Admirable film.
... View MoreIt's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
... View MoreIt's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
... View MoreAt first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
... View MoreI think that this series has a great amount of suspense and is very intriguing to watch. But there's way too much walking in a forest for me. Of course there's usually interesting events occurring during this time, but it's still a lot. It gets boring after a while. The first few episodes aren't too entertaining either. Its best to watch it sped up. For not having a huge amount of money to produce this, it's very well put together. The editing is pretty good and if you can get into it, I'm sure you will be very entertained.
... View MoreA long-running web-series, "Marble Hornets" is something of an odd beast. On one hand, it's concept is great, and it's generally a well-executed example of the "found footage" sub-genre of horror.On the other hand, I do find there to be many problems with the execution, holding it back from reaching the perfection it is capable of reaching.But still, for fans of horror, this is definitely a must-see.The series seems to predominately follow Jay, as he tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his friend Alex that caused him to seemingly lose his mind and withdraw from society. Told from a "found footage" perspective, the early episodes alternate between footage shot by Alex some time earlier that Jay is reviewing (during production of a student-film he was working on) and newer footage shot by Jay as he investigates the matter. Little does Jay know that the mystery of what happened may be linked to a twisted, possibly-supernatural figure known as "The Operator." (Based heavily on the "Slender Man" mythos from the internet.)I'm quite torn by what to give the series for a score. As I said above, it's a series of strengths and weaknesses. And I fear that my decided on score of 7 may be misleadingly low, despite being a decent score. Because I do genuinely love the series. (Well, at least what I've seen so far.) And in terms of entertainment value, it's great for a free series.I think the biggest strength of the series is atmosphere, and wonderful use of the "found footage" style. If you're in the correct mindset, this series will definitely creep you to the bone. While the quality might not be great, it comes across as generally "true to life", and there's a wonderful sense of pacing, build-up and payoff as the episodes continue. Technical aspects like composition are also well-handled. And I find the storyline incredibly intriguing, and definitely one that makes me want to continue watching.That being said, I have some big issues. First, (and I hate to say this), the acting can be pretty bad at times. At least early on. It does rob some of the suspension-of-disbelief that is required for a "found footage" series. I also find the episodes to meander a bit too much. I feel like there is a lot of room and time that could be condensed and make for a more compelling experience. It can almost get boring here and there. Which makes it harder to want to sit through the episodes.Thankfully, despite those weaknesses, I feel that the strengths make the series one that fans of horror (and especially "Slender Man" fans) certainly must at least try out. I think it's great fun. It has a good story. And it has some absolutely, positively spine-tingling scares.I give it a pretty-good 7 out of 10. Frightening and fun, but not without its flaws.
... View MoreOnly yesterday did I find the you-tube show "Marble Hornets". It was recommended to me by a friend because I love psychological horror and mystery. These two words perfectly describe this show.The show follows Jay, a young man who's best friend encountered a tall, blank faced creature in a business suit by the name of the Operator (or Slender Man) while filming his student film "Marble Hornets". Jay goes through the tapes in an attempt to figure out more about the creature, and is eventually forced to run from the seemingly unstoppable force as he begins to unravel the mystery.Continuity is highly important and very well done in this series. Tiny things in the first few episodes come into play in later episodes. If you are like me and LOVE connecting the dots and consuming every detail, this show rewards your hard work.The acting is a little spotty in season one (Entries 1-26), but does not detract from the story or experience. As season two hits the midpoint, the acting improves, and the story begins to unfold.The shaky hand-held camera quality is really effective in adding to the disturbing atmosphere. The creators do an incredible job of building tension and giving you a sense of dread. I found myself searching every pixel on the screen for a glimpse of Slender Man.One more small thing that I appreciated was the fact that there was close to no profanity, no sexual content, and very little actual gore. By throwing those factors out, the creators took on the challenge of making their series strong with good writing and editing, which really pays off.Overall, this show scared me more than any modern day horror film has, and is highly reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's "Memento". If you want to be scared out of your wits, enjoy playing Sherlock Holmes and solving mysteries, or both, this is a must watch.9/10
... View MoreThere are a ton of low-budget Slender Man films out there (everymanHYBRID, TribeTwelve, and Windigo to name a few) but this one is definitely the most fleshed-out, most interesting, and absolutely the scariest of them all. Marble Hornets handles the character of Slender Man very well, expertly exploiting his 'mysterious figure in the background' status. You will look for him throughout an entire entry, only to find him and realize he was there the entire time. And when you do find him, it is pee-in-your-pants frightening. As another reviewer has stated, this movie is not an "I just jumped out of my seat" movie; it is an "I am frozen in terror" movie. The run time is an impressive figure at over 3 1/2 hours, but, honestly, I didn't notice. I was so absorbed into this movie that those 3 1/2 hours just went by unnoticed. It is very hard to get that effect in a movie of this length. By the way, the movie isn't even finished yet! Part 3 is only half done! I cannot wait for the ending, but I also don't want it to end. Troy, Joseph, congrats on a job well done. But you're not done yet.
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