Let me start by saying I respect the hell out of this movie. I had heard good things about this movie, and it seemed right up my alley, so my expectations were set mildly high. I thought the story, character development, writing, and lead kid were all great. There were a few scenes with actors that played small roles that were almost cringe worthy because they weren't very good actors. Luckily for the film, most of the scenes took place between the 12-year old boy and his brother. My overall feeling with this movie is that I enjoyed it, but I wish there was just a liiiiittle bit more in the budget for the smaller roles. If you can get around a few scenes with bad acting, it is worth a watch.
71 Reviews
Best indi I've seen in years
michaelchandler455 March 2015
Based on the novel by Todd Rigney, "FOUND" is a refreshing addition to the horror genre. A familiar yet grim coming of age drama wrapped in a very dark and horrific nightmarish shell. The story is told through the eye's of Marty, a typical twelve year old boy who like most of you reading this can probably relate to, tends to escape the turmoil of his daily life by taking refuge in horror films. From early on in the film we learn that Marty (Gavin Brown) is from an average American family with the usual facade of "normalcy" hiding a plethora of underlying social problems. His fathers overt racism and inability to relate to or get along with his older son. His mothers inability to mediate or intervene in the situation, and his brothers (Ethan Philbeck) worsening antisocial behavior. Marty has discovered personal secrets of his family members. His dad's porn stash, mother's love letters to an old boyfriend and the biggest one yet, a bowling bag containing a severed head in his brothers closet. Marty discovers the brother that he loves and looks up to is a serial killer. "My brother keeps a human head in his closet. Every few days it's a new head", "My life is starting to turn into a horror movie." Let me just say that I found this film intriguing and truly disturbing. Director Scott Schirmer has done a truly amazing job on a shoestring budget of a reported $8000.00 dollars, managing to tell a great story and do what most big budget horror films seem to fail at, making you care about the characters. The only drawback of the film for me was the talent level of some of the supporting cast. While Gavin Brown and Ethan Filbeck gave outstanding performances for their first outing, the mother (Phyllis Munro) and several of the supporting members, most notably the father (Louie Lawless) seemed to lack the ability to convincingly pull off any dramatic moments. But this is a relatively minor complaint and hardly a drawback in the ability to enjoy this film. Other indi film makers and directors should pay attention and take notes. This is how it's done, with an engaging story and a lot of heart. With all that said, I highly recommend this film. In the end I was left almost speechless. This film manages to tell a sympathetic yet engaging horrific story. It is severely brutal and gory at times and not for the faint of heart. Four out of five stars!
Drama grows into shock fest
filmbizarro10 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Plot: A 12 year old boy obsessed with horror is starting to think that his older brother might be a serial killer. When he finds a tape that was stolen from the local video rental shop in his brother's possessions, and he sees what's on that tape he becomes even more sure about who his brother is.
Our thoughts: Most horror fans remember that specific feeling of being very young and loving horror movies. The time when any horror movie was a good movie, and you couldn't wait till the next time a friend came over so you could show them what you have just seen. There was always the general concern whether or not violent movies would make violent people, but perhaps that's even more present now. Back then it was mostly "he will get nightmares!" (thanks Mommy, for treating me like an adult with my movies instead) that you heard people say. "Found" plays off of these things: the thrill watching horror at a young age and being fascinated by the macabre, but also dealing with the things it COULD lead to (or the questions around it). But does the dark twist to the subject that we find in "Found" work?
"Found" is about a 12 year old boy who just loves horror movies and the macabre overall. He often borrows movies from his brother to watch with his friend, and he and his friend are also working on a violent comic together. But lately something has been a bit off about his brother, and upon further investigation he finds evidence that points to his brother being a serial killer. His brother has been acting really strange, and more often than not with an attitude as of late. Where did this personality of his come from, and what will it lead to? After finding the tape "Headless" in his brother's room, a tape that had disappeared from the local video rental shop, he watches it with his friend and can't stop thinking about his brother doing the awful things that the maniac on this tape is doing.
I'm quite impressed with how well the movie is driven by drama but seamlessly adds some really dark and utterly depraved horror/slasher/exploitation. It's a fact that most of the movie is focusing on the kid and his take on what is going on around him, which makes it a drama, but some scenes are far too screwed up for your normal drama. Hell, this is even one of the few times where I enjoy watching clips from a film-within-a-film (except for in "Evil Ed") because it's really violent and quite entertaining in a trashy sort of way, and works well within the story of the movie. The climax of the movie will not shock the seasoned horror or exploitation fan, but it's still very messed up. If it doesn't make SOME people uncomfortable, either by the end or with the film-within-the-film, then not enough people have watched it.
There are no huge issues with the movie. The only thing I can think of is that the brother doesn't always come off as a convincing serial killer. He does it more towards the end, but it was a hard sell. He does, however, feel like a good choice as the brother of our main character. My other issues are more personal pet peeves than anything: things like referencing movies. It might be needed, but at times it seems forced. I always enjoy seeing posters in the background, but maybe a few of the ones here seemed a bit misplaced. I'm also not sure what year this was set in, but it does have a very recent movie on a poster, yet the only format used or showed in the movie is VHS (unless I missed other ones). While VHS is still very much in use, it seems odd that there is nothing even in the video store besides that. Again, pet peeves, this is not something that dragged the movie down. I just couldn't help but think about it, and I will look like a fool if someone proves me wrong on the last point!
Still, this movie is very interesting. It deals with a lot of important subjects, like video violence, racism and awkward family situations, but still maintains to work as a horror movie when it wants to. For essentially being a drama, it gets really gory in a few scenes. And for once the film-within-the-film worked well too, adding to the horror of it all - mostly because the horror in "Found" itself is much like the things on screen in the fictional "Headless". I was surprised by how messed up it got. If you want to watch an interesting movie that mixes drama and violent horror in equally delicate and brutal ways, then give this a go!
More reviews at FilmBizarro.com
Our thoughts: Most horror fans remember that specific feeling of being very young and loving horror movies. The time when any horror movie was a good movie, and you couldn't wait till the next time a friend came over so you could show them what you have just seen. There was always the general concern whether or not violent movies would make violent people, but perhaps that's even more present now. Back then it was mostly "he will get nightmares!" (thanks Mommy, for treating me like an adult with my movies instead) that you heard people say. "Found" plays off of these things: the thrill watching horror at a young age and being fascinated by the macabre, but also dealing with the things it COULD lead to (or the questions around it). But does the dark twist to the subject that we find in "Found" work?
"Found" is about a 12 year old boy who just loves horror movies and the macabre overall. He often borrows movies from his brother to watch with his friend, and he and his friend are also working on a violent comic together. But lately something has been a bit off about his brother, and upon further investigation he finds evidence that points to his brother being a serial killer. His brother has been acting really strange, and more often than not with an attitude as of late. Where did this personality of his come from, and what will it lead to? After finding the tape "Headless" in his brother's room, a tape that had disappeared from the local video rental shop, he watches it with his friend and can't stop thinking about his brother doing the awful things that the maniac on this tape is doing.
I'm quite impressed with how well the movie is driven by drama but seamlessly adds some really dark and utterly depraved horror/slasher/exploitation. It's a fact that most of the movie is focusing on the kid and his take on what is going on around him, which makes it a drama, but some scenes are far too screwed up for your normal drama. Hell, this is even one of the few times where I enjoy watching clips from a film-within-a-film (except for in "Evil Ed") because it's really violent and quite entertaining in a trashy sort of way, and works well within the story of the movie. The climax of the movie will not shock the seasoned horror or exploitation fan, but it's still very messed up. If it doesn't make SOME people uncomfortable, either by the end or with the film-within-the-film, then not enough people have watched it.
