Meta found-footage frights await in Do Not Watch.
If I had to sum up the appeal of Do Not Watch in one word it would be scrappy and I mean that entirely as a compliment. This is a small film with big ambition and through what I can only imagine involves incredible determination it mostly achieves what it sets out to do. As with many found-footage efforts, Do Not Watch has to set itself apart from numerous shaky-cam efforts and confidently state its identity. What better way to get around the limitations of found footage than produce a film that repeatedly warns you against watching it?
This meta, layered mystery to solve won’t be for everyone, especially in the latter stages as some of those threads begin to unravel in increasingly chaotic and, at times, drawn out fashion. However, the construction and well-earned scares of this make suspension of disbelief so easy. The cast are a delight, all selling the concept perfectly, especially in scenes where the noise is gradually turned up. Natural performances becoming something else entirely is always interesting to watch and this does so perfectly.
Effortlessly switching between the editing project, the original Bunker Anomoly they are interested in and the investigation keeps the intrigue fresh, keeping the viewer guessing and also further sells the idea of the film itself as a cursed artefact steered by a sinister unseen force. It is that cohesion between the film’s concept and its execution that makes this so interesting. In setting up a concept that allows them to so easily play with edits, switch scenes and characters so easily, the rewards are clear for everyone to see.
Good tension and weaving of mystery along with some genuinely scary moments make this a refreshing, involved viewing experience that delivers on a playfully sinister idea.
Despite the warnings, you really should watch Do Not Watch.
4 out of 5 stars
scaredsheepless 