The sub-genre of ‘found footage / handheld camera’ is growing from strength to strength and it is truly remarkable to think it all began way back in 1999 with The Blair Witch Project. That film has influenced so many to follow and most evidently has blossomed a whole new way of scaring audiences in the horror genre. Clearly influenced by the likes of the 1999 surprise hit and others including Spanish hit [REC] and Paranormal Activity, the next to step up and be counted is the utterly scary Evidence.
It all starts with Ryan (Ryan McCoy), who wants to make a documentary on his friend Brett (Brett Rosenberg) and his first venture into the world of camping. Along with his friend Ashley (Ashley Bracken) and girlfriend Abi (Abigail Richie) the foursome head to the woods for what they hope will be a fun few days drinking and simply having a good time.
At first all seems well with nature at their beckon call and plenty of booze and each other’s company to keep the good times rolling, but then begins the nightmare. Scouring the natural habitat that surrounds them , the four begin to hear noises, much like an animal, that gradually unnerves them. Attempting to uncover the source of this sounds they soon start to notice a dark figure looming in the background wherever they go and decide the camping trip must be cut short, much to Ryan’s dismay. He is out to make a documentary and believes the sounds are just a coyote but little does he or his company realise that this is just the beginning of a terrible nightmare.
Evidence is without a doubt a game of two halves. The first half of the 70 plus minutes film is a very slow minor introduction to our characters leading to their snail-paced exploration of their camping environment. It’s all very gradual and truthfully begins to make you wonder where this film will actually end up. That’s when the second half hits and, after approximately 40 minutes of constant ‘what was that sound?’ and ‘did you see that?’ it finally kicks into action and from then on remains a film filled with terror, claustrophobia and sheer fear.
All four involved play their characters superbly and manage to convey the sudden change of emotional state in correlation to the events unfolded absolutely spot-on. Despite the lacklustre first half, the believability factor of these characters is very high and the fact that the others lambast Ryan for continually filming everything is testament to this; it’s what everyone would say. But, as touched upon, when Evidence kicks into full nightmarish overdrive we are witnessing four persons who look absolutely terrified, a key to the film’s success.
Evidence could have been just another obvious and linear handheld camera convention follower but in essence it is one of the scariest examples of this horror outlet for some time. True, the opening half does leave you a little impatient for a big pay off but when the final breathtaking half hour or so arrives it will have you gripping your seat and grabbing a cushion in fear of what is going to happen. The events that unfold are themselves totally unexpected following the path we expect the film to follow and this is the game changer. A wonderfully diverse and intensely unnerving experience; Evidence is a treat for horror fans alike and comes massively recommended for those who are seeking a few sleepless nights and a very high pulse rate!
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Evidence arrives on DVD 12th March 2012
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