There are no huge issues with the movie. The only thing I can think of is that the brother doesn't always come off as a convincing serial killer. He does it more towards the end, but it was a hard sell. He does, however, feel like a good choice as the brother of our main character. My other issues are more personal pet peeves than anything: things like referencing movies. It might be needed, but at times it seems forced. I always enjoy seeing posters in the background, but maybe a few of the ones here seemed a bit misplaced. I'm also not sure what year this was set in, but it does have a very recent movie on a poster, yet the only format used or showed in the movie is VHS (unless I missed other ones). While VHS is still very much in use, it seems odd that there is nothing even in the video store besides that. Again, pet peeves, this is not something that dragged the movie down. I just couldn't help but think about it, and I will look like a fool if someone proves me wrong on the last point!
Still, this movie is very interesting. It deals with a lot of important subjects, like video violence, racism and awkward family situations, but still maintains to work as a horror movie when it wants to. For essentially being a drama, it gets really gory in a few scenes. And for once the film-within-the-film worked well too, adding to the horror of it all - mostly because the horror in "Found" itself is much like the things on screen in the fictional "Headless". I was surprised by how messed up it got. If you want to watch an interesting movie that mixes drama and violent horror in equally delicate and brutal ways, then give this a go!
More reviews at FilmBizarro.com
Family business
kosmasp27 May 2020
Sometimes you can say it runs in the family ... sometimes it is just one bad sheep that will put a bad name to all. What could be the case here? Is being rebelious the same as being an ice cold killer? Of course not, right? There are more degrees to what consists of being a bad person or a bad parent/sibling and the movie explores a few of them.
Depending on your view on things you may feel different things on the characters displayed. I would argue that you can have empathy for at least the kid. That doesn't mean you will condone his behaviour. There are good arguments to be made and there are certain things said that make sense. This is not the greatest movie, but it does try to be more than just a slasher/horror movie. The low budget nature of it means, you have to forgive a few downfalls in certain areas ... if you do, there is a decent movie here
Depending on your view on things you may feel different things on the characters displayed. I would argue that you can have empathy for at least the kid. That doesn't mean you will condone his behaviour. There are good arguments to be made and there are certain things said that make sense. This is not the greatest movie, but it does try to be more than just a slasher/horror movie. The low budget nature of it means, you have to forgive a few downfalls in certain areas ... if you do, there is a decent movie here
Earnest but falls pretty short.
jorren-thornton13 September 2014
I have to give the movie credit in saying you can tell that mostly everyone involved is sincere. This is an honest effort that just falls terribly short.
The premise is kind of genius and the opening is pretty great. Said older brother has passion for horror that he's obviously passed on to his younger brother. Younger brother finds out older brother is a real serial killer. Now you've got all kinds of themes to play around with here. You typical coming of age stuff, brother relationships, alienation during puberty, etc. There are also some solid ideas in the movie related to the younger brother. His obsession with horror at a young age and actually making a real attempt at drawing comics with friends.
Small things like that combined with wasted potential and sub par attempts at gore make for a plot and characters that are falling apart from the get-go. It's look is inconsistent bouncing from poorly shot micro budget school project to well done indie pretty frequently.
The writing is bland at best, but the acting really highlights it's weaknesses.
There's a sort of twist related to character motivation pretty far into the movie that is just cringe worthy, and completely removed me from the thread thin ability to feel sympathy for anyone in this movie, which with a movie like this is important to keep intact.
With solid indie made firsts like murder party and the battery, this just feels like it was mishandled. Is the movie a total wreck? No, as stated above there are some interesting nuggets. Ultimately this movie would have been better off in more capable hands.
The premise is kind of genius and the opening is pretty great. Said older brother has passion for horror that he's obviously passed on to his younger brother. Younger brother finds out older brother is a real serial killer. Now you've got all kinds of themes to play around with here. You typical coming of age stuff, brother relationships, alienation during puberty, etc. There are also some solid ideas in the movie related to the younger brother. His obsession with horror at a young age and actually making a real attempt at drawing comics with friends.
Small things like that combined with wasted potential and sub par attempts at gore make for a plot and characters that are falling apart from the get-go. It's look is inconsistent bouncing from poorly shot micro budget school project to well done indie pretty frequently.
The writing is bland at best, but the acting really highlights it's weaknesses.
There's a sort of twist related to character motivation pretty far into the movie that is just cringe worthy, and completely removed me from the thread thin ability to feel sympathy for anyone in this movie, which with a movie like this is important to keep intact.
With solid indie made firsts like murder party and the battery, this just feels like it was mishandled. Is the movie a total wreck? No, as stated above there are some interesting nuggets. Ultimately this movie would have been better off in more capable hands.
Finders Keepers
Coventry5 October 2017
"Found" may very well be one of the most difficult films I ever reviewed
It completely wasn't what I expected, but then again I didn't really know what to expect. It is definitely a horror movie, but simultaneously also one of those films that are unclassifiable. Like several other reviewers around here, I'm tempted to label it as a "coming-of-age" story, but those are usually pretentious and boring, and "Found" most certainly is not! And finally, I don't want to use too many enthusiast superlatives, because it honestly isn't that unique or fantastic, neither. The least I can say for myself is that "Found" pleasantly surprised me in some ways and also that it made me think. Not necessarily about deeply philosophical subjects, but merely about how simple and identifiable the most shocking horror tales actually are.
The one thing I find absolutely astonishing in Todd Rigney's screenplay (adapted from his own novel) is the realism and authenticity of the lead characters, and particularly of the young protagonist Marty. I recognize a lot of myself in Marty from when I was around that age. Finally a normal 12-year-old who loves watching gory horror movies without hinting that he's abnormal, disturbed or potentially dangerous. Marty says early in the film: "I like watching violence, but I'm not a violent person myself". That's exactly what I'm forced to repeat to people over and over again when I tell them about my passion for extreme cinema. I have been intrigued with sick and sadist violence for as long as I can remember, and – like with Marty - my parents never made a big deal out of it, but I never felt the urge to hurt another living creature or was unable to function in society. I consider "Found" as one of the best horror stories of the last 10-15 years if it were only for the verity of Marty's character. And the same actually goes for his parents as well. They actually come across as good people and decent parents; not like the clichéd type of abusive and alcoholic parents who are generally responsible for the later failures of their children. Of course, I didn't have an older brother who was a serial killer and kept severed heads in his closet, but obviously Todd Rigney needed at least one extraordinary lead character, otherwise his novel and screenplay would have been quite boring.
So, Marty discovered that his older brother Steve is a murdering psychopath and he's terrified of him. Marty desperately tries to hide from Steve that he knows his dark secret, but also can't resist snooping around in his brother's horror closet and impressive VHS horror collection. Marty has very few friends and gets bullied at school, but the evil hobby of his brother and also Steve's increasingly protective behavior give Marty more confidence and strength to stand up for himself. "Found" is film of extreme opposites. The atmosphere of the main story is foreboding and the pacing is rather slow. There practically isn't any action and even the intense climax is suggestive and unsettling rather than explicit and confronting. In sheer contrast to all this, however, there's a large portion of film-within-film footage that is utterly violent, sickening and gratuitous. The supposedly lost horror movie is called "Headless" and follows a deranged killer wearing an eerie skull-mask as he's ruthlessly butchering young women and sodomizing their mutilated corpses. If it weren't for the "Headless" footage, and perhaps 2 or 3 human heads in a bowling bag, "Found" would only be a talkative and atmospheric coming-of-age story (albeit a very good one)
Based on popular demand, "Headless" got turned into a full-length separate film, directed by make-up wizard Arthur Cullipher and starring Shane Beasley as the deranged killer. According to many people whose opinions I trust, it's just as vile and uncompromising as the footage shown in "Found". Needless to say I will do whatever I can to see it as soon as possible.
