I have sung the praises of The Blair Witch Project ever since that summer night in 1999 when I exited the movie theater thinking I had seen the most imaginative film ever made. There was no lunatic killer on the loose hunting down three friends in the forest like had been done ad nauseam in nearly every horror film that came before. Instead, in Blair Witch, we watched the untimely disappearance of three friends from the perspective of the lost footage that was found during the search for the threesome. The film was made on a $60,000 budget and went on to gross nearly $250,000,000 worldwide and introduced the world to the ‘found footage’ sub-genre of horror films.
Along with the success of The Blair With Project came copycat after copycat with only one true rival to the OG, Paranormal Activity. Paranormal Activity, along with its six sequels, made $878,000,000, further giving every movie executive in Hollywood a happy trigger finger just ready to pull on the next big hit. For every Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity, there’s a hundred Unfriended, The Devil Inside, and Amber Alert.
The latest film to attempt a Blair Watch like box-office haul is the found footage film The Outwaters. The film written, directed by, and starring Robbie Banfitch made the film festival rounds last year and was originally viewed through the virtual version of The Chattanooga Film Festival. My original screening of this film was completely erased from my memory as if it was done by Jay or Kay of the Men in Black, greatly due to me having Covid-19 at the time. Once I saw the ads begin to pop up on social media, I got excited thinking it looked promising and hoped to catch it in a theater or streaming. I was able to get a screener a few weeks ago and while discussing it with my wife and friends, I was led to believe I had seen it before. Again, Covid did a number on me this past summer.
I made it roughly 40 minutes before things started to come back to me. Everyone was right, I had seen The Outwaters before. They were also right, I did not like it at all. It has been quite some time since I have watched a film of any genre and asked my self, “What the fuck did I just watch?” Add Skinamarink to the list and I’ve done it twice this year.
The plot of the movie is that a group of friends are journeying out to the Mojave Desert to film a music video for their friend Ange who is aspiring to make it as a folk singer. Simple enough premise for a promising horror film. The first real sign of danger for the viewer is how long it takes to get to the desert. Banfitch sets out to make the trip to the desert seem familiar to the viewer so to put them at ease. Like most conventional found footage movies you see up close and personal moments between the characters with some funny banter mixed in as well. It felt like you were watching the vacation video of that one friend you’re really not friends with – it’s just that you have mutual friends in common and they show up to every gathering whether invited or not.
Things really turn up one night while camping in the desert and by ‘turn up’ I mean the sound design. 2023 is sadly looking to be the year of experimental sound design in independent horror films. Skinamarink and now The Outwaters spend the majority of the film attempting to make sound the lead character. Like in other films from the sub-genre, the only lighting available is from the night sky and a flashlight. Now add the blood curdling screams from the cast mixed with those of the wild animals roaming the desert and you’re in sensory overload.
Banfitch gives little visual nibbles to the audience of what is happening, but never fully explains, leaving many to ponder what they are watching. Instead, the director relies heavily on sound to provide the scares in the film that truly never translate causing even more head scratching by the viewer.
I will not give away any true key moments in the film, especially the last 40 seconds, and will rather leave the viewer to make their own decision if The Outwaters is for them or not. I will say that Banfitch and the rest of the cast did a really good job of developing their characters along the way before the horror began to unfurl which is rarely achieved in this genre.
The Outwaters is the film idea one would come up with from the after effects of spending an extended weekend in Nashville and never leaving Broadway, then deciding to keep the party going and spend a few days at Burning Man.
The Outwaters is playing in theaters nationwide beginning this weekend and will be streaming on Screambox later this year.
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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