The Frankenstein Theory (2013)

"The Frankenstein Theory" is a decent "found footage" piece that spends it's time focusing on the discomfort and helplessness of the characters that are trapped in a hostile, and yet beautiful, snow covered wilderness rather than trying to constantly scare the audience with cheap thrills. It's a lot like "The Blair Witch Project", beginning with historical background information and the reason for the documentary to be made before moving on to the journey itself which also included an interview with a slightly off witness. The main difference between the two films is that you do end up seeing the Frankenstein Monster at the end, hearing him huff and growl well before he enters the screen. I will admit that there were several moments where I found myself laughing out loud and I'm not sure if that was intended by the film makers or not....The character that plays Erik the Producer has some of the best reactions to the events in the film; just watch his face to see what I mean.


John Venkenheim is a college student working on his PH.D and is the focus of a documentary that he is paying for. He claims that a member from his family line is the basis for Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" story and that there really is a Frankenstein Monster, still alive and roaming the lower Arctic Circle. Most people don't believe him, including his girlfriend (who leaves him) and the college (who kicks him out). So now hie's forced to find physical evidence to prove to the world that he is right. So a friend from college, Vicky, arranges a film and becomes his interviewer and brings along Erik the Producer, Brian the Sound Guy, and Luke the Video Guy. They meet up with their guide Karl, and continue off into the Canadian Wilderness on snowmobiles. They make it to a yurt in the middle of nowhere, and this is where they begin to suspect that they may have found the area that the Monster is currently passing through. How will the Monster react to people trying to find it? Will John find the proof that he needs? Will anyone return home alive??

Favorite part - I love when a "Found Footage" film takes the time to chew the scenery and let the suspense and pressure build on it's own, using what's already there. I also love movies that involve snow covered landscapes, adding to sense of isolation and hopelessness.

Hunger (2009)

“Hunger” is about a guy who kidnaps five people and locks them in an underground cavern and watches them starve to death, waiting for the moment they turn on each other and result to cannibalism. This fascinates him because as a small child, he had to cannibalize his mother after she drove their car off the road and he was trapped in place. He had studied and profiled each of his test subjects before kidnapping them and he occasionally writes notes when happens. He is so obsessed with this experiment that he kills two young adults who come across the covering of the cave. People starve and people die and people do things that they would rather not do.

I’m not sure what to think about this movie. I like the concept but the execution of the film mostly fails. Most of the faults I saw had to deal with appearances. The walls of the cave looked to smooth to be rock and I really want to know what this carved out hole in the middle of nowhere was originally supposed to be. The actors’ clothes never look dirty and the guys barely grow any facial hair; by the way, the group is locked in the cave for over 30 days. The group looks lethargic but never hungry. In comparison, the character Cheryl from the movie “Dread” was completely believable and she was only without food for six days. These people lasted over thirty days and never looked as haggard or hungry as she did. 

"Do you prefer your doughnuts frosted or jelly filled?"