The one thing I find absolutely astonishing in Todd Rigney's screenplay (adapted from his own novel) is the realism and authenticity of the lead characters, and particularly of the young protagonist Marty. I recognize a lot of myself in Marty from when I was around that age. Finally a normal 12-year-old who loves watching gory horror movies without hinting that he's abnormal, disturbed or potentially dangerous. Marty says early in the film: "I like watching violence, but I'm not a violent person myself". That's exactly what I'm forced to repeat to people over and over again when I tell them about my passion for extreme cinema. I have been intrigued with sick and sadist violence for as long as I can remember, and – like with Marty - my parents never made a big deal out of it, but I never felt the urge to hurt another living creature or was unable to function in society. I consider "Found" as one of the best horror stories of the last 10-15 years if it were only for the verity of Marty's character. And the same actually goes for his parents as well. They actually come across as good people and decent parents; not like the clichéd type of abusive and alcoholic parents who are generally responsible for the later failures of their children. Of course, I didn't have an older brother who was a serial killer and kept severed heads in his closet, but obviously Todd Rigney needed at least one extraordinary lead character, otherwise his novel and screenplay would have been quite boring.
So, Marty discovered that his older brother Steve is a murdering psychopath and he's terrified of him. Marty desperately tries to hide from Steve that he knows his dark secret, but also can't resist snooping around in his brother's horror closet and impressive VHS horror collection. Marty has very few friends and gets bullied at school, but the evil hobby of his brother and also Steve's increasingly protective behavior give Marty more confidence and strength to stand up for himself. "Found" is film of extreme opposites. The atmosphere of the main story is foreboding and the pacing is rather slow. There practically isn't any action and even the intense climax is suggestive and unsettling rather than explicit and confronting. In sheer contrast to all this, however, there's a large portion of film-within-film footage that is utterly violent, sickening and gratuitous. The supposedly lost horror movie is called "Headless" and follows a deranged killer wearing an eerie skull-mask as he's ruthlessly butchering young women and sodomizing their mutilated corpses. If it weren't for the "Headless" footage, and perhaps 2 or 3 human heads in a bowling bag, "Found" would only be a talkative and atmospheric coming-of-age story (albeit a very good one)
Based on popular demand, "Headless" got turned into a full-length separate film, directed by make-up wizard Arthur Cullipher and starring Shane Beasley as the deranged killer. According to many people whose opinions I trust, it's just as vile and uncompromising as the footage shown in "Found". Needless to say I will do whatever I can to see it as soon as possible.
This not horror so please take out the gory scenes and call it a drama
dreamhomesre4 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
As a horror fan, I just don't agree with all the hoopla on this movie. The positives – 1) the main character Marty (Gavin Brown) does an incredible job. He completely carries the film on his young shoulders. 2) the special effects are really well done and gory beyond belief 3) film looks good (I don't believe the $8,000 budget for a moment). The so-so's – 1) everybody else's acting. I don't agree that the elder brother's acting was great. It was okay. I've definitely seen much worse in low budget films, but best actor? Sorry, no. Parents were hit or miss. All the other adults were just bad. The negative – the script. I think that what fails in this movie is that it is an adaptation of a novel and it feels like it. While in a novel you can have several themes happening at the same time because you'll have 400+ pages to deal with them all, in a script, you have to have one theme and stick to it. This movie dealt with several issues and as a result, it doesn't deal with any of them well. First, there is the issue of race. You hear the father saying the "n" word and you find out that the brother only kills black women, but other than that, there's no lesson to be learned on this issue. It's just a matter of fact, and it really bothered me that this was thrown in without much of a repercussion to either person who has these beliefs. In fact, even though the father and older brother hate each other, that's the one thing they seem to agree on.
Then, there's the issue of watching horror movies and whether that could turn somebody into a killer. Once again, you have 2 characters who share that in common, but while one is a serial killer, the other seems to be unaffected by it, even to the end.
Finally, there's the issue of bullying. I know this is a hot topic right now, but to call this an anti-bullying movie is completely wrong. The bullying has nothing to do with the actions that motivate the serial killer in this movie. It is just something that is happening to the main character and is the main focus of the movie, but has little to do with the serial killer brother which then becomes the back story to the movie rather than the main focus. I thought that once the older brother killed the main bully, that Marty will then start pointing out new targets for his brother but that never happened. Since Marty never goes back to school, we don't see what repercussions are to the fact that the brother killed the main bully. In fact, it's like it never happened. So really, the fact that Marty is being bullied has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.
Yet, most of the movie is about Marty being bullied. So, as a horror fan, I was bored waiting for something that could really be called horror to come up. This is a coming of age movie, with gory scenes added in just so that they can brand it as horror. In fact, the only really gory scene comes from a movie that Marty watches. Really? I need to watch a movie within a movie to see what constitutes horror? Why didn't they just have that be a video that the brother made of his own killings. Then, it would make sense why it's in there. Otherwise, it's just gratuitous and has no bearing on the story. And you can't say that it's there to show what inspired the older brother, cause we never see what he actually does to his victims. And apparently, the film has no effect whatsoever on Marty, since he doesn't turn into the monster that his brother is and begs for his parents' life.
There's also the issue of the narrator style. If this is a drama, the beginning makes sense. But if you're going to call this a horror movie, I don't want to be TOLD that the kid found a severed head. I want to SEE him finding the head and see his reaction! Once again, that feels like a book and not a horror movie. It was a wasted opportunity.
There are also huge plot holes in this movie. Marty says that he finds a new head o f a black woman in his brother's bowling bag every day. Not even the most famous serial killers have killed 365 people per year. And yet, while we hear the radio on a couple of occasions, we don't hear about a man hunt for a serial killer that seems to be targeting black women. There's an entire scene at a movie theater that does nothing to move the plot forward since the exact same conversation happens again elsewhere. So that just added 5 minutes to an already long and slow-paced movie. Detention for a kid that fights and flips off his teacher? I don't think so. That would require at least a suspension in any school. A guy who keeps the heads of his victims in his unlocked room where anyone can find it? Yeah, right! Parents who are one moment absolutely great and empathetic about their kids' plight after he's bullied, and the next moment, they're beating him up for standing up for himself. And Marty's friend seeing the head of the bully and then not telling anyone? Please! It's like nothing that happens in this movie has any effect on later events.
So this movie is neither truly horror nor truly a drama. Horror fans will be bored with the pacing, drama fans will be grossed out. For me, I'd prefer that they delete the gory scene in the middle and call this a drama with a gory ending.
Then, there's the issue of watching horror movies and whether that could turn somebody into a killer. Once again, you have 2 characters who share that in common, but while one is a serial killer, the other seems to be unaffected by it, even to the end.
Finally, there's the issue of bullying. I know this is a hot topic right now, but to call this an anti-bullying movie is completely wrong. The bullying has nothing to do with the actions that motivate the serial killer in this movie. It is just something that is happening to the main character and is the main focus of the movie, but has little to do with the serial killer brother which then becomes the back story to the movie rather than the main focus. I thought that once the older brother killed the main bully, that Marty will then start pointing out new targets for his brother but that never happened. Since Marty never goes back to school, we don't see what repercussions are to the fact that the brother killed the main bully. In fact, it's like it never happened. So really, the fact that Marty is being bullied has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.
Yet, most of the movie is about Marty being bullied. So, as a horror fan, I was bored waiting for something that could really be called horror to come up. This is a coming of age movie, with gory scenes added in just so that they can brand it as horror. In fact, the only really gory scene comes from a movie that Marty watches. Really? I need to watch a movie within a movie to see what constitutes horror? Why didn't they just have that be a video that the brother made of his own killings. Then, it would make sense why it's in there. Otherwise, it's just gratuitous and has no bearing on the story. And you can't say that it's there to show what inspired the older brother, cause we never see what he actually does to his victims. And apparently, the film has no effect whatsoever on Marty, since he doesn't turn into the monster that his brother is and begs for his parents' life.
