lifted it up to 3 out of 10. After sitting through the c-list clichés, the makeup is surprisingly good, all things considered. Other than that, this is very, very annoying.

Exactly what it says on the tin

[dylanstaxes · 7/10 · 1 September 2021]

This tells you what it is going on. Get chased by Bigfoot. Directed by the godfather of found footage.

There's seriously zero wrong with this. I'm giving it a seven because I wanted some twists.

But if you want what it says on box then it's perfect.

Should not have been 'found-footage'

[jasonweiers · 3/10 · 17 July 2022]

I'm a big fan of found-footage horror films, and though I do still find many of them disappointing, this is the first one I outright thought "this should not even be a found-footage movie".

The lengths the characters went to get evens on camera just got ridiculous, and while every found-footage film eventually has those "why are they still filming?!!" scenes, this movie took that to an entirely new extreme.

For example, a scene where they character is in a hurry to bike to a place with cell phone reception, they first spend an hour rigging his bike to have a GoPro filming behind him because...why not (so the audience can see him being chased of course). And while he was being chased, a big foot was running along side him, which we would get glimpses of when he "looked" over, but the footage was clearly not from the GoPro on his head.

Another scene had a character dying, and she was looking up at her friend, the look in her eyes clearly pleading for help, and he just sat there and zoomed the camera in on her. Way too many scenes in this movie of a character standing around filming instead of helping. One scene has him aiming a shot gun and STILL holding a camera with his hands.

Lastly, despite being a found-footage film, it was overly edited like a regular film. It was just not at all clear why this needed to be a found-footage film (there are other found-footage Bigfoot movies that do it much better). That being said, the story and actors in general were okay. If this had been a regular steady cam movie, I likely would have rated it around a 6.

The Bigfoot Project

[NotAnotherMovieCritic · 7/10 · 26 October 2014]

Eduardo Sanchez, the creator of The Blair Witch Project, once again reunites himself and his crew deep into the woods. Instead of being attacked by a ghostly witch we never get to see, we are introduced to bigfoot.

After seeing the trailer I was so wanting to see this movie, even though I already knew what to expect, the typical found footage movies. It's nothing short of cliché and repetition. However, this film did actually scare me a little bit and kept me on the edge of my seat.

As a found film footage it doesn't really bring anything new to the, except for a few things, which are pretty good. It's one that will keep you jumping, keep you entertained and definitely keep your heart racing in several scenes. I liked the several Blair Witch throwbacks that were sporadically throughout the film. It was a really cool way to give homage to the movie that made his career.

I have read mixed reviews on this, and as always I don't want people to take my word for it, experience it for yourself and see what you think about it.

Festival of Clichés without Originality

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 23 May 2015]

Dora (Dora Madison Burge), Matt (Samuel Davis), Todd (Roger Edwards), Brian (Chris Osborn), and Liz (Denise Williamson) travel to an isolated cabin in the woods. They hit something on the road before arriving in their destination. Soon they are hunted down by a Bigfoot. Will they survive to the creature?

"Exists" is one of those teen horror movies where the viewer knows what will happen and only guesses who will be the next to die. The story does not have originality and abuses of the clichés associated to an awful camera. The only "originality" is the Bigfoot, instead of a maniac, or a vampire, or an evil spirit, or a monster or whatever. The rest is the same, with characters taking stupid decisions or actions to die, like Todd screaming and shooting in the woods to attract the Bigfoot. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Eles Existem" ("They Exist")

Better than expected

[reneemalvarez · 10/10 · 27 October 2014]

Loved the movie, it was much better than what I expected. I usually don't like this type of movies, but it really kept me at the edge of my seat, got scared several times. the footage is much better than in Blair witch,cameras are less shaky and the acting was pretty good too, very natural. I love the trailer scene!!!This movie has a good story plot, not just another empty suspension/scary movie. I found that the big foot costume was very original and realistic, just like we all imagined big foot. hope you all get a chance to watch this movie, I totally recommend it. As for me I went to the premier and I will now have a nice group of friends come over to the house and watch it On Demand.

At least worth a watch.

