Happy Camp | |
---|---|
Directed by | Josh Anthony |
Written by | Josh Anthony Michael Barbuto Anne Taylor |
Produced by | Drew Barrymore Nancy Juvonen Chris Miller Ember Truesdell |
Starring | Josh Anthony Michael Barbuto Ben Blenkle |
Cinematography | Matthew H. Sanders |
Edited by | Sam Bauer Omar Lagda |
Production companies | Flower Films Hogtown Productions |
Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Happy Camp is a 2014 American found footage horror film written and directed by Josh Anthony in his directorial debut. [1] It was released on video on demand on March 25, 2014, through Gravitas Ventures and was produced through Drew Barrymore's production company Flower Films. The movie stars Michael Barbuto as a man trying to discover the truth behind his brother's disappearance years ago. [2]
This article needs an improved plot summary.(June 2018) |
In the 1980s Mike (Michael Barbuto) was adopted by Walt and Sandy and was taken to live with them in Happy Camp, a small logging town, with their son Dean. Mike got along instantly with his new brother and was overjoyed that he would finally have a family. This happiness was cut short on October 22, 1989, when Dean is abducted by persons unknown. Mike, the only witness to the crime, can't remember anything about his brother's disappearance, the latest in a string of over 600 disappearances over the last 27 years. Twenty years later Mike's girlfriend Anne (Anne Taylor) has persuaded him to revisit Happy Camp to try to recover his memory of what happened that day. She also persuades him to allow a film crew to videotape the entire process. However rather than have an experience that will help him reconcile with his past, Mike finds that he, Anne, and the film crew are in serious danger.
Critical reception for Happy Camp has been largely negative, and Twitch Film stated that the movie "provides a nice warning to future indie filmmakers looking to mine the nearly bankrupt found footage genre." [3] Several reviewers criticized the movie's found footage angle, as they felt that it did not add anything to the film. [4] [5] Bloody Disgusting commented that the film took the concept of found footage too seriously, as they felt that "there’s no reason to try to pass it as authentic – especially if it bogs down whatever thin narrative there is." [6] The final portion of Happy Camp was also heavily criticized, and reviewers from Dread Central and Film School Rejects felt that although the movie's premise showed promise, the film did not ultimately deliver. [7] [8] Ain't It Cool News gave a mixed review, commenting that although there were better films in the found footage genre there were also many that were worse and that Happy Camp was overall an "entertaining although typical found footage film." [9]
Bloody Murder 2: Closing Camp is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Rob Spera, and written by John R. Stevenson. A sequel to the 2000 film Bloody Murder, it was released direct-to-video, and stars Katy Woodruff, Kelly Gunning, and Amanda Magarian. The film follows a group of camp counselors who are terrorized by a masked murderer while working at Camp Placid Pines, a summer camp that is said to haunted by a murderous bogeyman-like figure named Trevor Moorehouse.
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. One of the most successful independent films of all time, it is a "found footage" mockumentary in which three students hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland to shoot a documentary about a local myth known as the Blair Witch.
Toad Road is a 2012 American independent horror thriller film directed and written by Jason Banker. Toad Road stars Sara Anne Jones, who died of a drug overdose shortly after the film's premiere, as a young college student that is introduced to drugs and becomes obsessed with an urban legend about a road leading to Hell. The film premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival and had a limited release in October 2013.
Long Pigs is a 2007 comedy-horror mockumentary film about two documentary filmmakers who follow a serial killer who has a taste for cooking with human flesh. The story is conveyed via found footage. Acting and special effects were provided by Chris Bridges, whose other credits include Saw III, 300, and the remake of Dawn of the Dead.
Inbred is a 2011 British horror comedy splatter film directed by Alex Chandon and co-written with Paul Shrimpton and produced by Margaret Milner Schmueck.
The Dead is a 2010 British zombie film produced by Indelible Productions and Latitude Films. It was written and directed by the Ford brothers and stars Rob Freeman, Prince David Osei, and David Dontoh.