There's also the issue of the narrator style. If this is a drama, the beginning makes sense. But if you're going to call this a horror movie, I don't want to be TOLD that the kid found a severed head. I want to SEE him finding the head and see his reaction! Once again, that feels like a book and not a horror movie. It was a wasted opportunity.
There are also huge plot holes in this movie. Marty says that he finds a new head o f a black woman in his brother's bowling bag every day. Not even the most famous serial killers have killed 365 people per year. And yet, while we hear the radio on a couple of occasions, we don't hear about a man hunt for a serial killer that seems to be targeting black women. There's an entire scene at a movie theater that does nothing to move the plot forward since the exact same conversation happens again elsewhere. So that just added 5 minutes to an already long and slow-paced movie. Detention for a kid that fights and flips off his teacher? I don't think so. That would require at least a suspension in any school. A guy who keeps the heads of his victims in his unlocked room where anyone can find it? Yeah, right! Parents who are one moment absolutely great and empathetic about their kids' plight after he's bullied, and the next moment, they're beating him up for standing up for himself. And Marty's friend seeing the head of the bully and then not telling anyone? Please! It's like nothing that happens in this movie has any effect on later events.
So this movie is neither truly horror nor truly a drama. Horror fans will be bored with the pacing, drama fans will be grossed out. For me, I'd prefer that they delete the gory scene in the middle and call this a drama with a gory ending.
Disturbing on an extreme level.
lochnessx77-119-60493728 September 2014
I'm going to dive straight into a simple fact about this movie. It will mess with you. At the deep emotional level, this movie will be extremely disturbing to anyone that gives it a chance. This is the type of movie that will stick with you for days, if not weeks. You will be driving to work days after watching it, see a Family walking down the street and wonder what secrets and personal issues they have solely because of this movie. I watched this movie almost 3 weeks ago, and I still find myself disturbed by it. It's not due to gore however.
Although I am confident in saying that even self-proclaimed horror/slasher film buffs will find a few scenes within "Found" extremely hard to watch. The gore isn't overdone or even a focus of the movie at all. When it is done, it is done very very well and is very very disturbing. I never personally get grossed out by film gore. Ever. However in one scene in particular, I seriously paused the film and sat there by myself wondering if I even wanted to continue watching the movie at all. The scenes in which gore isn't involved at all are just as, if not more disturbing than the gory scenes. Watching a 12 year old boy having to face such horrific realizations, all the while dealing with being bullied and having absent parents is disturbing in and of itself.
The acting would be the only reason this film didn't receive a perfect score of 10 from me. As much as I loved this movie and wish this wasn't the case, the acting by the Father is horrible. Luckily for us he doesn't spend more than 2 minutes on screen at a time, and only has a few lines of dialogue throughout the movie.
To sum this up, I'm going to talk about the final 8 or so minutes of this movie(Without spoilers of course). The final 8 minutes of this movie is by far the single most disturbing piece of film I have ever seen, and hope to never see again. Don't get me wrong, I love this movie. The final scene is just... It's indescribably horrific and dark. I genuinely hope I don't watch a movie with a scene that dark in it again for as long as I live.
Go watch it, it's an amazing accomplishment in the World of film. However, consider this review a warning.
Although I am confident in saying that even self-proclaimed horror/slasher film buffs will find a few scenes within "Found" extremely hard to watch. The gore isn't overdone or even a focus of the movie at all. When it is done, it is done very very well and is very very disturbing. I never personally get grossed out by film gore. Ever. However in one scene in particular, I seriously paused the film and sat there by myself wondering if I even wanted to continue watching the movie at all. The scenes in which gore isn't involved at all are just as, if not more disturbing than the gory scenes. Watching a 12 year old boy having to face such horrific realizations, all the while dealing with being bullied and having absent parents is disturbing in and of itself.
The acting would be the only reason this film didn't receive a perfect score of 10 from me. As much as I loved this movie and wish this wasn't the case, the acting by the Father is horrible. Luckily for us he doesn't spend more than 2 minutes on screen at a time, and only has a few lines of dialogue throughout the movie.
To sum this up, I'm going to talk about the final 8 or so minutes of this movie(Without spoilers of course). The final 8 minutes of this movie is by far the single most disturbing piece of film I have ever seen, and hope to never see again. Don't get me wrong, I love this movie. The final scene is just... It's indescribably horrific and dark. I genuinely hope I don't watch a movie with a scene that dark in it again for as long as I live.
Go watch it, it's an amazing accomplishment in the World of film. However, consider this review a warning.
Effective horror movie hurt by bad acting
Lucabrasisleeps2 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is not a bad movie at all. From the story, I actually expected a more tame affair. Because seriously serial killer movies are a dime a dozen. But this movie managed to shock me with its intensity.
The negative point is the acting. Many of the actors are terrible. I just couldn't take that mom character seriously. She spoiled every scene she was in. Dad was not so much better. The other kids at school were pretty terrible. Where do they get these actors anyway? Totally disappointing. The 2 brothers are good actors and that is pretty much the main thing that works in the movie.
And then there is the violence. What disturbs me more is the idea that kids are watching such movies and are not fazed even a little bit by all the violence. I wondered about whether these scenarios were actually realistic. And if it is for a movie, did the child actors really watch the scenes? I hope not. It is highly disturbing to imagine these children watching such movies. The Headless video is just disturbing to the max even with the cheesy effects and acting. It was also nice to observe the horror subculture in this small town. I don't know how they let the kids watch these horror movies, the parents seem pretty open minded. Maybe that was their undoing.
The ending finishes the movie in disturbing style. But here thankfully, not much is shown. I could not survive another headless video! Mostly though the movie works on the atmosphere and the performances of the brothers. The violence is also effective.
Overall I thought it was a good horror movie but it really gets affected by the acting of many of the characters.
6/10
The negative point is the acting. Many of the actors are terrible. I just couldn't take that mom character seriously. She spoiled every scene she was in. Dad was not so much better. The other kids at school were pretty terrible. Where do they get these actors anyway? Totally disappointing. The 2 brothers are good actors and that is pretty much the main thing that works in the movie.
And then there is the violence. What disturbs me more is the idea that kids are watching such movies and are not fazed even a little bit by all the violence. I wondered about whether these scenarios were actually realistic. And if it is for a movie, did the child actors really watch the scenes? I hope not. It is highly disturbing to imagine these children watching such movies. The Headless video is just disturbing to the max even with the cheesy effects and acting. It was also nice to observe the horror subculture in this small town. I don't know how they let the kids watch these horror movies, the parents seem pretty open minded. Maybe that was their undoing.
The ending finishes the movie in disturbing style. But here thankfully, not much is shown. I could not survive another headless video! Mostly though the movie works on the atmosphere and the performances of the brothers. The violence is also effective.
Overall I thought it was a good horror movie but it really gets affected by the acting of many of the characters.
6/10
Nope. Not Worth Your Time.
davannacarter1 March 2014
I saw this back in 2012. I found it boring and forgettable. Indeed, I did forget about it until today on the horror boards people were talking about this movie. So I remembered it. I remembered it was lame. And I decided to make this review.
First off, I'd advise you to watch the trailer. If I had watched the trailer before seeing the movie, I highly doubt I would have watched the movie. I am not a fan of that type of low budget cinematography. I reminds me of those bad movies from those crappy $5 horror movie combo packs from Walmart. There's just nothing inspiring about this cinematography.
