UTG’s Indie Film Spotlight highlights a new/recent/upcoming independent film that we feel you need to see. The Harry Potters of the world will always be successful and easily available on Netflix, but indies need your help and contributions to survive and thrive. Just like local elections, your decisions really do matter here. Support independent cinema!

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We watch a lot of horror movies around UTG, especially this time of year. One of the traits we’ve found more and more this season than in years past is the use of “found footage,” which can be affective, but more often than not turns into a shaky waste of time and concentration. Atrocious, the latest DVD release from Bloody-Disgusting Selects (out October 25), fortunately finds a way to stay out of the grey area of “been there, done that.”

The Quintanilla family was murdered and lucky for us, someone managed to get ahold of the self-shot videos that the police have been holding as evidence. The family seemed happy enough, parents still together and bother/sister siblings that shared a passion for ghost hunting and amateur filmmaking, but something went horribly awry when they decided to visit an old house in Sitges. The children (July and Christian), armed with two cameras, learn of the “Legend of the Girl in the Garraf woods” that tells of an entity that treats different people different ways (which makes our need to fear her questionable, for awhile). Curious, the two decide to hunt the entity themselves by wandering the property and parentally forbidden labyrinth, filming everything they see.

Let’s be honest, this isn’t exactly a genre-redefining plot or never-before-seen idea, but what Atrocious lacks in surface originality is more than made up for in tension and follow-through. July and Christian are a lovable and believable brother/sister pairing, navigating the labyrinth in a way that doesn’t feel forced or intended to scare. Add to this, Director Fernando Barreda Luna’s use of storytelling over effects-driven scares and a quick-paced script and you have the truly engaging film that manages to feel both familiar and new at the same time. A feat few, especially in this subgenre, ever attempt, let alone achieve.

I can’t say it’s the best of the Bloody-Disgusting selects, but Atrocious is still a film worthy of your time. Whether you think found footage is overrated or not, Fernando Barreda Luna’s vision is sure to keep you enthralled and on the edge of your seat for the better part of its run time. Take a chance, support an indie, and thank yourself later. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Written by: James Shotwell (Follow him on Twitter)

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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