The Upper Footage (UPPER)

While the Found Footage Horror sub-genre has had its bouts with both failure and outright amazing hits and select cult followings, nothing quite like 'Upper' has been done before. Sure we have had Horror films deal with snuff and the hardcore limits that surround it (such as in 'A Serbian Film' or 'the Poughkeepsie (sp?) Tapes', but not like 'Upper'. The realism behind the camera is almost *too* real, and while we don't get much in the form of character movement or insanely huge plot twists we do get ferocious paranoia and an insane lack for personal disregard.

The film starts off with a couple sentences surrounding the background of the case and how this all supposedly got started (I say supposedly because as of this time it has not been confirmed whether or not this is in fact a real death or a well-played Blair Witch Project hype-up). From there it goes into a quick montage of images and voice overs until we get to the footage itself. Slowly but surely things get started as two of the main characters go in search of drugs. From there it all goes downhill as the partying turns from a fun relaxing night into a careening downfall of regret, fear, and paranoia.

Even the closest of friends and the tightest of circles can be broken down sometimes, and all it can take is one brief misunderstood moment in time to set things in motion. 'the Upper Footage' is definitely THE movie to see for those enthralled with the Found-Footage sub-genre, however if you don't like constant shouting and shaky cam then sit this one out because no one wants to hear you bitch in a review about how you couldn't stand it. You should know that by now, figure out what you like! :)

These days anyone with an iPhone and a laptop can make a movie, but how many filmmakers can claim to have created a phenomenon? It's happened twice in the found footage subgenre; firstly in 1999, with Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez's peerless no-budget chiller THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, and eight years later with Oren Peli's spiritual follow-up, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. These are films that have had a profound impact not only on horror cinema, but on cinema itself, and their fingerprints can be found all over director Justin Cole's scary found footage exposé THE UPPER FOOTAGE. While the extent of the influence Cole's film will ultimately wield remains to be seen, there's no denying that it already represents a genuine postmodern pop culture phenomenon. A full account of the film's turbulent history, written by Cole, is available online (seek it out, it's fascinating), but it boils down to a desire by the filmmaker to perpetrate a convincing and self-perpetuating media hoax capable of transforming a found footage thriller into a real-life snuff movie sensation involving Hollywood celebrities. It's a fascinating conceit, and speaks to not only our fame-obsessed culture, but to the role both social and 'legitimate' media play in constructing our everyday reality. Cole's venture was a rousing success, and what started as an unsubstantiated rumour soon became urban legend, then established 'fact,' reported on by the likes of Entertainment Tonight. Cole was so successful, in fact, that he found himself the target of campaigners outraged (not unreasonably) at the notion of a young woman's death being exploited for commercial and artistic purposes, and a long and clandestine struggle against the powerful parents of one of the actresses in the film, who took umbrage at the content. The fact and fiction surrounding THE UPPER FOOTAGE have become so blurred that it's difficult to know what to take at face value, but it certainly appears that some kind of conspiracy is dedicated to hampering the film's prospects. So there you have it – a textbook example of how to make a movie that stands out from the crowd, one that so thoroughly transcends its own limited trappings that the actual film is almost irrelevant, it's the media ripples that count. But when you strip away the hype and subterfuge, the conspiracy theories and Chinese whispers, what's THE UPPER FOOTAGE actually like? Just as Cole has found himself a victim of his project's runaway success, so does his film. While most genre offerings are at least moderately predictable, dealing in familiar tropes and well-worn clichés, they also pride themselves on their twists and turns, the story elements we didn't see coming. THE UPPER FOOTAGE isn't like most films. There's barely a story to speak of, and, given the extensive media coverage it's received, you probably already know exactly what's going to happen. As such, it's hard to recommend THE UPPER FOOTAGE to anyone whose priority is an action-packed roller-coaster ride, or who's looking for a casual afternoon's viewing. But for anyone who takes their cinema seriously, or has an interest in either the film's history or the wider relationship between the media and 'real life,' it's a different story.

I've long lamented the preponderance of unlikeable cretins in horror films (for convenience of categorisation I'm calling THE UPPER FOOTAGE horror, although convincing claims could be made for a variety of genres). I don't think I've ever watched a movie populated by such irredeemable monsters as those in THE UPPER FOOTAGE. Again, however, the film is an exception; the fact that its characters are soulless, amoral abominations is very much the point. It's as damning an indictment of directionless, hedonistic, moneyed youth as you could possibly hope to see, a drug-fuelled collision of the best of Bret Easton Ellis with the worst of MY SUPER SWEET 16. Cruel, sneering and without a single saving grace, these are horror movie villains of the scariest kind – those that actually exist. Cole holds up a mirror to Hollywood society, and what it reflects is sickening.

As a rule, found footage fails to convince. Cole is as meticulous about his filmmaking as he is about creating a believable backstory, resulting in a finished product that's entirely persuasive. He avoids all the usual pitfalls – a reliance on rigid scripting, use of incidental music, too-good-to-be-true framing, multiple cameras, ostentatious editing – and even manages to circumvent the thorny question of why they continue to shoot after tragedy strikes. The dialogue is largely, maybe entirely, improvised, and the long takes and awkward angles cement the sense of verisimilitude. It's easy to see why so many industry professionals were fooled – THE UPPER FOOTAGE really does look like the real deal.