I also disliked the acting. To put it mildly, the acting was terrible. The actors have virtually no acting experience prior to this movie and it shows. There was this scene where the mother, father, and two brothers are in a garage and the father is being abusive. The acting was so awful I was squirming in my seat. I just wanted to stop watching the movie at that point. I kept with it as a favor to a friend who was lamely trying to score with a chick who was close to someone involved with the production. So he didn't want to be rude and leave her like that. But watching them was a trial. The guy who played the dad was horrible. He looked like he wanted to laugh sometimes. And he just couldn't act at all. The other family members were bad too. But the dad was so awful they actually looked half-way mediocre whenever he was around.
The movie didn't get any better after that part. If you watch the trailer, you'll hear the kid's voice narration. Unfortunately, his narration is throughout the entire movie. His narration is really annoying because his narration sounds stilted and it is painfully obvious he's reading it from a paper as he goes along. I don't expect any Oscar winning narration from the kid but--geez--listening to him really decreased my viewing experience.
Last, but not least, the scares. Is this a horror movie? It has to be categorized as one. But horror fans will object to this because there is neither anything scary about this movie, nor does it bring anything new to the genre. As others have stated, it is much more of a drama-type movie. There is nothing really suspenseful for fans of psychological horror. There isn't a chilling atmosphere. There is little sense of danger. There is no mystery.
For fans of gore, there isn't much of that either. Most of the deaths are off screen. That was a huge letdown. Plus, when there is violence, it isn't strong as you'd expect in a gore horror. For example, the movie will show someone hitting someone else. The camera will stay on the person doing the hitting, you hear the sound, but never see the hit connecting. Instead, you'll see the person getting hit spitting phony blood out of his mouth. I think that's what the movie really relied on to keep the audience interested: the phony blood. But the blood wears off after a while when you realize that's all there is.
All in all, if they took away the serial killer aspect; tightened the script; gotten better actors; and polished to cinematography, this would have been a decent drama. It's the new thing with indie films to use their low budget as some sort of marketing gimmick. The gimmick is as worn out as phony shill reviews on IMDb. I'd advise everyone who is thinking about watching this movie to check out trailer and read all the reviews before seeing this movie.
First off, I'd advise you to watch the trailer. If I had watched the trailer before seeing the movie, I highly doubt I would have watched the movie. I am not a fan of that type of low budget cinematography. I reminds me of those bad movies from those crappy $5 horror movie combo packs from Walmart. There's just nothing inspiring about this cinematography.
I also disliked the acting. To put it mildly, the acting was terrible. The actors have virtually no acting experience prior to this movie and it shows. There was this scene where the mother, father, and two brothers are in a garage and the father is being abusive. The acting was so awful I was squirming in my seat. I just wanted to stop watching the movie at that point. I kept with it as a favor to a friend who was lamely trying to score with a chick who was close to someone involved with the production. So he didn't want to be rude and leave her like that. But watching them was a trial. The guy who played the dad was horrible. He looked like he wanted to laugh sometimes. And he just couldn't act at all. The other family members were bad too. But the dad was so awful they actually looked half-way mediocre whenever he was around.
The movie didn't get any better after that part. If you watch the trailer, you'll hear the kid's voice narration. Unfortunately, his narration is throughout the entire movie. His narration is really annoying because his narration sounds stilted and it is painfully obvious he's reading it from a paper as he goes along. I don't expect any Oscar winning narration from the kid but--geez--listening to him really decreased my viewing experience.
Last, but not least, the scares. Is this a horror movie? It has to be categorized as one. But horror fans will object to this because there is neither anything scary about this movie, nor does it bring anything new to the genre. As others have stated, it is much more of a drama-type movie. There is nothing really suspenseful for fans of psychological horror. There isn't a chilling atmosphere. There is little sense of danger. There is no mystery.
For fans of gore, there isn't much of that either. Most of the deaths are off screen. That was a huge letdown. Plus, when there is violence, it isn't strong as you'd expect in a gore horror. For example, the movie will show someone hitting someone else. The camera will stay on the person doing the hitting, you hear the sound, but never see the hit connecting. Instead, you'll see the person getting hit spitting phony blood out of his mouth. I think that's what the movie really relied on to keep the audience interested: the phony blood. But the blood wears off after a while when you realize that's all there is.
All in all, if they took away the serial killer aspect; tightened the script; gotten better actors; and polished to cinematography, this would have been a decent drama. It's the new thing with indie films to use their low budget as some sort of marketing gimmick. The gimmick is as worn out as phony shill reviews on IMDb. I'd advise everyone who is thinking about watching this movie to check out trailer and read all the reviews before seeing this movie.
Half Coming of Age Film/ Half Horror Movie
MzHartz15 July 2012
Found is a refreshing intelligently written horror movie with a prominent coming of age theme.
There is no delay in finding out that Marty's older brother is a serial killer. I quickly identified with the 12 year old's obsession with finding his family members' hidden secrets, like his mom's love notes from an ex-boyfriend, his dad's typical porn stash, and of course, his brother's non-typical rotating selection of heads in the closet.
The acting was incredible, and I often felt like I was intruding on private affairs as opposed to just watching a movie. Gavin Brown does an excellent job as Marty. He often provides narration through the movie, which felt more genuine than most voice-overs, with real emotion and no over-acting.
Most of the movie really is about the relationship between the two brothers, and the horror elements are provided by the movies within the movie. Of note is the one called "Headless," which provides the older brother, Steve, with gruesome inspiration. Until the climax of Found, "Headless" is the part that will have you squirming in your seat.
And with the level of detail put into the special effects, you will squirm. The attention put into making everything realistic is evident. Right after seeing the premier, everyone was talking about particular scenes where the special effects really transmitted the feeling to the audience.
This is a story about the dynamic between older and younger brother, and how it changes as they get older, all wrapped up in a horror movie shell. The balance of drama, suspense, horror, and comedy, is perfect. It's the type of movie you'll find yourself still thinking about the next day.
There is no delay in finding out that Marty's older brother is a serial killer. I quickly identified with the 12 year old's obsession with finding his family members' hidden secrets, like his mom's love notes from an ex-boyfriend, his dad's typical porn stash, and of course, his brother's non-typical rotating selection of heads in the closet.
The acting was incredible, and I often felt like I was intruding on private affairs as opposed to just watching a movie. Gavin Brown does an excellent job as Marty. He often provides narration through the movie, which felt more genuine than most voice-overs, with real emotion and no over-acting.
Most of the movie really is about the relationship between the two brothers, and the horror elements are provided by the movies within the movie. Of note is the one called "Headless," which provides the older brother, Steve, with gruesome inspiration. Until the climax of Found, "Headless" is the part that will have you squirming in your seat.
And with the level of detail put into the special effects, you will squirm. The attention put into making everything realistic is evident. Right after seeing the premier, everyone was talking about particular scenes where the special effects really transmitted the feeling to the audience.
This is a story about the dynamic between older and younger brother, and how it changes as they get older, all wrapped up in a horror movie shell. The balance of drama, suspense, horror, and comedy, is perfect. It's the type of movie you'll find yourself still thinking about the next day.
trash or classic?
quitwhileyouareahead13 November 2014
This is a movie that will impress some and offend others much like some of the ground breaking horror classics of the past. Will this be the next classic? I think not, although it could be a springboard for the director as it does pack a wallop. It is very effective and well done with some very good acting, at least from the two leads. I haven't decided if the adult actors are incredibly bad or if they are deliberately staged that way to emphasize the viewpoint of the younger boy who narrates through some of the scenes. I will give the director the benefit of the doubt as it otherwise would be inconsistent with his other great choices. If you can handle the sick material, it is probably a good movie to watch again as you may underrate it. I can only give it a 6 for entertainment value but then maybe I have underrated it.
An underground gem!
RoyBatty8814 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This film holds no punches and also, gives no mercy. "Found" is an underground gem that is hard to find, only "found" when someone seeks it out. I was introduced to this film by a friend of mine, I was told of the story which I thought sounded interesting, he put it on and I must say I was sucked in immediately. This movie is what would happen if, "Super 8", "Stand By Me", "A Serbian Film" and "Frontieres" all had a baby. Sound weird? Well, that's the best way I can describe it.
