Ever since The Blair Witch Project [1999] captured the fascination of many fans and aspiring filmmakers, it didn’t take long for the found footage subgenre to be set ablaze, and here is another one, slightly ho-hum in style, set in a decrepit abandoned hospital which housed the mentally ill patients. This sounds a tad similar to Grave Encounters [2011] which is true, but this location might seem familiar to numerous other projects after all it was Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles, that served as prime real estate for Boo [2005], Midnight Movie [2008], 100 Ghost Street: The Return of Richard Speck [2012], Hazard Jack [2014], Voodoo Possession [2014], Axe to Grind [2015], and finally The Linda Vista Project [2015]. However, more interesting is the individual behind the camera, which is Danny Draven, who’s vast talents include almost every position on a crew, in his genre – Horror. In fact, in 2002; he released 3-films those were Deathbed, Hell Asylum, and Cryptz, while low-budget flicks it helped him create a solid fanbase; he is backed by Full Moon Entertainment. While the concept through most of 80s and 90s was going for the cheapest and often quickest method to crack into the biz, make first a slasher movie or zombie flick; it’s been firmly replaced by the found footage concept. The reason is very simply, easy to justify why filming, lack of proper equipment; screenwriter is rarely needed, music is also optional, cheap locations – your own home (Paranormal Activity [2007]) and lastly improvisation with regards to cast and dialogue, and equipment. The credits name Shane Bitterling (Beneath Loch Ness [2001]) as originator of the story, which is strange since this is supposedly a found footage, well perhaps what was filled needed someone presenting an outline of sorts -of course you all are nodding – eh, don’t think so.

Kennedy (Jessica Morris (The 6th Friend [2016])) and Cory, (Kaiwi Lyman (Zoombies [2016])) and James (Jeff Adler) have landed a job filming the behind-the-scenes “Making Of” documentary for a drama film, shortly arriving on set they meet Dirk (Michael Cline) an over-the-top producer who shouts about every little thing, hands the off to Peter (Galen Howard (Revelator [2017])) who give them a tour of the set and hence introduce other secondary characters. First is the director, Alec (Christian Edsall) who doesn’t like anyone looking him in the eye, as per his manifest – supposedly required reading; then the makeup team, namely Claire (Jamie Bernadette (All Girls Weekend [2016])) and lastly Tricia (Sandra Hinojosa) who acts the part of a self-entitled Diva, very well and has a few hobbies on location stealing makeup supplies and having sex in the morgue. The team decides to forget about the paying gig and start exploring the dusty old location they seem unfamiliar with though start adding to the storyline, especially thanks to mysterious lit areas; because of course when an indie shoot is using just one area the provide power everywhere. Along their journey is that special wheelchair, it’s starred in many of these films, and this leads to more supernatural occurrences. If you were unaware this haunted asylum like many others has common themes namely medical records left behind and the building has the ability to physical change itself. However, this place adds in a wrinkle with a Dr. Klein (Jim Tavaré (I Spit on Your Grave: Déjà Vu [2019])), the group finds his unlocked office which still has medical records, and prescription pills along with a slew of oddities. At one point when they become lost and locate a morgue and argue about finding their way back and decide to set up another remote camera, James hurries out to their car to get and finds his way there and back without any problems or delays, huh, so confusing – thought they were lost. Soon this hidden camera starts capturing ghosts as well as murderous intentions by them, and our trio does their version of entering one hallway only exit on the opposite site, hence reenacting a Scooby-Doo chase sequence, it all becomes quite silly as they endlessly play-out different versions of the scenarios before ending what should be madness with tiresome yawn by the audience.

As for the technical side of the movie, it isn’t filled with great treasure, the digital special effects are of thoroughly dull looking ghosts, show in the typical night vision green and of they make their presence known by generating shill screams and static interference. There’s nothing new in the found footage and haunted asylum crossover, slight attempt is made to create suspense, but the annoyance of the static ghosts disrupts the mood quickly, along with the rapid motion of the handheld, the quirky angles find themselves wasted, the primary three leads try to show chemistry though Kaiwi Lyman as Cory provides the most compelling. Nevertheless, the direction is unwarranted, any of it could have been informed of beforehand and off camera, to attempt both ad-libbed lines and free travel on the location, taking cues from The Blair Witch Project. As for the gorehounds and horror fans, there’s a decent amount of blood and guts and then for good measure quite a bit of T&A.

First the positives, just 78-minutes, it really never strolls down the path of authentic found footage, no true curse or urban legends, now for all the bad, and there’s a lot of it, without rehashing it, the primarily aspect falls in the category of ineffective scares, dull storytelling, using quite a bit of nudity to enhance the viewing pleasure directed at the teenage market, even then it’s overworked and very random truly serving no purpose. The curious note that the title Reel Evil doesn’t really convey a clear understanding of what the movie is actually about, but recently was re-issued with a new title Specters to encourage the paranormal fans to watch it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388920/

IMDb Rating: 3.6/10

Baron’s Rating: 3.0/10