The Lost Coast Tapes (2012)
Directed by: Corey Grant
Written by: Brian Kelsey, Bryan O'Cain
Starring: Ashley Wood, Drew Rausch, Rich McDonald
The Lost Coast Tapes (2012)
(15) Running time: 94 minutes
Director: Corey Grant
Writers: Bryan O’Cain, Brian Kelsey
Starring: Drew Rausch, Rich McDonald, Ashley Wood
Reviewed by: Matt Wavish, official HCF critic
The found footage genre continues to offer up surprises and new ideas, and to be perfectly honest I am a little baffled as to why the legend of the Sasquatch has not been used before. However, not to complain as we not only have The Lost Coast Tapes, but also one half of The Blair Witch Project, Eduardo Sanchez, is also planning a Bigfoot themed found footage horror called Exists. However, with the legend surely likely to benefit from the shaky handheld genre, director Corey Grant (Dysfunctional Friends) got there first. So, does Bigfoot really benefit from the found footage style of filmmaking? The simple answer is yes, and Grant presents us here with a new spin on the formula which neatly blends influences from films like The Blair Witch Project to last year’s Troll Hunter.
As with the majority of found footage horrors, the set up here is fairly straightforward: here four people head off into the wilderness of Northern California’s ‘Lost Coast’ in order to prove a possible sighting of the legendary Bigfoot to be a hoax. In a last ditch attempt to save his career, Sean Reynolds (Rausch) has bagged himself $75,000 to pay for his expedition to track down Carl Drybeck (Frank Ashmore), a man who has claimed to have seen and caught an infant Sasquatch. Reynolds enlists sound man Kevin (Noah Weisberg), cameraman Darryl (McDonald) and spiritualist and over-seer of the project Robyn (Ashley Wood). The group head off into the woods to meet with Drybeck, and once they meet him things begin to get a little strange as the man (reminiscent of Troll Hunter’s Hans) takes them to his home, blindfolded. It is clear from the beginning though that this remote area is happy to reap the rewards of the Bigfoot sighting, evident by the Sasquatch themed foods for sale in the local shop. Drybeck, however, takes things one step further…
His home, in the middle of the woods, is surrounded by ‘protective’ electric fences, and the interesting but paranoid man quickly orders the crew what they should and shouldn’t do. The main order is to not go out at night, and do as he says. You do begin to wonder if this guy really is a complete madman, and the crew, especially Sean, are more than happy to prove this man to be a fraud. In fact, there is even excitement in Sean’s eyes whenever he feels he can catch out the welcoming old man and prove his stories to be false. However, this insistent desperation to prove this old man wrong just might prove annoying for some. Yes we all know that there is a possibility that he is not, generally speaking, right in the head, but at least offer a little courtesy to the man who has happily welcomed you into his home. However, Drybeck has made a nice little earner from this, so you will find yourself taking all different sides as the film progresses, and here lies some of The Lost Coast Tapes’ brilliance: you really never quite know what to believe, and the director keeps you guessing right to the very end.
The film benefits from a really likeable and believable cast who you will easily warm to, and they are a joy to watch on screen. Each person has their own unique characteristics: Sean’s insistence to prove Drybeck wrong, Kevin’s panic attacks, Darryl’s serious and grounded sense of realism, and Robyn’s strange meditation techniques but all round sex appeal. Then there is Drybeck himself: a dominant, powerful character who is totally trustworthy and the man to turn to in the face of danger, and completely unorthodox the next. The great cast, giving exceptional performances really drive this bare bones, raw and at times uncompromising film, and thanks to the cast things do get rather intense.
The film takes a Blair Witch Project approach where the less is more formula is used to powerful and convincing effect. The Sasquatch sound effects are terrific, creepy and very believable, and the lack of any real action means just the smallest incident is enough to have you moving to the edge of your seat. There is no music, so you also get to hear and experience the story as if it were real, and when you see claws marks on doors or even bigfoot prints in the mud, you oddly will actually begin to believe it. The director also cleverly adds in plenty of human elements to the film in order for the proceedings not to feel too staged. Comedy is the choice of realism as certain events lead to moments of cleverly written, subtle comedy: like the car getting stuck in the mud and the sudden jump from one scene to the next, or the narration of Sean as they film Robyn meditating and causing an attraction of mosquito’s, to the filming of their new home in the woods, “and here is where I get hacked up” announces Kevin in hilarious fashion.
It is clear that Grant has not forgotten what makes found footage horror work so well: keep it real. The Lost Coast Tapes does, and it is a worthy addition to the genre, with some terrific moments of terror (the first night, the mist, the panic) to the strong, believable characters, this film really delivers. However, those looking for something truly terrifying may want to look elsewhere. The film does have its moments, but this is more creature feature in the vein of Troll Hunter than all out disturbing horror, and while much of the developments here are simply interesting there is not a lot to be scared of. The final moments does attempt to take things that little bit further, but sadly I felt it was a little too much too late. The film works well for the most part, with the tension building and building and you do get to a point where you feel the payoff should reward your patience, but sadly it doesn’t quite achieve what you will have hoped. I won’t spoil things but there is an idea thrown in about Bigfoot that is totally unconvincing and, to be honest, stupid!
However, for the most part, The Lost Coast Tapes is actually a lot of fun, exciting and engaging. It does have a couple of moments of genuine terror, and the cast all deliver their characters with a great sense of realism. The Lost Coast Tapes knows exactly what it is doing, and while the message come the end might be mixed, you cannot deny that the director has talent, and has a clear understanding of this great genre. It is not the best found footage film I have ever seen, but it is certainly one of the most effective. The Lost Coast Tapes uses the found footage style of filmmaking to deliver a fun, frantic and at times brilliant study of one of life’s little mysteries, The Sasquatch.
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