Malibu Horror Story (2022) is a found footage horror movie that was written and directed by Scott Slone. The film eloquently leverages many cinematic techniques blanketing the found footage spectrum; from CCTV surveillance footage, to faux documentary interview coverage, as well as what most fans of the genre today are familiar with being the first person (filmmaker) perspective.
Despite the fact that over 30 cameras and codecs were used over the film’s ten year production period, Malibu Horror Story (2022) upholds its authenticity, which many test screeners have already admitted to be quite original and impressive.
Production Hell for a Horror Movie
Malibu Horror Story (2022) is both original and impressive, a feat that is attributed to the determination of director Scott Slone, and his committed production team who take the narrative to a whole other level. The film has a very colorful and lengthy production history. In 2009, shortly after the release of Paranormal Activity, Slone was inspired to write his own found footage horror story, which went under a working title called “Malevolent”.
“Malevolent was filmed and edited as its own feature and used as a proof of concept in 2010. We used that to raise money to film the same story, The Malibu Tapes in 2012 with a bigger budget and crew as well as better equipment. Test screenings were 2015 and 2017, before shooting new rewrites in 2019 and finishing the movie under the final title Malibu Horror Story (2022).” (Sunny Oak Films)
Native American History and the Spirit World
Malibu Horror Story (2022) leverages a richly-written backstory that explores Native American mythology and a paranormal lore that touches on the spirit world and past atrocities committed against the Native American people. In short, many users will find the film totally haunting! The main plot follows a group of filmmakers who explore the mysteries of spectral phenomena for their show Paranormal Files. In their latest case the team investigates four teenagers from Malibu who were last seen traveling together on June 17th, 2012, somewhere in the mountains of Southern California. Their disappearance had completely devastated the small seaside town of Malibu. From endless search and rescue operations, to multiple news coverage, the police investigation eventually turned cold, leaving most families and friends to believe that the boys were never going to be seen or heard from again. That is until years later, the Paranormal Files crew become one of the first to reach groundbreaking revelations in the case.
The Best is Yet to Come
This film has a lot to unpack. Yet it’s clear that the production team has a vast intricate knowledge (and love) of the found footage conceit. The production team takes the cinematography into a direction that breeds new ideas. Found footage fans have long awaited this film for what must seem like a lifetime. But recently, Malibu Horror Story (2022) has come out of the trenches to announce an official release this year. Found Footage Critic received many emails from fans over the years asking about where, when, and how they can watch this movie. For now, some have been lucky to catch an early glimpse of it at film festivals. It premiered at HorrorFest International on October 23, winning ‘Scariest Film’. It has also won ‘Best Horror Feature’ at the Atlanta Horror Film Festival, as well as ‘Best Feature’ at Spooky Empire.
Keep your eyes peeled for Malibu Horror Story (2022). It will have a screening and filmmaker Q&A at the 2022 Unnamed Footage Festival (UFF5), taking place in San Francisco, California. You can follow the production team on social media, via Instagram and Twitter, as well as their Official Website.