The movie has a coming of age story about a boy named Marty who is obsessed with comics and horror film. Marty is a misfit, bullied in school, he is the weird kid who likes creepy things, he is picked on by students and raises concerns of teachers. Marty learns that his brother, Steve, is a serial killer, making his life a horror film. The movie is very dark, it gets darker as it gets to the end, it starts off as a coming of age story but then turns into a disgusting gore fest at the end. It's magnificent.
I want to point out how much I admire the effort of it's director, Scott Schirmer, who made this movie for only $8,000. It certainly is a noticeably shoe string budget movie, however, the story is so amazing and the acting is so good, it's easy to look past it. In all honesty, the movie looked great, the only "Noticeable" thing about how low the budget is was how sometimes the audio levels seemed uneven. However, it was forgivable. I was impressed at the amazing performances that Scott Schirmer got out of his actors and also the shots were great, locations and tones gave it the unsettling dark feeling.
The music score especially is amazing, it's eerie and gives off the tone of the movie. There really isn't anything bad I can say about "Found" as an aspiring filmmaker, I was floored, obsessed with this movie since I saw it. It proved you do not need a multi-million dollar budget to make an awesome movie. Scott Schirmer made a great piece for only $8k, imagine what he can do for $1 Million. I give this movie an A+
The movie has a coming of age story about a boy named Marty who is obsessed with comics and horror film. Marty is a misfit, bullied in school, he is the weird kid who likes creepy things, he is picked on by students and raises concerns of teachers. Marty learns that his brother, Steve, is a serial killer, making his life a horror film. The movie is very dark, it gets darker as it gets to the end, it starts off as a coming of age story but then turns into a disgusting gore fest at the end. It's magnificent.
I want to point out how much I admire the effort of it's director, Scott Schirmer, who made this movie for only $8,000. It certainly is a noticeably shoe string budget movie, however, the story is so amazing and the acting is so good, it's easy to look past it. In all honesty, the movie looked great, the only "Noticeable" thing about how low the budget is was how sometimes the audio levels seemed uneven. However, it was forgivable. I was impressed at the amazing performances that Scott Schirmer got out of his actors and also the shots were great, locations and tones gave it the unsettling dark feeling.
The music score especially is amazing, it's eerie and gives off the tone of the movie. There really isn't anything bad I can say about "Found" as an aspiring filmmaker, I was floored, obsessed with this movie since I saw it. It proved you do not need a multi-million dollar budget to make an awesome movie. Scott Schirmer made a great piece for only $8k, imagine what he can do for $1 Million. I give this movie an A+
Bad outweighs good
begob1 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is really a teen angst drama with gore thrown in. Plenty of issues raised, and in the end it does pack a punch.
Two big problems.
First, the pace dragged. A lot of the writing was flat, with not enough information given in each scene, and some of the actors struggled with uninspired dialogue. I'd have preferred 15 mins shaved off the running time.
Second, the conceit isn't really relevant to the plot. And we're given a motive based on a throw away comment from earlier in the story.
On the violence and gore - pretty tame. The screening of Headless confused me, because it was a good opportunity to address violence, but they didn't make any intelligent points. And if they'd used the hero's graphic novel to fantasise the killer's story, instead of taking it so literally, it might have added some sophistication. They even had excellent illustrations in the opening credits. Or what if the hero was an unreliable narrator? Nothing like that - they just played it straight.
I liked the drum music, but the eerie stuff hardly ever turned off and gave a depressing feel.
Overall it's a good job on a small budget, but it's not really a horror - more a story of violence begetting violence.
Two big problems.
First, the pace dragged. A lot of the writing was flat, with not enough information given in each scene, and some of the actors struggled with uninspired dialogue. I'd have preferred 15 mins shaved off the running time.
Second, the conceit isn't really relevant to the plot. And we're given a motive based on a throw away comment from earlier in the story.
On the violence and gore - pretty tame. The screening of Headless confused me, because it was a good opportunity to address violence, but they didn't make any intelligent points. And if they'd used the hero's graphic novel to fantasise the killer's story, instead of taking it so literally, it might have added some sophistication. They even had excellent illustrations in the opening credits. Or what if the hero was an unreliable narrator? Nothing like that - they just played it straight.
I liked the drum music, but the eerie stuff hardly ever turned off and gave a depressing feel.
Overall it's a good job on a small budget, but it's not really a horror - more a story of violence begetting violence.
Big Letdown IMO
johnwillis4912 December 2013
Been needing to see this movie for a while now. bought myself a copy. ended disappointed
This thing had so much potential. the story is great. the execution not so much.
This is a drama not really horror at all. There are some graphic parts(decapitated heads) but the acts of violence all take place offscreen. I was never scared by the film. Sure Marty's situation is horrifying but make no mistake this movie is not scary.
Acting was pretty shoddy by everyone except Marty. Poor lighting design, poor audio mixing. Really was expecting a horror movie but it didn't pan out.
For all the hype this movie had, it just didn't live up. However the director definitely has great potential.
This thing had so much potential. the story is great. the execution not so much.
This is a drama not really horror at all. There are some graphic parts(decapitated heads) but the acts of violence all take place offscreen. I was never scared by the film. Sure Marty's situation is horrifying but make no mistake this movie is not scary.
Acting was pretty shoddy by everyone except Marty. Poor lighting design, poor audio mixing. Really was expecting a horror movie but it didn't pan out.
For all the hype this movie had, it just didn't live up. However the director definitely has great potential.
Started OK But Acting???
theredneck6621 April 2015
After reading some of the reviews I though great a decent horror/Thriller! But after 15 minutes realised that the acting in many cases was very bad and very wooden. The school stuff from the detention scenes and after that the acting was pretty bad. The main actors were OK, but outside of that was very bad in many cases. How so many positive reviews is very weird. I will continues to give the rest of this film a try but, so far. If you can get forget about some very bad acting from many it otherwise looks promising. I hope the rest is better and the lesser actors are minimised. The main actors seem OK, so I think if you can get past that it may turn out better. I will see if I can get through this and update.
Well done
modengo6 April 2015
This is one of those well done, well rounded movies that focused on every aspect of the story. Only thing lacking in the whole movie might be the budget, not sure was the camera aimed to look 80's-90's-ish, but in a movie it doesn't even matter. Setback were indoors and outdoors scenes with bad sound quality, bad camera, looking like TV movies, but scenes were without any reproach. Maybe it could have been fixed in editing, since some scenes jump out from the movie with lack of quality, but than again, it might be the budget (although think it was sufficient). Anyhow, it's refreshing to see a story with unique standpoint, without a doubt has this been a big production it would be a blockbuster. Narative, scenes, everything is flowing in same direction, with few unavoidable clichés. Well rounded movie, deserves a solid score and definitely a recommendation.
Good story, poor execution
foxtografo1 October 2014
I got interested with the plot line. It has good potential and it's original not only for a plain slayer, but for something more developed and even deep. But from the beginning of the movie we see how amateurish and poor are some important technical aspects of the movie. From minute one, we see a not very polished photography, saturated with excessive close shots and a lack of creativity on framing them. Also the sound and lighting could have a lot of improvement. The worst part (and for what I've read, it bothered most of the people) was the acting. It's quite cheesy and overacted from most of the characters in the movie. I liked the main character, the kid, and the one I really liked in the role was the old brother, the killer. All the rest of actors felt very fake and a lot of the lines they were saying and lots of scenes were really cheesy (sometimes felt like trying to resemble or honour comics or 80's movies, maybe, but it wasn't clear and I didn't enjoy it). I know it's a low budget movie, but still this are actually the aspects that indie movies should take care the most, as it all depends on the creativity and skills of the director and the actors, and not in post production and expensive special effects. I got over all this because I was interested in the story, and it worth the while. It's not an amazing story, but still original and refreshing, not because it's nice maybe, it's quite gory and disturbing. But maybe all the credit is on the novel in which the movie is based... There's a few boring slow paced scenes, but it all adds up to the feeling on the story. Not a bad movie, but feels like it could be so much better.
