Afflicted

Afflicted is a found footage genre movie (if there is such a thing). Personally I am always suspicious with these types of movie. The paranormal activities, and blair witches are just about some cheap thrills and no plot, although they can be mildly entertaining. Afflicted is nothing like that. You aren't going to watch some found footage movie, with jump scares and no plot. This one actually has a story and an ending. (Yes, it doesn't just end with the camera falling on the floor). The plot appears to be quite simple. Two best friends go touring through Europe and document the entire journey on camera to post it on their website. One of them, stars to become afflicted with some sort of illness, and that's all I can reveal without spoiling. Although, storywise, it doesn't bring anything new and fresh, it grabs the viewer, and keeps you interested until the very end, with some competent acting. The special effects are very well done, and that's not considering it's a low budget movie, the effects are real good. All things considered, Afflicted is a surprisingly good movie, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants 90 minutes of entertaining and competent fim making.

We picked this movie to watch last night expecting to laugh at the usual hand held cam nonsense but wow what a surprise. Excellent acting and a truly ingenious script and premise for a movie, it was very good. You guy in to the characters from the start with one being afflicted by a life threatening illness and the other going with his friend around the world to ensure he is safe. Well their trip to Paris blows that out of the window as Derek goes off with the French girl Audrey. They let him have the hotel room to his self and try to prank him the next morning by rushing in to the room. They find a dazed, battered, bruised and bloodied Derek who has no recollection of the previous night. Derek and Cliff move on to Italy and that's when it starts going crazy. Funny, scary, unsettling and ultimately compelling it was a cool movie.

This movie is a good example of what storytelling, believable narrative,character interplay and balanced action is ALL about. I was unacquainted with the sub-genre of this film and went into it expecting to let it unfold as a cautionary tale, in a similar manner as the movie Contracted. It is really rare,in my opinion, to actually stay interested as a film develops its characters and back-story. The solid acting, quirky dialog,pace and storyline are interesting enough that the viewer is content to watch as Derek and Clif prepare to undertake filming the vacation of a lifetime. Afflicted manages to avoid sticky,boring clichés and deliver some real thrills as the story and palpable desperation begins to unfold. Without giving away too much of the plot, I will say that this movie is EASILY one of my favorites in a much over-used genre, and the sympathetic, believable protagonists in the film will really keep you caring what happens to them next. Stick around for the credits and enjoy this refreshing, intense and superbly done film. Cheers!

Let's face it... 'found footage' films have been pretty terrible of late. Yes, historically, there have been a few good ones. However, with so many wannabe film-makers trying their hand at the (cheap) genre, there are an awful lot of 'duds' out there in the 'straight-to-dvd' market.

I'll say right away that 'Afflicted' isn't anything THAT good. It's hardly revolutionary and most of it you'll feel like you've seen a hundred times before (I'm assuming you're familiar with the 'found footage' genre). The first third is all about introducing us to the characters. Basically, a – possibly – terminally-ill man decides to go on a trip around Europe and therefore his mate has to film every last second of it to put up on the internet.

Unfortunately, our heroes who like talking into the camera fall foul of a local when one gets bitten by... you'll see. Anyway, bad – supernatural – things start to happen. Expect plenty of the usual found footage stuff – running, screaming into camera, falling over, shaky camera-work and yet more screaming.

However, there are a few 'set pieces' which actually left me wondering how they do that. Well... probably with the help of computer–generated technology, but, just because I know how they did it, doesn't mean I wasn't impressed with the results.

There's just enough here to warrant a watch if you're (a) not totally bored of found footage films and (b) generally don't mind horror films in general. But, don't be fooled, it's hardly anything special. Much of it you can sort of have on in the background while you idly surf the internet and you'd still 'get' what's going on. Just be sure to be watching when the really cool stuff comes on.

Almost 15 years since "The Blair Witch Project" pretended to document an ill-fated journey into the woods, its impact is felt more deeply than ever. The found footage horror genre technically pre-dated the digital filmmaking boom by nearly two decades (with 1980's "Cannibal Holocaust") but the age of user-generated footage, when everyone with a smartphone has one trigger finger ready to hit record, has made the device too ubiquitous for its own good.

The two actors performances are credible enough to legitimize the terror, only stumbling when they glare directly into the camera and profess their fears (a "Blair Witch" cliché that has run its course, the confessional moment is the worst example of overstatement). Derek's ensuing plight across the continent, in which he scales buildings and nimbly evades various countries' police forces, suggests "Cloverfield" by way of "American Werewolf in London," but lacks the same wry, self-deprecating humor of the John Landis classic. Instead, directors Proswe and Lee established a macabre scenario and then uses it as an excuse to run wild with the production values, piling up a series of impressive chase scenes and showdowns involving characters with the powers to scale buildings and hurl bodies across the room. It's a superficial delight to watch "Afflicted" gradually ramp up its effects work, and while the scares don't sink too deep, the movie offers surefire confirmation of found footage horror's latest stage.