by Robert Scocchi
| Published
There are countless found footage footage in horror movies like 2011 The tunnel Our streaming apps make it work, but they're not all created equal. The “hit or miss” aspect is what always draws me to found footage films because it's my favorite subgenre when done well. Leaving the source of horror to the viewer's imagination throughout its run, The tunnel It's gritty, gripping, well-shot, poorly lit (by design), and wonderfully acted, making it one of the best low-budget found footage films of the last 20 years.
He leans towards his own simplicity
My neighbor free on Tubi, The tunnel Similar beats follow to Blair Witch projectBut in an urban environment.
It takes place in Sydney, Australia, The tunnel The story is told in hindsight through interviews with an investigative journalist named Natasha Warner (Bill D'Elia) and camera operator Stephen Miller (Steve Davis). Aside from playing a very real emergency call from Natasha in the film's intro, we have no idea what's going on underground, but we'll find out soon enough.
After learning of an abandoned water recycling project led by the New South Wales government, Natasha becomes skeptical when officials suddenly stop pursuing the project despite their initial enthusiasm. Through Natasha's research, she learns that there are homeless camps in the tunnels, and that many of the underground residents have inexplicably disappeared over the previous months. Whenever Natasha asked, officials denied that any displaced citizens were living underground, leading her to believe something sinister was going on.
Cave plot
What was initially proposed as a means of recycling standing water found trapped under Sydney's extensive train network as a conservation effort, becomes what Natasha assumes is a massive government cover-up of the problem. The tunnel (They flock to Toby). Natasha assembles a small team consisting of her producer Peter (Andy Rodoreda), her cameraman Stephen, and a sound engineer known as Tangles (Luke Arnold), who are reluctant to join her because they have been pulled from other projects to help with the project. investigation.
Not having proper permission to enter the hidden tunnel network, Natasha and her crew sneak out undetected. They soon regret going underground, as their fate becomes uncertain, as they have no effective way to reach help because no one knows where they are.
The camera work is a cut above
since The tunnel Framed like a documentary, the confessional scenes have a similar rhythm to the true crime specials you find streaming Netflix. You know better than to get emotionally involved with certain characters because they're not there to tell their side of the story for reasons that will become clear once the footage is shown.
This defines the framework The tunnel Apart from others Found footage The films are found via live streaming because Natasha and her partners are experienced journalists who know how to operate audio and video equipment.
As Natasha and her companions run for their lives from an unknown entity, the camera work is relatively steady (all things considered), keeping you rooted in the storytelling because you're not trying to fight motion sickness despite the fact that you're sitting on your couch.
Fantasy action with real fear
Experienced crew The tunnel It also creates a tense dynamic because Natasha–looks like Heather Donahue who The Blair Witch Project -He's the only one who wants to be there. Furthermore, Peter, Steven, and Tangles have a tendency to joke around, especially since they don't take Natasha's investigation seriously at all despite their technical expertise. When Tangles tries to fix his microphone levels after he claims to have heard screaming during playback, Natasha doesn't believe him at first, which turns out to be a huge mistake.
But still, thanks to Tingle's invaluable skills, we experience moments of silence punctuated by pipes slowly falling into the distance, hearing unknown footsteps offscreen, and the feeling of not being alone in the tunnel with Natasha's crew as they stream this movie and wonder when their flashlight batteries will die, making Leaves you in the dark.
The tunnel It is currently streaming for free It's Toby.
