Afflicted

I've had it up to here with found-footage horror films, but directors Derek Lee and Clif Prowse onto something here with this double-edged nailbiter that energizes the found-footage genre, and another horror genre I won't give away in this review. Lee and Prowse playing versions of themselves, are all psyched to be taking a worldwide trip together, documenting it on film. Derek has been diagnosed with some sort of brain problem, but the duo soldier on anyway, determined to get Derek hooked up with a new woman in a strange European club. He strikes gold, it seems, and brings a pretty woman home for a night of troublemaking. Clif busts into Derek's room to discover him beaten and bloody, with no woman in sight. The two shrug the incident off, but Derek develops some strange, viral symptoms in the coming days that not only threaten the sanctity of their trip, but Derek's life. There are some genuinely freaky moments in this film, and some solid special effects. It's a true sign that the found-footage horror genre has run its course that this film didn't get a large theatrical release, instead settling for a VOD and iTunes campaign. In many ways, this film stands as the best horror film in the found footage genre. It's not perfect, feeling a bit like a retread of Chronicle and Quarantine at times. But Lee and Prowse have a certain spark to their filmmaking style that keeps their movie consistently intense and creepy. The film leaves itself open for a sequel, and I wouldn't mind seeing some further scary adventures by these two. (Available for rent on VOD, iTunes and Amazon.com.)