[svartamoln · 6/10 · 9 January 2015]

I liked the movie more than I expected, it was interesting, got scared at times and the acting was pretty good. This is the first movie about Bigfoot I watch, the monster is quite popular in the US but outside the country is a myth or a legend that few people know, so the idea of watching a movie about Bigfoot didn't thrill me but luckily the movie was better than I expected, well-developed and interesting. What I liked the most about the movie was the fact that you could see Bigfoot, the beast showed up many times so you could appreciate its face, hands, foot and the whole body also the costume of the beast was quite good, besides I liked the way in which Bigfoot scared the boys before attacking. On the other hand what I least liked was the fact the beast didn't kill like a beast, if you wanna see a movie about monsters, the least you could expect is a bloody death. I gave 6 stars out of 10 because and although the movie was fine it could've been much better, but worth a watch.

Substitute Jason Voorhees for the Sasquatch and...

[daro-02523 · 3/10 · 2 November 2021]

You could've easily had another Friday the 13th movie. I watched Exists after watching Willow Creek, and not impressed at all. 5 kids head for a cabin located in the isolated woods of Texas, despite the warning of the uncle of 2 of them not to go. Of course they go anyway and don't tell the other 3 that they weren't supposed to be there until after getting to the cabin. One kid heads out alone on a bike to try to get cell phone sevice to call for help - gee, can't imagine what's going to happen to him now, do we? LOL! And of course during the Sasquatch's rampage he destroys the car so they can't leave and are forced back to the cabin. I will say the Sasquatch makeup was pretty good, but instead of showing the beast right away I would have preferred a little bit more of a build-up.

Fast forward to the last 20 minutes of the movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 1 June 2023]

Right, well had I noticed that this 2014 movie titled "Exists" was from the director of "The Blairwitch Project", then I might have skipped on it entirely.

When I sat down here in 2023 to watch the 2014 movie "Exists" from writers Jamie Nash and Eduardo Sánchez, I only knew that it was a movie about bigfoot. And already with that fact there was an alarm going off at the back of my mind, because the vast majority of movies I've seen revolving around bigfoot or sasquatch have been of questionable quality. So I have to admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations or hopes to "Exists".

The storyline in the movie is pretty straight forward, and yeah this is just another 'found footage' movie. On the plus side, if you enjoy 'found footage' movies then you're in for a treat. However, if you, much like me, enjoy proper movie and not something you could have filmed yourself, then you might want to skip "Exists". In fact, if you opt to sit down and watch "Exists", just watch the last 20 minutes of the movie, because the 61 minutes prior to that was just pointless filler of showing glimpses and out of focus shots of the bigfoot in between your archetypical young people venturing into the remote forest.

This was a very generic and stereotypical movie in every sense, and by no means a memorable moment in cinema history.

Visually then "Exists" wasn't something to write home about. Throughout the first 61 minutes of the movie, all you get are hazy, out of focus, obscured by darkness and brief glimses of the creature in question. And that is something you would expect from a low budget early 1980s horror movie, not something from 2014. However, during the last 20 minutes of the movie, things start to pick up, and you get proper footage of the bigfoot. And I have to say that the costume was actually not too shabby. But by then, it was just too little, too late, because you've will have been lulled into a comatose state by the previous 61 minutes.

I detest 'found footage' movies, because when I sit down to watch a movie, I want to be properly entertained by a movie with proper cinematography, and not watching a questionable hand-held shaky camera recording that I could have filmed better myself with my own digital video camera.

Some of us suffered through director Eduardo Sánchez's "Exists" movie, so you don't have to.

My rating of "Exists" lands on a two out of ten stars. It would have gotten a one star rating, if it wasn't for the intense last 20 minutes of the movie.

Should have been better...

