★ 10 / 10
Do you remember Karl Atticus? Neither does anyone
Phasmos
Do you remember Karl Atticus? Neither does anyone else...and those who DO remember him wish they didn't. MORTAL REMAINS is a corker of an indie film, a…
Do you remember Karl Atticus? Neither does anyone else...and those who DO remember him wish they didn't. MORTAL REMAINS is a corker of an indie film, a documentary of sorts about the search for a filmmaker whose work was so troublesome that he has been all but eradicated from movie history. Convincing detail and believable performances lend the film an air of authenticity sorely lacking from many low-budget productions. The apocryphal stories surrounding Atticus and his work are recounted by people who worked with him and witnessed his descent into madness and the occult at firsthand. Could these grisly legends be true? Watch this film with your hand on the remote -- there are scores of little details you might miss on the first viewing. An excellent first effort from the up-and-coming indie studio Cryptic Pictures.
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★ 7 / 10
authentic
mikel-85
A fine addition to the FF genre. The best thing going for this film is it's feel of authenticity...you can almost get immersed in the story and forget that it…
A fine addition to the FF genre. The best thing going for this film is it's feel of authenticity...you can almost get immersed in the story and forget that it is fiction...which is want you want when the movie is questioning whether the original movie was real or not...
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★ 6 / 10
Commendable Effort
TwistedContent
Very little known, near underground-kind, independently produced and marketed micro budget mockumentary horror, that all sums up to some intrigue for a…
Very little known, near underground-kind, independently produced and marketed micro budget mockumentary horror, that all sums up to some intrigue for a found-footage horror enjoyer. A flawed, but admirable effort in faux documentary genre, by two directors who are also writers, acting leads, operators, cinematographers, editors, and so on.Filmmakers Mark and Christian are in process of making a documentary about "The Blair Witch Project", when the movie's actual director Eduardo Sanchez raises up a question about infamous Maryland's (same area/town as in "Blair Witch") filmmaker Karl Atticus, a shady guy who made b horror flicks at the turn of the 70's, with rumors about using real corpses for better effects. A cult may be involved as well. Thus, the duo takes up a new project. A movie like "Mortal Remains" only works with good world-building, and there was effort put into that, although there are discussable plot holes here and there, and characters don't always act reasonably, the overall atmosphere creates palpable tension throughout. Majority of the interviewees were up to the acting task, and if there was more script than improv, most lines passed as natural enough. Pretty split feelings on how the journey ends - taking the route of a more genre-conventional, shocking resolution, whereas I would've preferred a little more plot at the expense of scares.After a little post-film research I was surprised to find out they're currently shooting a sequel, although that might've been dragging on for years now. They truly need more lore. The genre spirit is there, so this goes as a sure recommendation to the suckers for handheld pseudo cinema. 6/10.
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