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Recalculating (2024) / Frogman (2023)



Recalculating is a 2024 found footage horror film about a group of friends who go on a road trip to film haunted locations in Mississippi.











YouTube vlogger Seth sets out on a trip with his friends Cami, and brother and sister Kaleb and Lana. They set out to film haunted locations, including an infamous house that’s alleged to have a history of supernatural activity. They interview several people whom they come across, many of which tell them tales of the house they’re seeking, as well as other locations. After they stop at a diner where all the locals stare at them with hostility, their GPS malfunctions and sends them to an isolated road where they get stranded after the car mysteriously dies. As the evening turns to night, panic sets in as they become convinced something is out in the woods stalking them.










This is yet another amateur entry into the over saturated found footage genre, with bad acting, random scenes, and an unfocused story that goes nowhere. It’s the basic “teens go on a trip and something bad happens” formula that’s been done to death since The Blair Witch Project. The character of Lana was fucking annoying, suddenly acting like a sarcastic bitch when they get approached by a guy who wants to know why they’re on his property. I couldn’t wait for her to die. When I checked on Reddit to see what others said about this one, most had the same consensus that Lana was irritating as fuck, and that this movie was lame. The other female character, Cami, I actually liked, in that she seemed to be the only one of the group with any common sense and situational awareness. The scares are laughable, with the climax of them being stranded coming off as unintentionally hilarious, especially when Seth talks into the camera, all emotional, and ponders his fate and the choices that led him here ala Heather from Blair Witch. The close-ups that show the acne on his face is the only frightening thing you’ll see here. It’s more inept than anything else. You can watch it on Tubi, if you dare. Just don’t expect much.












The next flick I watched in my found footage double feature was Frogman, a 2023 horror comedy about a guy who goes searching for the creature that he saw when he was a kid.






A family is vacationing in Loveland, Ohio. Their son Dallas is documenting everything on a video camera. After the parents get into an argument, Dallas and his sister step outside the car, near a lake area. His sister points to something amid the bushes and when Dallas points his camera in that direction, he captures grainy footage of a large, frog-like creature. Years later, that footage has made the town famous, where the local stores sell Frogman merchandise. Now an adult, Dallas is living with his sister after his filmmaker career has stalled. Angered by an Internet personality who claims his video was a hoax, he decides to travel to Ohio to capture proof of the creature he saw. He brings along his friends Scotty and Amy, whom Dallas has a crush on. They arrive in Loveland, with Scotty and Amy determined to have a fun time, as Amy adopts a comedic country star personality. Dallas, however, is taking the trip seriously, and won’t be satisfied until he gets his smoking gun proof of the existence of the Frogman.














The film is actually entertaining, with the cast being likable, as opposed to the annoying personalities that usually plague found footage films. Scotty and Amy’s shenanigans, contrasting with Dallas’ more serious and gloomy mood, help keep things lighthearted and fun. The movie does a fine job parodying the found footage genre, with just enough humor to keep you engaged until the scares come. The film goes outrageous and weird for the big reveal, making things even more entertaining while also managing to be fun, creepy, and off the wall insane. Frogman is a very enthusiastic love letter to the found footage genre. I watched it on Tubi.












 

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