Exists (2014)


REVIEWER RATING: 
7/10


Exists marks the return of director Eduardo Sánchez to the found footage subgenre after co-directing The Blair Witch Project back in '99. Until now the man has moved on to the more traditional style of filmmaking; giving us some decent genre efforts like Altered and uhhh...hmmm. Anyway, despite being found footage Exists is a straight forward creature feature, which is what I liked about it--the film knew exactly what it was and played up to it until the end.

The flick starts off with a group of friends recording their trip to a secluded cabin deep in the woods. It's all fun and games until they hit some kind of beast along the way. Before they could assess exactly what it was, the blasted thing disappears within the trees and thick brush. Unbeknownst to the group, they just royally pissed off Bigfoot and it won't be long before they feel its wrath.

Exists is far from original, but it isn't really trying to be. Like I said above, the movie knows that it's a simple creature feature and it plays out that way. The pacing is pretty steady throughout; not taking long before the beast comes after the group and once it starts and doesn't let up until the credits roll. Everything in between is just one long attempt at surviving through the ordeal.

Luckily the filmmakers opted to only show bits of the creature here and there and never showing it in full form (at least not for too long). I've seen way too many horror flicks in the past with terrible creature designs that completely ruin the movie because they're shown entirely too much. Not only are we not shown much of the beast, but when we do see it, it's all practical (big sigh of relief there).

There are a couple somewhat creepy moments thanks to the use of POV filmmaking style, but in the end I think that it still could've done without being FF entirely. The film also could've benefited from a little more character development and some gore. Regardless, it's definitely a simple-yet-fun movie that doesn't try to be something it's not; ultimately delivering a flawed, but entertaining and straightforward creature feature.

Alongside being found footage, Exists is pretty much a straightforward creature feature that picks up fast and doesn't let up until the end. I like the movie's simplicity and how it doesn't try to overcomplicate things by being something it clearly isn't. If you're in the mood for a simple and fun creature flick then give this a look.
OVERALL: 
Alongside being found footage, Exists is pretty much a straightforward creature feature that picks up fast and doesn't let up until the end. I like the movie's simplicity and how it doesn't try to overcomplicate things by being something it clearly isn't. If you're in the mood for a simple and fun creature flick then give this a look.


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