Absence

First of all before I begin this review, I would like to say I watched this movie expecting an average found footage movie and weren't expecting an amazing blockbuster movie so if you're a fan of the found footage sub genre then check it out, if not then stay far away.

With the recent wave of alien movies hitting our shelves/big screens (such as Unaware, Dark Skies, Tape #4 in V/H/S/2, etc.) I was excited to see what directors could offer us next. Here we have Absence, a brand new immediately underrated creepy and suspenseful found footage sci-fi horror movie, before I say anymore, here's a quick rundown on the movie's plot:

The movie begins with Evan, a camera obsessed student filming his sister, Liz and her husband, Rick in hospital where they have just been told that the previously pregnant Liz is no longer pregnant which soon becomes a missing child case which leads to Liz and Rick being the talk of the town and being hassled by the media, etc. so to get a break from it all they decide to go to Rick's family cabin in the woods for a while and it's from this point on where things start to get really weird...

After the hospital scene at the start of the film it does become very slow moving which in my opinion is a good thing because whilst the film is at a slow pace it gives you time to get to know the characters better so when the bad stuff does happen to them you'll care more about whether they live/die. It also adds a great sense of realism to the film when you see them cooking, playing pranks on each other, etc.

When the scares do eventually show up it's worth the wait as this film has some very creepy moments, one in particular with a visitor at the back door at night time, which is a very quick but effective scare. I don't want to spoil anything but as with most found footage endings the ending is also very effective and the least I say about it the better.

Overall I've gave this movie a solid 9 out of 10 because I thought it was a great found footage scare-fest that fans of movies such as Paranormal Activity, Unaware, The Fourth Kind and Dark Skies will enjoy, however, as I mentioned at the start of the review, if you hate found footage films and are expecting a blockbuster movie with amazing special effects and amazing actors then stay clear, this isn't for you.

I read the reviews and waited for the film to pick up but all it did was p**s me off. The slow pace did allow you to connect to the characters but as I waited for the tension to build the film ended. don't waste your time with this rubbish movie, you'll have more fun staring at the wall. I recently watch the conjuring and truly enjoyed that. I saw this recommended and hoped for similar thrills but feel I wasted over an hour of my life. I hate to write negative reviews but I hope to save you the same fate as me and would suggest to avoid at all cost. There were a couple of points when I thought it might pick up so I hung in there until the end and even after the credits just in case, but nope.... it was p**s poor to the end

Everyone is saying this movie is so good. I watched it because of the reviews. This was one of the worst movies I habe ever seen. It was not scary and the ending was stupid. I can't believe I wasted my time.

Doctors are baffled when an expectant mother wakes to find her nearly-to-term pregnancy apparently disappear overnight. Police investigate the situation as a missing child, and only her husband and brother trust her version of events.

The movie starts out with some of the most wild shaky cam ever put on film, and then turns into an amateur documentary complete with the wonderful "found footage" style of camera-work. Each time this technique is used it gets more and more irritating, and by 2013 the creators of these films should know better than to use it unless they have a darn good reason.

Perhaps this film is called "Absence" because it has an almost complete absence of horror elements. Most of the movie is just footage of flirting, drinking, hanging out. Maybe ten minutes really involves anything scary or supernatural. One could argue this effectively builds the characters, but it does this at the expense of any narrative a viewer would give a hoot about.

I hated Blair Witch. I totally hate found footage movies. It' s the absolute bottom of the barrel for movie plots. Just plain lazy.

If anybody EVER sat there, filming everything when catastrophic events were happening, I'd take their camera away from them, put it in a pillow case and beat them to death with it.

Such an unreal plot, inane, weak, and lame.

Here's EVERY found footage movie...(Screaming)...(Shaking camera)...running...grunts....(more shaking camera).

Stop it already.

Don't be lazy. Put some effort into the movie for Pete's sake.

Here's an idea. If you can't think of a good story, can't find people who can act, and have only $5 for a budget DON'T MAKE A MOVIE.