The Mitchin Murders

I thought this film was clever, intriguing and entertaining. It's definitely lo fi and they probably over did it with the 90s camera but I was engaged until the end and all the actors were great which you can't usually say for low budget horrors.

It's definitely more of a mystery than a slasher - horror film so don't go into it thinking you are going to get loads of deaths and killings, but the twists and turns are very clever and I like the soundtrack and the 90s vibe. Georgie Mcguigan as the central role keeps the energy up throughout and there are fine performances from Kate Winter, Phillippa Dawson and some others.

I had read the reviews for this film which has been getting a lot of press from social media. Some reviews good, some reviews bad, so I thought its definitely time for me to give this a go. First of all I would like to say that I am a slasher movie / proper horror fan so this was definitely more on the myster/thriller side for me, which wasn't quite what I was expecting after the beginning sequence, but I have to say it was well crafted. Its based on interviews around the town which are well acted , the 'ninetiesness' of the camera can get in the way sometimes. Its probably better to use a high res camera and then add 90s grain (my film geek coming out) . Somebody reviewed it on TikTok and said that the shots were amateur looking - they are supposed to be its supposed to be an amateur documentary! - The ending I wasn't expecting and that's why I think this was smart. So yeah not my usual tastes but somebody had to call out that this is a good effort.

Ok maybe it's because I like the 90's but I find this film cute and nostalgic and I really loved the opening sequence and the soundtrack of the first song. I feel that the cast were beautiful and vibrant. Maybe its because I saw an interview on how they made this and how they had to get through Covid etc and I could have rated it either an 8 or a 7 but yeah its really good straightforward and I didn't expect that twist. This is a fist in your face horror , maybe the grain on Tubi is a little blurry and they took it a bit far but maybe it could have been uploaded with a higher res but I felt cool watching it and it shows that indie films still have beauty.

I love a detective story and a mystery and I was gripped by the beginning sequence in this film. Its a film that definitely punches above its low budget wait and I enjoyed watching the film unravel. I guess I got confused a couple of times with what was going on and some of the shots take the low quality thing a bit too far.

But overall I was pleasantly surprised, the acting was great from the girls (and the boys) and this director, I believe the name is Jamie B-Debbage or Jamie Bolton-Debbage, whatever it is there is a talent there. Quite a lot of interviews I can see why that might be annoying if you are looking for horror horror but that's not me. Loved the ending, wasn't expecting it - great and fun little Indie flick.

So, the premise is a couple of journalists that go investigating murders in a town in Iowa. It's definitely a found footage deal and its set in the 90s. The concept isn't anything majorly new but I like the premise of the interviews. I think some die hard horror people have criticised this and thought that it was just filler and maybe there should be a few more jumps, but to be fair, all the interviews unravel something so they are integral. I think this is definitely not one for people who want to see shocking, crazy horror, but for mystery people like me I found it simple , slick and love the 90s vibe. Nobody seems to mentioning the acting which I think is really great all round , in fact I have seldom seen a horror film this low budget with good acting. Georgie Mcguigan really carries what must be a difficult role well and the smaller characters are good. They probably went a little too far on the raw camera work to be honest which can be a bit of a nuisance but there are some what seems to be HD scenes mixed in and you feel that you are watching something really cool.