Synopsis: Twelve severed feet in running shoes found on the shores of Western Canada have baffled the Police. A videotape is leaked anonymously from the authorities. This paranormal thriller may solve the mystery of the severed feet.
My Quick Review: If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while now, you already know that I’m a fan of Found Footage movies. So I was looking forward to watching Severed Footage, a canadian horror movie based on actual events.
With that being said, while I’m much more patient with the format than most of my fellow horror critics, I have to admit that it takes way too long for anything to happen on-screen and I’m afraid by then, most people would have already turned their TV off.
I did not, thanks to likable characters (Mathieu Lessard is a hoot) and an acceptable and believable use of the camera throughout the movie (this is supposed to be a student documentary and it works this way). But still, more than 2/3 of the movie is just a few college students having fun and trying to get more information and footage for their school project. And if the characters are likable and believable, some of the acting is too amateurish not to notice (it becomes a real problem when the tension rises and the victims are clearly acting, especially the 2 girls).
In terms of scares, Severed Footage does deliver in the last 20mn or so. There is nothing you haven’t seen in other similar movies (Blair Witch being the most obvious here) but a couple of jump scares are efficient. The fact that all the background information and location are true add to the eeriness of the story as well.
As far as Indie horror movies go, and despite a very limited budget and no real professionals behind or in front of the camera, Severed Footage does its job. It is nevertheless a movie that only fans of the found footage/mockumentary genre might appreciate. If you’re not into this type of movie, Severed Footage will definitively not change your mind.
My Rating: 4.5/10
Director: Mark Arnott
Origin: Canada
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