STORYLINE: Twenty-three years after her brother mysteriously disappeared, a documentary filmmaker sets out to solve his missing person’s case. But when a disturbing piece of evidence is revealed, she comes to believe that her brother might still be alive. (IMDb)

   In 1980 Cannibal Holocaust started a trend.  In 1999 The Blair Witch Project made it popular.  In 2009 Paranormal Activity put it on the map, in mainstream cinema. This trend is found footage horror movies. Hunting Matthew Nichols is the most recent release to carry Tgis torch forward.

    Found footage films can easily create creepy moments, by letting the viewers imagination run wild. The films can easily set up things going bump in the night off screen, as we see characters react from a first person point of view. There are moments in The Blair Witch Project that I still jump at because of this technique. 

    Hunting Matthew Nichols sets itself up to be The Blair Witch Project for the social media age. This feature even tries for some of the same scares, as that trend setting found footage feature. The scares in Hunting Matthew Nichols don’t work as well for me because I am familiar with other films using the found footage approach. If this was my introduction to the technique, it would not be a decent introduction. 

   Hunting Matthew Nichols owes alot of its story to The Blair Witch Project, as well. This includes a supernatural element.

    In the end Hunting Matthew Nichols is a lesser version of The Blair Witch Project.  That’s about what o expected when I purchased my ticket. 

   Until next time, I will see you at the movies!