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In found footage movies, sometimes it’s the preamble that counts. There are no rules to follow in this regard, and sometimes you’ll find yourself trying to solve the puzzle from the beginning, and sometimes you’ll just fill it out. For the smartest, the first act contains hints and information that will matter in the end. Just see how The Blair Witch Projecta key piece of information is provided and then used in the very last shot of the movie.

In Robbie Banfitch‘s The Outwaters, this beginning is supposed to be a soothing balm before the storm hits. A broken relationship between a film director’s brother and their mother, a grieving singer trying to overcome the tragedy, and the innocent companion who just wants to help. A resolute calm before what Banfitch designed to be a horrible experience of death, loneliness, and oblivion. As should be the case with found footage, this isn’t a very long introduction to a film that doesn’t need to be shown.

However, it contains some information that may help you make your own statement about what it is The Outwaters indeed. I’ll try to be spoiler-free, but don’t worry. This is the kind of movie that, no matter how much I tell you about it, you can’t imagine how powerful it must be and how threatening the ending will be.

The setup is simple: there is a group of friends who decide to help a young star shoot a music video in a remote part of the desert. Two of them are brothers, a friend will help with hair and makeup, and a singer will try to look beautiful. In the center, Robbie puts together an audiovisual backdrop. A kind of artistic documentary. The first night they camp, they are awakened by violent thunderstorms, but there is no water at all. It’s all a symphony of thunder and eerie sounds. Regardless, no one asks much. The second night? Things happen.

It’s hard to describe The Outwaters. It’s almost experimental. But there is a story here and we have to respect that. The second half is told solely from the perspective of Robbie, who for some reason never stops filming after being attacked. Robbie goes into the night and enters his personal version of hell, complete with demonic voices and a land of absolute nothingness. His partners scream in agony in a loud background that can only mean death.

Trying to fix this is hopeless. This is not one of them. Banfitch has skillfully assembled a series of scenes, images and sounds that can represent many things. From time loops to space paradoxes, Robbie has entered a beautiful opera house of cosmic horror that renews itself every time he opens his eyes.

We could talk endlessly about what The Outwaters and your opinion would be different and valid. Only Banfitch owns the truth and will probably never share it. This kind of power is dangerous for filmmakers, a well-deserved reward since it can create whole, unimaginable worlds. They are the reason why horror is constantly being renewed, and we have them to thank for that.

Not to say The Outwaters it’s a nice movie because it’s not. I’ve watched it twice and will probably watch it again in a few years, but for now I feel like it’s plenty. It’s an experience in horror that just shakes you and takes your breath away like any movie. I can’t wait to see what Banfitch does next.

Founder of Screentology. Member of OFCS. RT rated critic
Dog daddy.