The Cohasset Snuff Film

"The Cohasset Snuff Film" purports to be found footage of a high school student's killing spree in the town of Cohasset, Massachusetts in the form of vlogs left by 17-year-old Colin Mason, and his filmed murders. The filmmakers claim that we're seeing actual murder footage in this "documentary" and, to further add to the illusion of realism, people featured in the film are credited as themselves. It's clear, while watching the interviews (with supposed psychologists, a priest, family members, fellow students of the victims, and so on) that these are actors, or people TRYING to act. It's certainly possible, and even plausible so it wouldn't spoil the illusion of a "real" documentary, that unknown amateurs were brought on for the roles. But it's evident that these were individuals reciting lines, attempting to emote, etc. I think the worst offender was "Colin Mason" himself, in his many monologues. I get where the movie was coming from, or at least what it was trying to say -- about how troubled kids are often ignored until it's too late -- but unfortunately for us, the audience, we basically learn nothing about Colin that would turn him into a killer. Which I suppose is why it was decided to just make him a serial killer instead?

And if you were drawn in by the box art, which is fairly gory, the film itself is pretty tame in comparison. There's a lot more nudity than bloodshed, which again would make you wonder why a free streaming service like Plex would have a movie that contains real murders, and the nudity of 17-year-old murder victims? I don't think that would be a thing.

One suspension of disbelief that didn't work for me is the claim that the entire town, after finding out that Colin had uploaded his murder footage to various torrent sites, decided to take action to scrub the footage off the Internet (good luck with that) and then basically erase the murders from existence. The police are going to cooperate, and risk jail themselves down the road? The town government? One woman FROM the town government is interviewed for this documentary, admitting to her crime! Surely the state's attorney general might have some questions upon being notified that in the aftermath of a serial killer operating in a small town, the police and local government just decided to destroy evidence and not notify anyone that it had happened?

For a $50,000 budget, it was an ambitious undertaking that unfortunately didn't do anything new that strained credulity.

I don't really know if I can put into words just how bad this movie is. The acting was horrible. While I think the story had potential, it was executed very poorly.I'm simply surprised the filmmakers were proud enough of this film to release this film.

A normal 17 year old growing up in the USA would be studying, playing sports or possibly designing the latest app but Collin Mason from Cohasset in Massachusetts has other ideas involving the demise of his class mates.

The Cohasset snuff film reminds me of the blair witch project because of it's personal camera cinematography and the horror combination but another likeness is not knowing if it's real or acted.

The movie is based around Collin with snippets of interviews from people close to events or have something to add, collin describes his hate rid for others and the end result is quite chilling.

The movie is very well constructed considering the budget and if you like real horror and extreme violence this is well worth watching.

I watched this film thinking it was going to be a typical made up blood and gore film. It was not. It was more of a look into the mind of a serial killer and watching as he fell deeper into insanity. I felt it was very well put together, and kept me interested throughout the entire movie. I recommend this film to anyone who is fascinated with the psychological aspect of serial killers. If slasher films are your thing, you may be disappointed though. Otherwise, this one is not a waste of time. I found myself very focused and had actual reactions while watching this movie. It gets into your mind and you can almost feel what the people in the movie feel, which makes it chilling. 7 stars for sure.

Firstly, is anybody really going to shed any tears when the "found footage" genre finally dies its long overdue death? Anyhow, I was prompted to add my thoughts after looking through the written reviews here and felt some things really needed to be added.

1. This film has an average rating of 3.0 from 26 users

2. The written reviews rated this film at 9, 8 and 9

3. Each of these reviewers have a total of one, and only one, review on IMDb.

4. Subtract these three review scores from the total and the average rating drops to 2.3 - which is the level that should trigger alarm bells. It ain't easy to score that low here.

5. The one external review (horrornews.net) tries to be as polite as it can, but does raise some other points of interest which are not mentioned in the IMDb user reviews: the absence of film credits; that the "based on a true story" claims fall apart on investigation; and, quote: "Essentially what this film is, is a collection of the Youtube videos that follow Collin Mason from being a snot-nosed teen into his self recorded murder exploits".

6. The horrornews.net review has only one comment from a person under the pseudonym "CinematicCritic", claiming to be a horror cinema connoisseur and reviewer but offering no credentials or links, who attempts to reassert that yes, this is indeed based on real life but, again fails to provide references. The rest of the rather long comment has to be read to be appreciated as an exercise in true shill-craft.

My final thoughts. Horror fans are a fickle bunch. And there is a golden rule no aspiring new film maker should ever break. Don't take us for a ride by feeding us false premises and praise for one's own genius. We have long memories and we don't often get fooled twice.