In the end, of course, it's impossible to strip away the hype and subterfuge, the conspiracy theories and Chinese whispers. Gone are the days when movies were just movies – now they're multimedia franchises, websites, twitter accounts, t-shirts and actions figures, fan fiction. No-budget horror films from unknown directors can't lay claim to such grandiose marketing strategies, but, as Cole has proved, with a bloody good idea, an insider's understanding of entertainment media, and balls the size of Godzilla's, even the most modest of found footage productions can be elevated to near-mythical status. It's impossible to divorce THE UPPER FOOTAGE from the furore surrounding it, nor should we try. It adds an extra dimension to the experience, a spice you just don't get from watching a common-or-garden horror movie. Slow, meticulous and grotesquely authentic, THE UPPER FOOTAGE is a glimpse into a morally vacuous world of excess and casual barbarism, a world where no one thinks of anyone but themselves, and celebrity is a licence to get away with murder. It's not an easy film to watch, and it was even harder for Cole to make, but nothing worthwhile is ever simple. Cole claims to have already planted the seeds of his next project, one he describes as 'a bit riskier.' The mind boggles...

First off let me say I'm a fan of the found horror footage genre. Having watched not only the popular ones such as Blair Witch, Grave Encounters, REC, etc. I also really enjoyed watching the less well known Haunted Poland, Severed Footage, Exhibit A, etc.

Often I find the ratings of found footage films rather low as they are not to everyone's taste. However, with UPPER I couldn't understand what all the hype is about. At best I give it a 4/10 as I am a fan of the genre.

This film distinguishes itself from other such movies by its astoundingly shaky and out of focus camera. For instance, in the last third of the film, when they are driving towards Greenwitch, there are about 5 min of unfocused black screen with only shouting in the background. I was about to brush this off as an irritating feature due to the lack of night vision of the camera - when suddenly it is revealed that the camera does have proper night vision.

As for the plot, there isn't much. Basically it's obvious that something will go wrong. There was quite some tension among the "friends" to begin with that I was't surprised (contrary to some) that there would be a whole lot of arguing when something does hit the fan.

To be fair found footage films aren't famous for their plots, however the tension in them towards the end is always palpable. UPPER on the other hand left me rather board all the way through. I honestly can't find any comparison with for instance the Blair Witch Project, which towards the end got me very freaked out. UPPER is in the drama genre and weak at best.

My advice, watch this if you are a fan of found footage films, otherwise skip. Definitely not worth a second look.

when i first heard about the movie, i was immediately hooked to the idea and followed it all the way to the recent release. i followed the ups and downs with all the news on the film and to finally see it, there's a great sigh of relief and accomplishment the whole time, i was at the edge of my seat. it was definitely worth the wait, and the amount of publicity this movie gained was just awesome. I'm not going to lie, it had me going the whole time with the plot that bordered the line of fact and fiction. UPPER was like a mixture of The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. it was great! hopefully one day, i can watch this one the big screen to better enjoy this movie to its full potential.

I think the marketing for this movie was GENIUS. They definitely fooled many media outlets with its convincing story. The movie itself is quite simple to be honest. Not that its a bad thing. So the story follows 4 friends (3 guys and 1 girl) who pick up a girl while they are out in their limo and bring her home. After a lot of partying and whatnot, they decide to do cocaine that they bought earlier that night.

Unfortunately, the new girl takes too much and dies of an overdose in the bathroom. Everyone flips out and now we have our story! The death itself actually doesn't happen until about halfway through. The whole half basically just shows them in the limo and in the apartment where they party. Whether you like the characters or not, you get a sense of how they are by the time the death happens. Once the girl dies it becomes incredibly intense. They start arguing about what they should do and it's kind of scary! It's one of those movies that makes you ask yourself, "What would I do in this situation?"

This movie isn't necessarily a horror movie, but it is scary because it's something very real and possible in the real world. How many times do you hear of people having an overdose in the news? This is basically a fictional first-hand account of one of those events. I think it serves as a lesson to our young generation of teens who need to be able to control themselves when it comes to peer pressure.

Like I mentioned earlier, it's a very simple premise, but I think that is an advantage of this movie because if it got too complicated, it might not seem as real. I think that was the goal of the filmmakers, to portray something very real and convincing. That's how Blair Witch Project was back in 1999, which is a movie I hear was a great inspiration for this movie. The story for that was incredibly simple. A group of 3 friends go into the woods for a school project and then they get terrorized by ghosts.

That movie, along with this, had an established "mythology" to back it up as context. Blair Witch had the "legend" and this movie had the publicity it got years back when a video was uploaded online showing the girl who overdosed. Although I don't know if this can be as successful as Blair Witch, it has potential if given the right opportunities. I wish the filmmakers the best of luck in the future because they think differently than most filmmakers who want to create a horror-esque movie, especially in the found-footage genre.

While the movie itself is not ground-breaking with the found-footage genre, the back-story definitely is and I respect all they went through to make this happen. If you like horror movies or found-footage movies, I think you should totally give this a shot! It's great that in the beginning they provide you with a timeline of everything that happened.