There's Something in the Pilliga

This Australian offering is half found footage and all turkey. A couple of Outback larrikins pick up a couple of gals no self-respecting young man would take home to meet mother, then weird things happen, like starting with a murder.

One reviewer likened it to "The Blair Witch Project". Be serious! If you're wondering what the Pilliga is, it's technically a national park, although not the kind of national park most people would want to visit, especially with a couple of kids in tow.

That being said, even a horror film has to be set somewhere, but if you can figure this one out, please inform the world. The only reason it doesn't get 1 point is because it is an obviously amateur, ultra-low budget effort.

So many filmmakers have me eating my words lately. I've been vocal about my distaste for the found-footage genre and yet over the last couple of years there have been some wonderful little films that have impressed the heck out of me... THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE PILLIGA is one of them. We follow two guys (Dylan & Jay) as they drive through a remote area in the northern regions of New South Wales. Dylan is a cameraman filming his mate Jay, who is a colorful, bumpkin trucker and they meet two drunk girls who agree to a late night new years eve adventure in the bush. Their escapade finds them venturing into the Pilliga National Park where things take a sinister turn and a local legend comes out to play. Director Dane Millerd has crafted his film with blood, sweat, tears and a hell of a lot of precision. While it presents itself as "found footage" the film actually evolves throughout its course and you become so enamored with the characters, particularly Jay, that you forget about the format. Each of the players deliver convincing and sincere performances and none more mesmeric than Brendan Byrne who plays Jay. This guy terrified me. At first I thought him to be more of a caricature of the Aussie "bloke" but as the film played out I kept having flashbacks to folks I've met in rural Australia over the years... and it's fair to say that this is no caricature. He might not be a villain in this story but his outback Aussie-redneck-tendencies make him one scary mother who could've easily been the love child of Mick Taylor and Chopper Read. The film's style, pacing and payoffs are all strong and Millerd effectively strings the first half of the story along at a meandering pace, allowing us to get comfortable with these characters so that when they are thrown into their hellish night of horror we are right there beside them. He also provides a believable reason for these people to venture out into the bush and avoids all of the contrived and clichéd tropes of the genre. THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE PILLIGA is a strong, formidable and welcome genre-film that toys with exploitation and unearths a folklore that has been screaming to be told. Wherever you watch this fantastic new film, do it right... IE a dark space with maximum volume and total engagement!!

There's Something In The Pilliga (TSITP) is a standout among found footage films. Minimal budget and many non-actors have helped convey a mood and theme that is desolate, dark and downright creepy. Imperfection is undoubtedly a gift in this case whether it be through the cinematography or in fact the acting - it simply works. It's also not hard to follow. Two guys meet two girls at a pub in outback Australia on New Year's Eve and talk them into a drive to see their friend in the woods. They arrive only to find the friend is missing. The fact it is also based on a true story is also downright creepy. Australia is a dangerous place and not very forgiving when you're out in the outback. It is no different this time either. When the four people try to find the missing friend they are stalked by a Bigfoot and one by one taken out. The fact you barely see the creature also works. Less is more in this case. On the whole it's easily in front of other found footage and Bigfoot films for many reasons. Leoni Leaver and Brendan Byrne's acting, the cinematography, the locations, the score has the story. It doesn't rely on the monster too much and uses the outback as a scary character. The outback is arguably to scariest character of them all! Easily a four star film, highly recommend it to any horror or found footage fan who likes suspense and subtle scares. If you didn't like it I'd say you need to watch it again because the more you do the better it gets as you learn more details. (TSITP) is real hidden Aussie gem!

I'm usually not a big fan of the "lost camera" or "found footage" movies so I was a little hesitant with this movie to start with.

From the very start this movie grabs you. The main character "Jay" is a very relatable character. If you have ever been to small country towns in Australia, this is truly how they talk and act. With a very typical big 4WD ute and 3 days growth. The first half of the film does a very good job of building character.

The movie builds well up to the point where things start to get "hairy". The movie has trouble keeping pace and I found there was a bit too much pointing at the ground but I guess if you're scared you're not worried about camera work.

As a whole I really enjoyed the movie and would have no problem recommending it to friends or family. If you grew up around Boggabri, Gunnedah or Coona this is a MUST see!! Big thumbs up to Dane on a great Aussie flick!!

Blair Witch meets Bigfoot (oh i mean Yowie) and much like blair witch, has some jump scares and a wtf moment, mostly generic as you would expect from this type of film, film doesnt close off some story which leaves you wondering about a few people no doubt to try and force a second movie, which would probably be just as bad.

If you want a cringy horror/comedy type movie then probably look on redtube, gotta be better than this.