Found

Been needing to see this movie for a while now. bought myself a copy. ended disappointed

This thing had so much potential. the story is great. the execution not so much.

This is a drama not really horror at all. There are some graphic parts(decapitated heads) but the acts of violence all take place offscreen. I was never scared by the film. Sure Marty's situation is horrifying but make no mistake this movie is not scary.

Acting was pretty shoddy by everyone except Marty. Poor lighting design, poor audio mixing. Really was expecting a horror movie but it didn't pan out.

For all the hype this movie had, it just didn't live up. However the director definitely has great potential.

"found." is Scott Schirmer's dark caveat to what could arguably be the true meaning of horror starring Gavin Brown, Ethan Philbeck, Phyllis Munro, Louie Lawless and Alex Kogin. The film follows a young boy who's life is abruptly altered when he discovers his older brother is a budding serial killer. The story delves deep into the nuances of family dynamic like nothing I have ever seen before. Marty is a boy transitioning into his own only to have to deal with bullying, loss of familiarity and the complete and utterly disturbing degradation of family stability. "found." is so much more than a horror story, it is a visual ode to a very deep and personal problem lying unmentioned, ignored or unnoticed within our world of paved pathways that guide us along our daily destinations dotted by manicured lawns and cookie-cutter homes. That problem which Schirmer brutally forces us to notice is the complete and utter break down of family cohesion. That one aspect of life that for many of us is an assumed respite, a place of safety and comfort-home, viciously ripped away to expose a darkness that in this film is unequivocally the birth of evil.

The story plays with you completely from the very beginning. It grabs at your emotional center and squeezes slowly but firmly all the while pushing you to the very edge of tense anguish as felt through the eyes and mind of a child. "found" has done something that so few movies are capable of, it made me reevaluate how I define horror. The characters are so modest and honest that you relate to them in a truly gripping way. It exposes the twisted nature of misguided youth forced to face life with very few answers and nearly absent representation. Then simultaneously placing you head first into racism and bullying. But wait, as if that wasn't enough to make this well defined nightmare affective there is an added element that forces you as a viewer to test your limit of what is acceptable horror. It is a question that people have argued for quite some time- are horror films warping young people? This is truly the first time that I have seen that subject matter carefully and poignantly dealt with in the horror industry in such an honest manner while taking you into some of the most sickest and twisted areas of shock/horror cinema.

In my opinion this is truly a masterful tale of terror that carries a deeper message that needs to be addressed, and manages to do so in a fresh and exciting way. It carries all the emotion of surrealistic art film, complete brutality and gore of a horror film in the most systematically harmonious ways imaginable. There is an element of truth that this story pulsates from that creates an atmosphere so haunting and tragic. The film is held together by a chilling soundtrack that allows the story with all it's components to flow seamlessly. Quite frankly I hope more people than just the horror community experiences this film because although the visuals are graphic the heart of the drama is one that needs to be exposed because the true nightmare of this film is the fact that it could very well be happening in your neighborhood or more disturbingly in your very home. I recommend that everyone who comes across this film-watch it! It is just that powerful. A truly terrifying look into the mouth of madness is what you get with "found."

I'm going to dive straight into a simple fact about this movie. It will mess with you. At the deep emotional level, this movie will be extremely disturbing to anyone that gives it a chance. This is the type of movie that will stick with you for days, if not weeks. You will be driving to work days after watching it, see a Family walking down the street and wonder what secrets and personal issues they have solely because of this movie. I watched this movie almost 3 weeks ago, and I still find myself disturbed by it. It's not due to gore however.

Although I am confident in saying that even self-proclaimed horror/slasher film buffs will find a few scenes within "Found" extremely hard to watch. The gore isn't overdone or even a focus of the movie at all. When it is done, it is done very very well and is very very disturbing. I never personally get grossed out by film gore. Ever. However in one scene in particular, I seriously paused the film and sat there by myself wondering if I even wanted to continue watching the movie at all. The scenes in which gore isn't involved at all are just as, if not more disturbing than the gory scenes. Watching a 12 year old boy having to face such horrific realizations, all the while dealing with being bullied and having absent parents is disturbing in and of itself.

The acting would be the only reason this film didn't receive a perfect score of 10 from me. As much as I loved this movie and wish this wasn't the case, the acting by the Father is horrible. Luckily for us he doesn't spend more than 2 minutes on screen at a time, and only has a few lines of dialogue throughout the movie.

To sum this up, I'm going to talk about the final 8 or so minutes of this movie(Without spoilers of course). The final 8 minutes of this movie is by far the single most disturbing piece of film I have ever seen, and hope to never see again. Don't get me wrong, I love this movie. The final scene is just... It's indescribably horrific and dark. I genuinely hope I don't watch a movie with a scene that dark in it again for as long as I live.

Go watch it, it's an amazing accomplishment in the World of film. However, consider this review a warning.

Based on the novel by Todd Rigney, "FOUND" is a refreshing addition to the horror genre. A familiar yet grim coming of age drama wrapped in a very dark and horrific nightmarish shell. The story is told through the eye's of Marty, a typical twelve year old boy who like most of you reading this can probably relate to, tends to escape the turmoil of his daily life by taking refuge in horror films. From early on in the film we learn that Marty (Gavin Brown) is from an average American family with the usual facade of "normalcy" hiding a plethora of underlying social problems. His fathers overt racism and inability to relate to or get along with his older son. His mothers inability to mediate or intervene in the situation, and his brothers (Ethan Philbeck) worsening antisocial behavior. Marty has discovered personal secrets of his family members. His dad's porn stash, mother's love letters to an old boyfriend and the biggest one yet, a bowling bag containing a severed head in his brothers closet. Marty discovers the brother that he loves and looks up to is a serial killer. "My brother keeps a human head in his closet. Every few days it's a new head", "My life is starting to turn into a horror movie." Let me just say that I found this film intriguing and truly disturbing. Director Scott Schirmer has done a truly amazing job on a shoestring budget of a reported $8000.00 dollars, managing to tell a great story and do what most big budget horror films seem to fail at, making you care about the characters. The only drawback of the film for me was the talent level of some of the supporting cast. While Gavin Brown and Ethan Filbeck gave outstanding performances for their first outing, the mother (Phyllis Munro) and several of the supporting members, most notably the father (Louie Lawless) seemed to lack the ability to convincingly pull off any dramatic moments. But this is a relatively minor complaint and hardly a drawback in the ability to enjoy this film. Other indi film makers and directors should pay attention and take notes. This is how it's done, with an engaging story and a lot of heart. With all that said, I highly recommend this film. In the end I was left almost speechless. This film manages to tell a sympathetic yet engaging horrific story. It is severely brutal and gory at times and not for the faint of heart. Four out of five stars!

This is a movie that will impress some and offend others much like some of the ground breaking horror classics of the past. Will this be the next classic? I think not, although it could be a springboard for the director as it does pack a wallop. It is very effective and well done with some very good acting, at least from the two leads. I haven't decided if the adult actors are incredibly bad or if they are deliberately staged that way to emphasize the viewpoint of the younger boy who narrates through some of the scenes. I will give the director the benefit of the doubt as it otherwise would be inconsistent with his other great choices. If you can handle the sick material, it is probably a good movie to watch again as you may underrate it. I can only give it a 6 for entertainment value but then maybe I have underrated it.