[buffy_angel808 · 6/10 · 26 October 2014]

The movie left me more confused than entertained. Sanchez has proved himself not once, but three times as a master of the horror genre. When he announced he would tackle Bigfoot, I thought for sure he would bring his usual flair to a "been there done that" premise. What makes his films great are the emotional weight and deep characters that give purpose to the surrounding action. That is exactly what is missing in Exists. It isn't necessarily a bad film, but its generic, an almost worse crime. The characters are not only "by the numbers," they are badly written "by the numbers" characters. For the first half hour, the characters act so stereotypical that I wanted them all to die, and fast. Girls whimpering "OMG what is that?" as they huddle underneath their man's fully toned arm. "GET AT ME BRO" the man cries with defiance. Seriously? Luckily, once Bigfoot does show up and the film sees some casualties, it does pick up some speed. The characters react alright to what is happening around them, and you could tell it was Sanchez by the haunting music and emotionality brought to the film when a character does die. We don't care about who dies, but these people sure do, and that makes me feel for them a little more. It's not enough, though. The film still lacks that raw ingredient that every film needs. The found footage only works in spots, and is glaringly misguided in others. I have a feeling it wasn't originally written to be found footage and was only morphed into that during the development process. Some cameras magically appear out of nowhere in the woods. Where did it come from? Whose camera was it? It's not logical, and it brings the film down. I actually found the style to be degrading to the quality of the movie. Sanchez has style and I wish he upped his game. Now, let me talk about Bigfoot. Well, he's awesome. I haven't seen a film where he is so terrifying. He moves and looks just like he does in all those photographs you see. When he howls and rampages, you just want to curl up in a ball. He's that scary. I expect more from Sanchez, and this was a disappointment overall.

Defining bigfoot /sasquatch film

[amesmonde · 26 October 2014]

Five vacationers find themselves terrorised by a disgruntled and legendary Sasquatch.

As a POV film it's finely executed by one of the godfathers of modern POV films director Eduardo Sánchez. However, given that there's been so many POV films since its debatably needless when you have the likes of the Rec series to contend with.

The clips and trailers steal the surprise shock value so avoid if possible. Yes it's another cabin in the wood horror as the group are picked off but it does build to a satisfactory conclusion unlike acclaimed Witch Project which built up to a single scare as copied by The Paranormal Activity series.The acting is solid especially from Chris Osborn's main character Brian but are not as rounded or fleshed out as in the low budget The Battery (2012). The effects, make up and costume are first rate and story wise it will certainly appease big foot fans.

Script aside thanks to the (predicable yet fulfilling) story and Brian Steele who plays the creature, it's possibly the most defining bigfoot /sasquatch film to date but bare in mind the majority of sub genre is as reliable as bigfoot sightings themselves.

Not worth watching.

[Nobahde · 1/10 · 20 March 2015]

So clearly the director didn't tell the actors how to act when reviewing their "film work" in the movie. *Everything is being filmed, party drives down road, hits something at night, reviews tape (what did we hit ? I don't know, i can't tell!), clearly shows bipedal creature (upright walking dear aka Bigfoot), party shrugs it off as nothing, continue to encounter Bigfoot (what did we do to p*ss it off ? we literally didn't do anything!) even though the video clearly shows that the party hit and most likely killed a Bigfoot thus being the reason why "It" is p*ssed. Nearly every step these clowns take is one closer to death. I was rooting for the cameraman to get killed off first so that the film would end sooner. I'll be honest, i skipped through a lot of this "film". It's essentially an 80's slasher flick with a Blair witch want to be style, cheesy dialog that would send most people into an early grave and terribly inconsistent sound effects. Kudos if this is your thing. Welcome to the era of SyFy (stds).

Fast paced and enjoyable,but with some flaws.

[Lambysalamby · 6/10 · 21 May 2015]

This film comes from the director of the Blair With Project, who pioneered the found footage format, and uses it here once again to make a horror movie involving none other than Bigfoot. I think the Blair Witch was genuinely scary and absolutely innovative so I was expecting this one to be good, and I must say I enjoyed it.

The director was wise to make a shorter running time for this movie as it makes it gloriously fast paced so it never becomes dull for a moment. The tension builds rather quickly and carries on doing so.

The faults in this movie are in the decisions the characters make, some of which are absolutely idiotic and unforgivable. (Slight spoiler ahead) Lets say you have a shotgun for protection and you have 5 cartridges but you waste most of them giving your (hidden) location away shooting into the air... Unforgivable.

If it wasn't for some of the idiocy of the characters I may have actually given this a 7/10 or an 8/10. It was actually pretty good, and extra kudos for the makeup and stunts which were surprisingly very good.

