There are a ton of low budget films that are released looking to be the next big thing. To be honest a good portion of them never hit that pinnacle mark of success, but there are the rare few that break through and achieve cult classic status. This is where The Fear Footage Trilogy steps into the spotlight. Do not let the low/no budget of this film shove you away from watching this. The found footage is presented in its purest form, as it should be.
Writer and Director, Ricky Umberger, has achieved genius level with these films. There was basically zero marketing leading up to the first film. It just showed up on the scene and no one knew where it came from or how it got there. If this is not one of the greatest marketing accomplishments then I don't know what is. The sub genre of Found Footage is meant to be "real" footage found after the fact and looked at. This type of video is not meant to be marketed but discovered. Ricky Umberger has embraced this genre to the fullest extent and introduced it to the world as it was intended to be. Below you will find a review of each installment individually and then a general review of the trilogy.
The Fear Footage
The Fear Footage takes place on April 19, 2016. Deputy Leo Cole of the Darkbluff, Maryland Sheriff's department is sent to investigate a series of unusual calls at what turns out to be a creepy and mysterious address. After his disappearance his body cam footage was found the next day. For this particular film you are seeing the terror that Deputy Cole had witnessed on that night through the lens of his body camera. Multiple residents in the area reported that a house that was demolished a year ago has somehow reappeared in its complete and undamaged form. Deputy Cole arrives at the previously removed residence at 11628 Hangmanor Road. This is just the beginning of what turns out to be the worst night of his life. Deputy Cole, who we only see in a first-person, video game type view, discovers a VCR in the house. The tape inside is labeled The Fear Footage. As curiosity gets the better of him he pushes the play button. What is then viewed is three short stories presented in an anthology format.
The first story we come across is “Birthday Party”. A young boy is given a camera for his birthday. He then begins to document his day leading up to the actual party. While this seems like harmless fun it is everything but that. There is a point in the story where he happens to hear a news broadcast warning people of a rise in scary clowns appearing throughout the county. This begins to concern him a little. As you would guess we get a glimpse or several of them of these nasty, evil clowns. Unfortunately, the boy's mother is unable to survive the events of the evening and we are able to see some old school killer clown carnage.
Story number two is called “Storm Chasers”. As the name implies we take a ride alongside a group of guys out chasing dangerous storms. One car accident later there is an apparent death of one of the friends. You hear shots ring out and then some creepy figures dressed in dark cloaks appear. While this doesn't have the hard core killing as the first story it definitely gives you that cult type story with a great ending which I will leave out for you to see for yourself.
“Speak No Evil” is the final story in the series. A former drug-addict on the mend begins hearing some creepy and odd sounds coming from the woods behind his home during the late night hours. Thinking that he has got back on to some type of drugs his wife leaves him and takes his daughter as well. Believing that something is truly going on he begins to document the noises he hears. He takes to the internet to put his story out there and what he has documented. He eventually gets in contact with someone who gets him up to speed on the history of the area. We find out that years prior a dozen children were slaughtered in a church, which happens to be located in the very same woods not too far from his house. He believes he hears his daughter calling him from deep in the woods. He is forced, as any father would be, to try and find her. He ends up finding so much more that he bargained for on this one.
The wraparound style story brings us back to a terrorized Deputy Cole to witness a full blown, anxiety driven, horrific ending. As a whole this is an amazing movie that puts the stamp of approval on twisted and terrifying. The bodycam point of view really puts you in the mix with Deputy Cole. You start to feel uneasy and trapped in a house of horror just like he was. Buckle up and go along for the ride.
The Fear Footage 2: The Curse of the Tape
The second installment of Fear Footage takes an odd turn from the first film. It isn't often that you go from an anthology style film to a straightforward found footage gem, but Writer and Director, Ricky Umbergerbut has done it once again.
On April 19th, 2019, Deputy Leo Cole’s body camera footage from the night he disappeared was leaked. On that footage he watched a mysterious VHS tape labeled “The Fear Footage.” On September 22nd, 2019, a camera was found in Darkbluff, Maryland with footage of two missing men who were searching for that same VHS tape. This is their footage.
One of the characters from the first film (third segment), Daniel Blanch, sees a creepy film that his friend purchased from a website which also happens to be the infamous cursed tape. Right from the beginning you know this has "all bad" all over it. It’s him on the tape. He has no knowledge or recollection of any of this or how he ended up on this tape. With little to no idea what is happening he decides to try and find others that are also seen on the tape to try and fill in some blanks. Out of the people he had seen on the film he was able to track down only a single person. James Darven who also happens to be one of the men from the second segment (Storm Chaser) in the first film. James basically thinks that Daniel and all of the things he is saying are insane, but tape does not lie. After a very tense and odd conversation they head to Dark Bluff, Maryland to investigate and try to make sense of any of this. What they end up finding is an impossible situation and town people who offer no help or information.
What they ultimately discovered is enough to drive a man into insanity. Besides the psychological damage they also end up with more questions than answers. This is basically a two character film that has plenty of twists, turns, and scares on their journey. Enough to satisfy any audience.
The Fear Footage: 3AM
The conclusion of the trilogy began in 2018 with The Fear Footage. 2020 it continued with The Fear Footage 2: Curse of the Tape. Ricky Umberger has placed large shoes on the ground that he must fill to close out the trilogy.
After seeing the footage from the first two films, Dennis "The Explorer" is a YouTube creator trying to bust through the 4000 subscriber ceiling. He normally explores abandoned buildings and areas, but has a new idea on this day. He sets his sights on Darkbluff to see if there is any truth behind the legend. After seeing some sights in what appears to be a quiet little town, Dennis quickly realizes that he has stepped into the terror. Darkbluff has homes that are abandoned and the forest begins to trap the terrorized visitor. Foliage seemingly shifts around to create an inescapable maze of doom. Residents from the town’s past and recent visitors try to make attempts to aid Dennis in solving the mystery of Darkbluff once and for all. He sees odd things such as locating a mailbox with freshly delivered mail. What makes it odd is the house itself is trashed with a collapsing interior. Next he sees several vaults for coffins oddly sitting by the side of the road. He then stops at another house and knocks on the door. The door swings open, but there is no one there. The house appears to have been recently occupied with its residents leaving in a hurry. There are already many red flags here, but
Dennis ignores them or does not notice them. Running out of things to explore he takes his adventure to a nearby sawmill. Good video content has to have actual content. What he finds on his way is the road he traveled to get into town. Except now it is a dead end. The levels of restlessness with a sprinkle of panic attack builds up nicely. Although he began his journey and video in the daylight we all know how things get worse when the sun goes down. The fear really builds now. Dennis is now the star of his very own self-inflicted horror film. The ending is really spine tingling. Brave the trilogy and see how this story unfolds to the end.
Final Thoughts On The Fear Footage Trilogy
Ricky Umberger completed his trilogy and put on a masterclass of how to sell found footage as real. The icing on the cake is that he did it with a nearly non existent budget, zero celebrity appearances, and nothing more than a crafty storyline. The beauty here is that each film plays to the next and so on. They tie together effortlessly once you make the connection. While each film can be watched independently, it definitely helps if you have seen them all. Characters and cues from previous films show up. Once you catch them it makes it all the sweater for you. This is a slow burning walk down terror lane. You really connect with the characters. At times you wish you could shoot them a text and warn them. This is a total investment for the viewer. One final note which really sells this trilogy. There is maximum replay value. Each time you watch you notice something different and your brain ties it into the story. If there is a large gap of time between watching you can almost get a totally different perspective on the entire project. These films are must see without any question.