REVIEW: ‘Man Finds Tape’ Goes Further Than Most Found-Footage Horrors

The found-footage sub-genre of horror is well-worn to the point of seeming old hat. While it’s fun to see new plays on the format, outside of the annual V/H/S franchise, few have done much with it; Man Finds Tape belongs to the lucky few. Produced by independent superstars Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who have put their names on some truly underrated gems, and Black Phone 2 writer C. Robert Cargill, Man Finds Tape stands apart from the increasingly stuffy trappings of its format by telling an inspired, expansive story that feels unbound from its modest formal trappings.

One night, Larkin, TX resident Lucas Page (William Magnuson) finds a mysterious tape that shows a shadowy figure peering over him as a child, putting or removing an unidentifiable object into his mouth. Lucas uses this discovery to start his own successful YouTube channel entitled “Man Finds Tape”, using this as a springboard for his own success. When his series, of which many accuse Lucas of faking, begins to point towards local Reverend Endicott Carr (John Gholson) as someone tied to the strange happenings Lucas discovers, Carr, in no uncertain words, tells Lucas to back off. 

Lucas’ sister Lynn (Kelsey Pribliski) is happy to be out of Larkin and away from her brother’s antics. However, when Lucas discovers a strange phenomenon related to Carr’s church and various other events around town where a frequency is putting those who hear it, even those listening through video, into a catatonic state, Lynn joins her brother in trying to uncover just what the hell is going on in Larkin.

The first half of Man Finds Tape glides smoothly as the mystery slowly but surely thickens.

By and large, found-footage horror has lost the ability to convince audiences that what they’re watching is real. Part of that is simple awareness of how the genre works, and writer-directors Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall seem keenly aware of this. Therefore, instead of opting for verisimilitude, they go for specificity. Larkin, TX, despite not being an actual location, will feel familiar to any Texan who’s spent time in small towns. The close-knit, judgmental rural environment is captured with precision by cinematographer David Coone‘s perceptive eye and Gandersman and Hall’s whip-smart screenplay. 

Lucas and Lynn are great protagonists to hang a movie on. Played to perfection by their actors, the siblings share a lot of trauma, with an undercurrent of distrust and animosity on Lynn’s end. The first half of Man Finds Tape glides smoothly, examining the church’s potential involvement in the unexplainable happenings as the mystery slowly but surely thickens. At this point, the film is an easy soft recommendation, hitting the marks of a found footage film in a commendable, though familiar, manner. 

The arrival of The Stranger (Brian Villalobos) changes everything. An enigmatic figure who feels like he wandered in from another movie altogether, and that’s absolutely a compliment, The Stranger explodes the ambition of Man Finds Tape in every direction. This humble found footage flick starts to lay its cards on the table one by one as a dark mythology is woven. Body horror, forces beyond our comprehension, and a battle for control take center stage, and Man Finds Tape is all the better for it. 

At every moment in Man Finds Tape’s propulsive back half, I could feel the passion radiating off of it.

Blockbuster-level ideas that even the most ambitious horror movies would not dare tackle take center stage. Although Man Finds Tape doesn’t always have the budget to make its out-there concepts as tangible as they would be, it’s the attempt that’s infectious. At every moment in Man Finds Tape‘s propulsive back half, I could feel the passion radiating off of it. These are clearly ideas Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall have endless excitement for, so when they take us along for the rollercoaster ride, there’s no choice but to throw your hands up and enjoy the ride.

Man Finds Tape exceeds the boundaries it’s been given. A gem of expansive imagination, the feature debut of Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall indicates that they have a fruitful future in lo-fi indie horrors that’ll take the unsuspecting viewer by surprise. 

Man Finds Tape is available in select theaters and to rent on VOD on December 5.