Overall opinion: Fast paced and enjoyable (mostly)

Recommendation: Willow Creek (2013) by Bobcat Goldthwait is another found footage Bigfoot horror which I also enjoyed..

Completely underwhelming, boring and cliché.

[ArchonCinemaReviews · 2/10 · 17 December 2014]

In the forest there exists a creature talked of by witnesses but never proved as real, until now when a group of friends unfortunately stumble on the beast.

Exists is a bait and switch and the film's tone is substantially different than its trailer leads viewers to believe.

A group of friends head out into the wilderness for fun and partying at one of the group's uncle's cabin. The trip takes a turn for the worse when a hairy creature starts stalking and killing them one by one. They rush to escape and get help, but the beast they believe just might be Bigfoot has other plans.

Director Eduardo Sanchez once again shoots in the found footage style made famous by his debut film The Blair Witch Project. As a found footage film, Exists is better than most though the styling choice has been pounded to death from overuse recently.

Exists is a horror film that is hilariously cliché, though it definitely does not intend to be funny. Exists is nonevent, ripping from several superior horror films and even manages to blatantly rip off the Evil Dead cabin as its setting.

The characters are boring stereotypes, none played by any notable talents. None of the moments, written by Jamie Nash feel organic, natural or even believable. Sasquatch is overly visible to the point where he no longer becomes scary, the point of a horror film. There is no plot or character development and Exists is just one big dud that could not exist and no one would be the wiser.

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Honestly, pretty good movie.

[jmbwithcats · 7/10 · 16 August 2021]

Watching the monster movie "Exists" on Tubi, and while I think it's a pretty decent movie, there are a few missed opportunities to make a bigger impact.

Spoilers incoming... #1 - When Liz gets killed, there's no blood, and it's hard to figure out exactly what happened to her, so I think when the bigfoot is holding her up against the door, they should have added a sound for it breaking her neck, to really show the ferocity and brutality of the scene.

The movie is solidly directed by Eduardo Sánchez (Blair Witch 1 and 2, VHS 2, Portals) Pacing, dialog isn't stupid or cringe... for the most part. The only actor I recognize is Dora Madison from (Friday Night Lights and Dexter).

Honestly, pretty good movie.

So happy

[UltraMaximal · 1/10 · 20 February 2022]

Every single one of these millennials deserve to die in the movie. Unlikeable, stupid, rude, bro, dude, bruh. The cliche's and tropes are through the roof and it's extremely predictable.

Surprisingly Good!

[crdnlsyn13 · 9/10 · 6 November 2014]

AT least in MY humble opinion. Some have compared this to The Blair Witch in it's filming style, however, this is in no way a Blair Witch rip off. For that you need to see Willow Creek. Now THAT was a bad 'Bigfoot'/ 'Blair Witch' rip off movie.

Wherever the cabin was, as far as location worked really well, in adding to the suspense and tension, the actors were all very convincing, for a cast of relative unknowns, and if nothing else, you will be more cautious when driving in wooded areas late at night.

Granted the use of multiple GoPro style cameras can turn people off, but over all the film, the story, and the use of effects and jump scares are really well done. For an Independent film 'feel' and a quick 'get to the action' scary movie, I recommend this one.

Exists

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 18 July 2015]

Eduardo Sánchez returns to found footage, a genre that made a name for himself (and also done him serious harm it seems), also tackling the Bigfoot subgenre as well. A group of friends decide to trip to a cabin (two brothers of the group have an uncle who owns it and has warned them *not* to come to this territory), hitting something while on the way. Come to find out, it was a sasquatch. Well, perhaps that sasquatch (or another?) is not very happy being hit by a vehicle in his neck of the woods and retaliates much to their puzzlement (they didn't realize they had done harm with said vehicle to the extent that would enrage the 'squatch so), leaving behind a body count as a result. Will any of the five survive? The group consists of Matt and brother Brian, their pal and his girlfriend, and Matt's girlfriend. After this excursion into the woods of Texas, their lives will never be the same.