Good story, poor acting (most of actors except the two brothers, let's be fair with them!), fair/poor photography and sound, directing and writing could be better... Still, even saying it's an amateurish movie and with all it's flaws, it's still interesting and it's not painful to watch.
Good story, poor acting (most of actors except the two brothers, let's be fair with them!), fair/poor photography and sound, directing and writing could be better... Still, even saying it's an amateurish movie and with all it's flaws, it's still interesting and it's not painful to watch.
My Review Of "Found" 2012
ASouthernHorrorFan1 October 2012
"found." is Scott Schirmer's dark caveat to what could arguably be the true meaning of horror starring Gavin Brown, Ethan Philbeck, Phyllis Munro, Louie Lawless and Alex Kogin. The film follows a young boy who's life is abruptly altered when he discovers his older brother is a budding serial killer. The story delves deep into the nuances of family dynamic like nothing I have ever seen before. Marty is a boy transitioning into his own only to have to deal with bullying, loss of familiarity and the complete and utterly disturbing degradation of family stability. "found." is so much more than a horror story, it is a visual ode to a very deep and personal problem lying unmentioned, ignored or unnoticed within our world of paved pathways that guide us along our daily destinations dotted by manicured lawns and cookie-cutter homes. That problem which Schirmer brutally forces us to notice is the complete and utter break down of family cohesion. That one aspect of life that for many of us is an assumed respite, a place of safety and comfort-home, viciously ripped away to expose a darkness that in this film is unequivocally the birth of evil.
The story plays with you completely from the very beginning. It grabs at your emotional center and squeezes slowly but firmly all the while pushing you to the very edge of tense anguish as felt through the eyes and mind of a child. "found" has done something that so few movies are capable of, it made me reevaluate how I define horror. The characters are so modest and honest that you relate to them in a truly gripping way. It exposes the twisted nature of misguided youth forced to face life with very few answers and nearly absent representation. Then simultaneously placing you head first into racism and bullying. But wait, as if that wasn't enough to make this well defined nightmare affective there is an added element that forces you as a viewer to test your limit of what is acceptable horror. It is a question that people have argued for quite some time- are horror films warping young people? This is truly the first time that I have seen that subject matter carefully and poignantly dealt with in the horror industry in such an honest manner while taking you into some of the most sickest and twisted areas of shock/horror cinema.
In my opinion this is truly a masterful tale of terror that carries a deeper message that needs to be addressed, and manages to do so in a fresh and exciting way. It carries all the emotion of surrealistic art film, complete brutality and gore of a horror film in the most systematically harmonious ways imaginable. There is an element of truth that this story pulsates from that creates an atmosphere so haunting and tragic. The film is held together by a chilling soundtrack that allows the story with all it's components to flow seamlessly. Quite frankly I hope more people than just the horror community experiences this film because although the visuals are graphic the heart of the drama is one that needs to be exposed because the true nightmare of this film is the fact that it could very well be happening in your neighborhood or more disturbingly in your very home. I recommend that everyone who comes across this film-watch it! It is just that powerful. A truly terrifying look into the mouth of madness is what you get with "found."
The story plays with you completely from the very beginning. It grabs at your emotional center and squeezes slowly but firmly all the while pushing you to the very edge of tense anguish as felt through the eyes and mind of a child. "found" has done something that so few movies are capable of, it made me reevaluate how I define horror. The characters are so modest and honest that you relate to them in a truly gripping way. It exposes the twisted nature of misguided youth forced to face life with very few answers and nearly absent representation. Then simultaneously placing you head first into racism and bullying. But wait, as if that wasn't enough to make this well defined nightmare affective there is an added element that forces you as a viewer to test your limit of what is acceptable horror. It is a question that people have argued for quite some time- are horror films warping young people? This is truly the first time that I have seen that subject matter carefully and poignantly dealt with in the horror industry in such an honest manner while taking you into some of the most sickest and twisted areas of shock/horror cinema.
In my opinion this is truly a masterful tale of terror that carries a deeper message that needs to be addressed, and manages to do so in a fresh and exciting way. It carries all the emotion of surrealistic art film, complete brutality and gore of a horror film in the most systematically harmonious ways imaginable. There is an element of truth that this story pulsates from that creates an atmosphere so haunting and tragic. The film is held together by a chilling soundtrack that allows the story with all it's components to flow seamlessly. Quite frankly I hope more people than just the horror community experiences this film because although the visuals are graphic the heart of the drama is one that needs to be exposed because the true nightmare of this film is the fact that it could very well be happening in your neighborhood or more disturbingly in your very home. I recommend that everyone who comes across this film-watch it! It is just that powerful. A truly terrifying look into the mouth of madness is what you get with "found."
hot button issues with horrific overtones
pabald948025 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I was intrigued by the cover in a local store to take a chance with this one. A horror movie with modern cultural social commentaries. In particular: the results of bullying, how the media can create real violence if the viewer is disturbed enough already. The horror part of the story is the underlying commentary mixed with gory and bizarre sexual violence, of which there's plenty of all three, just hope you can stomache it all...'cause it isn't subtle! The modern cultural commentary has major hot button topics, one for me is adults turning 'blind eye' to what's right in their face, plus those with way out of date ideas. Depending on your taste, this isn't a love or hate movie, but as already noted: the content isn't subtle and certain images/scenes could be etched in your mind long after finishing it. View with extreme caution!!
It's up to you.
dydascobusiness23 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Do you enjoy sadistic, moderate gore, off sett characters, and mediocre filming? "Found" is an acquired taste film that will leave you cringing but at the same time horrified throughout few scenes. Do I recommend "Found"? Eh. Yes and No. does bullying need to stop? Yes. After all of the reviews I have read, the ending is 'meh' but at the same time brutal and thought provoking. If you have free time after a long days work, or having friends stay the night. Be my guest. You might or might not be surprised of what you have "Found".
Blown Away
tbickle849 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is proof that a good story will overshadow any budgetary limitations. I'd heard of this film for quite some time because of all the rave reviews. I don't usually watch new horror movies because I think they're generally unwatchable but I decided to give Found. a look because I was so curious to see what the production did with only $8,000.
Well, I was engaged from the opening scene when a young boy named Marty tells us through voice over that he sneaks into his older brother Steve's room when he's not home just so he can take a look at the severed heads he keeps in his closest. Needless to say, Steve is a serial killer and Marty's the only person who knows his older brother's secret.
The film gave me chills in a way very few films do. There's something very real and disturbing about the subject matter that does not let up until the end credits roll much like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
It is important to point out that aside from the story, every other aspect of the film is incredibly amateur. The footage looks like it was shot on a digital camera from the early 2000s, the sound is very poor and the acting from most of the cast is very amateur. Does it matter? Surprisingly not at all. I basically ignored all of this because the story was so captivating and relevant to today's society that I just wanted to see how much worse this young boy's nightmare could get...and it gets indescribably horrifying.
Kudos to the team for basically picking up a camera and using whatever resources they had to tell such a twisted story. If you're mature enough to get past the budgetary limitations and appreciate the film for what it is, you will not be disappointed. This is coming from a die hard horror fan. Best horror film I've seen in many years.
Well, I was engaged from the opening scene when a young boy named Marty tells us through voice over that he sneaks into his older brother Steve's room when he's not home just so he can take a look at the severed heads he keeps in his closest. Needless to say, Steve is a serial killer and Marty's the only person who knows his older brother's secret.
