Director(s) – Thomas Burke (Lost Luggage, Return to Love Lake) and David Eimer (Indulgence of a Coward)
Starring – Thomas Burke, Hailey Marmolejo (Ice Breaker, Interrogation), and Bonnie Sturdivant (Mud, The Gold Rut)
Release Date – 2020
Rating – 3/5
Most of you know how social media has brought so many indie horror flicks to my attention. Browsing the hastag indiehorror has resulted in some seriously entertaining finds that I would not have found any other way. A few weeks back I was doing my typical scan through the hashtags when I found a short found footage film called Camping Fun.
I’m not much on found footage flicks but I was curious about this one. I reached out to them to buy a physical copy of the film when I was told that the film is only available for streaming. They sent me the link to check out and I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed this short found footage flick.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows four youths who are visiting an abandoned Texas farmhouse that is owned by the family of one of them. This fun little camping trip into the Texas wilderness soon turns deadly when something deadly has followed them onto the property. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one with an open mind and really enjoyed this one. Most of the found footage films that I’ve seen were paranormal which just didn’t work for me. However, seeing this one take a different approach made it a little more enjoyable especially when that approach is one that I tend to enjoy. There is not enough modern horror films dealing with cults and we really need that to change.
The acting in this one is far from perfect. The cast really dedicates themselves to their roles but their dialogue delivery and interactions with one another is a bit awkward. I’ve seen so many no-budget back yard productions and the dialogue in this one is some of the most awkward I’ve seen. I know found footage flicks try to create small talk to make them feel genuine but this one was a tough one to sit through at times. With that being said, once the horror aspect picks up the acting does become more grounded and enjoyable.
The story for this one works for a short and is actually pretty entertaining for a found footage flick. I’m so sick of the jump scares from paranormal found footage flicks so it was nice to see one actually have a story that delivers the scares instead of a lamp flying at the camera out the corner of the frame. I loved the set up and location of this one which does work for the southern religious cult aspect as well. I live and grew up in the bible belt so I know first hand how extreme some of these fanatics can be. I really liked that spin on the story. The movie is a short but it starts out fairly slow before picking up around the 6 minute mark.
Finally, the deaths in this one are nothing that memorable. Hardcore gore hounds will be disappointed by the lack of red stuff but the deaths do fit the style of the film. Overall, Camping Fun is a solid entry in a sub-genre that I tend to hate. Found footage films tend to be boring and repetitive but Camping Fun was a lot of fun and the story was something different. I highly recommend giving this one a spin.