The Frankenstein Theory is a 2013 American horror film directed by Andrew Weiner and stars Kris Lemche, Joe Egender, Timothy V. Murphy, and Eric Zuckerman. The film is distributed by Image Entertainment. It is presented as "found footage", pieced together from a film crew's footage. The film relates the story of a documentary film crew that follows a professor who journeys to the Arctic Circle in order to prove that Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, was based on fact.
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website four times and was selected as AMC's Site of the Week in 2008.
Resolution is a 2012 American horror film directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, written by Benson, and starring Peter Cilella and Vinny Curran. It follows a graphic designer who travels to a remote cabin to save his drug-addicted best friend. The films The Endless (2017) and Synchronic (2019) share the same creative universe as Resolution and may be interpreted as partial sequels.
Do Not Disturb is an American horror thriller film written and directed by BC Furtney. The film was originally released on March 23, 2010 as New Terminal Hotel but was edited for an August 6, 2013 DVD release through Image Entertainment as Do Not Disturb. The movie stars Stephen Geoffreys as a man out to get revenge for the death of his girlfriend. The film is also known for being one of the last film performances of actor Corey Haim before his death in 2010.
Blood Junkie is a 2010 American independent comedy slasher film written and directed by Drew Rosas and starring Nick Sommer, Mike Johnson, Emily Treolo, and Sarah Luther. The story follows a group of teenagers who go out into the woods to party, but end up getting killed one by one.
Almost Human is a 2013 science fiction horror film directed by Joe Begos. His feature film directorial debut, it premiered on September 10, 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival and stars Graham Skipper as a man whose best friend may or may not be committing a series of horrific murders.
Twisted Tales is a 2013 webseries that was written and directed by American director Tom Holland. The series was released in late 2013 through Fearnet's website and was released onto DVD on March 18, 2014, through Image Entertainment.
The Demon's Rook is a 2013 independent fantasy-horror film and the directorial debut of James Sizemore. The film had its world premiere on July 27, 2013 at the Fantasia Film Festival and stars Sizemore as Roscoe, a young man that must find a way to stop demons from overtaking the world. Funding for The Demon's Rook was partially received through crowdsourcing websites Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
The Possession of Michael King is a 2014 American found footage horror film written and directed by David Jung, in his directorial debut, from a story by himself and Tedi Sarafian. The film had its world premiere on August 14, 2014 in Singapore and had a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 22 of the same year. It was released on to video on demand on August 26, 2014. It stars Shane Johnson as a widowed, atheist filmmaker who finds himself the target of demonic forces.
The Taking of Deborah Logan is a 2014 American found footage supernatural horror film, which serves as the feature film directorial debut of Adam Robitel, who co-wrote the screenplay and edited the film with Gavin Heffernan. The film stars Jill Larson, Anne Ramsay and Michelle Ang. Set in Virginia, it tells the story of a documentary crew making a film about Alzheimer's patients who uncover something sinister while documenting a woman who has the disease. The film was produced by Jeff Rice and Bryan Singer and was released on October 21, 2014.
Hellmouth is a 2014 Canadian horror film that was directed by John Geddes, based on a script written by Tony Burgess. The film had its world premiere on 17 October 2014 at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and stars Stephen McHattie as a grave-keeper that finds himself traveling to hell to save the soul of a beautiful woman. Funding for Hellmouth was partially raised through an Indiegogo campaign.
Dementamania, also stylised as DementaMania, is a 2013 British horror film that was directed by Kit Ryan. The film had its world premiere on 23 August 2013 at the London FrightFest Film Festival and stars Sam Robertson as a software analyst that finds himself possibly going mad after receiving an insect bite.
Gravitas Ventures is a film distribution company owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles, California in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio in 2019. It focuses on the distribution of Independent feature films and documentaries.
Blue Hour: The Disappearance of Nick Brandreth is a 2023 American found footage horror drama film written and directed by Dan Bowhers. The film stars Morgan DeTogne, Michael Kowalski, Mike Headford, Nick Brandreth and Josh Olkowski.