The film gave me chills in a way very few films do. There's something very real and disturbing about the subject matter that does not let up until the end credits roll much like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
It is important to point out that aside from the story, every other aspect of the film is incredibly amateur. The footage looks like it was shot on a digital camera from the early 2000s, the sound is very poor and the acting from most of the cast is very amateur. Does it matter? Surprisingly not at all. I basically ignored all of this because the story was so captivating and relevant to today's society that I just wanted to see how much worse this young boy's nightmare could get...and it gets indescribably horrifying.
Kudos to the team for basically picking up a camera and using whatever resources they had to tell such a twisted story. If you're mature enough to get past the budgetary limitations and appreciate the film for what it is, you will not be disappointed. This is coming from a die hard horror fan. Best horror film I've seen in many years.
Children of horror
Foreverisacastironmess12328 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Found to me was a very edgy and viscerally jarring film that was thinking very much outside the box compared to most movies about young psycho killers. Even though most of it plays like a drama it definitely is a horror film, just a more low-key different approach to one, and one that's certainly not for everybody, particularly those of a weak stomach or who are easily offended. I found its overall atmosphere and tone to be very saddening and morbid, there were no jump scares or schlocky humorous horror gags, it's all very subtle and even ordinary, and to me all the more haunting in its everyday blandness than if they'd gone the typical route of trying to be scary in the more conventional way. I enjoyed how it seemed to be set in the late 80s/early 90s, it gave it a certain ambiance without it coming across as like they were purposefully trying to be retro or anything like that. By the end I was glad I watched it, it was a worthwhile viewing experience as I knew it would be from that opening line. It was chilling and poignant and the horrendously sick climax did stick with me for a few days after.. But, I also thought that it felt noticeably lacking somewhere and it ultimately wasn't all that satisfying, I just kept thinking that it all could have easily been done significantly better if it'd only had more money behind it. I couldn't believe that it had been made for only 8000. I mean that is seriously a micro budget, that being that case I'm happy to declare that what they managed get out of that was pretty amazing, but regardless the dark themes and messages of the movie are a little undermined and hampered by it's noticeably basic quality.. I thought Gavin Brown as "Marty" was a likable kid and good as the lead, he wasn't perfect but he was sure better than the other child actors in the movie, who I thought were the most amateur thing about it. But I did find him effective as just this little kid being pulled in many different directions from parent and bullying issues, and perhaps just a little desensitisation from one too many horror movies that he accepts the all too close to home horror of an older brother who has people's heads in a bag in his closet as if it's just another mere fact of his messed-up young life that he can't control. The acting of the big guy playing his only friend wasn't that great, but I found the sequence moving where he very suddenly turns on Marty who then later burns the little thing they shared together, which was a comic book they were making. I thought the relationship with his older psychotic brother "Steve" was well-realised and it felt sincere. Ethan Philbeck was a bit over-intense in his delivery for me, but he was good at showing the love for his little brother - who by the bitter end he seemed to regard as something pure - and he was also effective at being threatening to him at the same time. Steve's motivation wasn't developed enough, that stupid angle they toss into the movie in the middle and never mention again of him killing for racist reasons was unnecessary and meaningless. The film also hits you over the head a lot with the tired old theory that horror flicks have the mystical power to corrupt and influence the young minds of the unwary, which is something that I always felt was total bullshit, as to my point of view even the vilest of horror pictures are basically just entertainment and by themselves aren't capable of bringing out such badness in a human being unless they are already damaged to begin with and are susceptible. There's a sense of inevitability that underscores it as the events slowly build up to the ending, like the disaster of the sick maniac brother who's clearly about to explode is like an oncoming collision that little Marty is helpless to do anything about. It actually meant a lot to me when Marty finally realised that the monster before him was not the brother he once knew. My god, that ending truly takes you down into hell. It's strange, to look at it's not necessarily all that gruesome or intense, but when you think about it and let it sink in a little it's just incredibly horrifying, it made me feel grim and sick to my core. This is one movie that seriously messes with you... I didn't like the way they closed the movie with the sentence "This is the kind of thing that can warp a person", I thought it ended things on a bit of an inappropriately comedic note. So in closing despite its limitations, this flick does stand out from many other independent horrors due to its realistic nature, shattering atmosphere, and eerily well done gore effects. Bye, go easy on ya family!
Sick and grotesque
ksgillihan27 September 2021
If you are feeling overly happy at the moment and instead wish you felt depressed and hopeless, this is the movie for you. The acting is good so don't get me wrong as far as that goes. This is where the positives end though. The only reason I give it four stars is for that part of the film. I understand that depravity and the like exist in this world but in this film it just feels glorified. As if the audience is supposed to find the relationship between the brother and big brother to be "good" in some way. It just spirals out of control into full-blown repulsiveness. I cannot recommend this movie.
Not a history maker but a smart take on bullying and a quite disturbing horror flick
argento622 June 2016
Marty, 12 years old is a young Horror obsessed pre-teen. He also knows about his older brother Steve's darkest secret: That Steve is a serial killer. Bullied at school and by his own father, perhaps Marty has found even more than a protector in his brother? The only problem is what might happen to him if Steve discovers what his younger bro knows.
FOUND isn't too far from perfection in the horror genre in my opinion. And it achieves this without even abusing the massacre and gore scenes. Don't panic gore hounds. This film will eventually deliver the goods. But what i liked the most about it is that i was glued to the screen from start to finish despite the slow burn style of FOUND. And it managed to scare me and disturb me even with so little. Because the film is a rare realistic portrait of a family, the most ordinary and average family at first sight, entangled in nothing but everyday problems. Some things that we as a society tend to ignore and/or shovel down deep inside and under the rugs.
If there are things that i've always found hard to stand both in real life and in movies are things like violence on Women, kids, animals, racism and of course the ever present and growing problem that is bullying. That bullying happens in school or at home in the confort of what should be a safe place, it has become a matter with such amplitude that teachers will ignore the bullied like there was nothing that can possibly be done to end a feud between 2 kids. That until a bullied kid finally replies to a bully, which often results into having a nice kid grounded, and sometimes worst: Beaten in return and/or perceived as a young waste of flesh by our society's great thinkers.
Briefly, bullying is such a nightmare and FOUND reflects that reality in such a scary way. This rarety in the Horror genre is to be witnessed at your own risks. This is not a subject matter that you bring to the table at dinner. And there is such a violence involved in this film that even the scenes where it is left to the viewer's imagination might enrage or disgust and disturb someone.
FOUND isn't too far from perfection in the horror genre in my opinion. And it achieves this without even abusing the massacre and gore scenes. Don't panic gore hounds. This film will eventually deliver the goods. But what i liked the most about it is that i was glued to the screen from start to finish despite the slow burn style of FOUND. And it managed to scare me and disturb me even with so little. Because the film is a rare realistic portrait of a family, the most ordinary and average family at first sight, entangled in nothing but everyday problems. Some things that we as a society tend to ignore and/or shovel down deep inside and under the rugs.
If there are things that i've always found hard to stand both in real life and in movies are things like violence on Women, kids, animals, racism and of course the ever present and growing problem that is bullying. That bullying happens in school or at home in the confort of what should be a safe place, it has become a matter with such amplitude that teachers will ignore the bullied like there was nothing that can possibly be done to end a feud between 2 kids. That until a bullied kid finally replies to a bully, which often results into having a nice kid grounded, and sometimes worst: Beaten in return and/or perceived as a young waste of flesh by our society's great thinkers.
Briefly, bullying is such a nightmare and FOUND reflects that reality in such a scary way. This rarety in the Horror genre is to be witnessed at your own risks. This is not a subject matter that you bring to the table at dinner. And there is such a violence involved in this film that even the scenes where it is left to the viewer's imagination might enrage or disgust and disturb someone.
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