What makes this stand out is that the harm the humans cause is not known by them. They didn't intentionally provoke the sasquatch or wish to earn its wrath. It comes down to territory, invading it with your vehicle, and through the accident causing irreparable harm no one will come out of fully unscathed. Brian (the one without the girl; there's always a guy who represents the kind of "loser" of the bunch without a pretty girl by his side) is the character who can somehow communicate with it in a way that doesn't totally spurn the creature to destroy him. There's an exact purpose behind why the sasquatch is out to obliterate this group. They find a shot gun in the basement of the cabin, which comes in handy to wound the creature, but it more or less just makes the thing even madder than before.

The recording camera is used extremely well in instances where the sasquatch can be seen in brief glimpses, charging towards characters, reaching at characters, tipping over an RV with characters hidden inside as it tumbled over a cliff, a character lifted off his feet and tossed right into a turned-over tree, a slight capture of one character with her hair pulled as she's lifted off her feet and suffering a neck snap in the process, and acknowledging the presence of the creature in how it sounds in its breathing, anger, movement, and rampage. The destruction of the cabin (what is heard and the aftermath) is epic. The use of the camera in this day and age can provide a number of inventive angles and visual tricks even civilians who aren't in the filmmaking business can pull off. Like the helmet cam, as an example.

I think it is time to realize that our scrutiny on "found footage authenticity" is like beating fists at the air. We might as well put away questions like "why would he continue shooting after his brother goes missing, the cabin is destroyed, and his friends start to die?" Or "would any of us be free to see all of the events play out like this in their entirety?" Sometimes we just have to let go and allow the show to do what it intends to do: entertain or thrill. I think so often, the found footage is rightfully criticized if it is just an excuse for people trying to break into film using a cheap format at their start without delivering anything fulfilling for horror fans. Willow Creek is an example of a Bigfoot movie similar to Exists that doesn't quite give its audience much to really offer praise to. On the side of Exists, though, you get plenty of the 'squatch. It certainly is visible and ultimately isn't rendered just a bloodthirsty monster killing people for kicks and giggles. There's a reasoning any of us could understand once Brian is forced by the sasquatch to recognize what the flies buzzing about are attracted to. Thankfully, too, there's no tiresome CGI, and the suit isn't laughable. Great lengths were expended to see that this provides a creature and doesn't abhor it. The characters that endure horror when it goes off aren't total cretins, but fun-loving buddies just in the woods at the uncle's cabin to have a good time. So there's a dramatic angle that works because of the tragedy of it all: an accident leads to everyone being damaged...some worse than others.

Tolerable

[jeffronthi · 5/10 · 12 April 2015]

I can not wholly recommend this, unless you are a horror buff who watches everything that comes out. It is just tolerable enough to get through to the few moments of genuine fright and suspense.

In "Blair Witch" you had capable, natural seeming actors. Aside from the goofball with the camera, there was a lot of amateur hour going on with the acting. Overacting, to be specific. Having naturally delivered dialog is KEY to success in these movies. I cringed a lot during this movie.

Not trying to be a jerk, it was at least "okay", which is better than a lot of crap being released right now.

I guess I give a 5/10. 5 for the monster and general concept.

Its No Blair Witch

[Maineman14 · 4 April 2013]

So I just came back from a pre screening for this film and I won't give away any spoilers. I will say it wasn't that great but not horrible. The acting was pretty bad, the strongest character was the lead stoner guy. It does a decent job of setting up the found footage aspect but its follows the extremely cliché horror conventions and stereo types so its highly predictable. There's no cool kills or gore it was all really lamely attempted and there's so many awesome kills you could do in a bigfoot movie so it seemed a bit of a wasted opportunity. I know a lot of people will hate the ending its pretty anti climatic and a tad silly. My biggest grudge with the film is its a found footage movie but there's titles and a score. You don't score a found footage movie! The object of these films is to make the viewer forget there watching a movie and make them believe there watching something real. If you have music playing over your scenes it takes that element away completely. What the movie did do right was the sound design, it makes some of the bigfoot scenes intense but they never fully get to a level of "scary" or "frightening". I doubt it will get a theatrical release it will probably be on Netflix by summer but if its lucky it will get some around Halloween in some areas. I can say though its probably the best attempt at a bigfoot horror movie i've seen, i've only seen a few but none have been very good. If your into low budget horror i'd give it a shot you will find some thrills but for a veteran horror lover it won't fully satisfy.

5 out of 10