by Reuben Stojanovic-Rowe
Worth: $14.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Kaitlyn Boyé, Laneikka Denne, Cassandre Girard, Janelle McMenamin, Matias Klaver, Hazel Pompeani
Intro:
... a genuinely fun midnight-movie ...
A recovering drug addict (Kaitlyn Boyé) and her supportive sister (Laneikka Denne) seek refuge at a remote house in the woods, documenting the entire weekend through the lens of a camcorder. Drama ensues between the siblings as revelations are made; all the while, an ancient evil (Cassandre Girard) lurks in the shadows of the house.
Just like solving a difficult puzzle on a rainy night-in, the combination of found-footage and horror has proven to be a perfect match. Many will be familiar with the success of The Blair Witch Project back in 1999, which sparked numerous follow-ups and imitators that attempted to recapture that cultural phenomenon.
Second feature film from Aussie director Jack Dignan, Puzzle Box stands on its own as a successfully frightening affair that will please midnight movie crowds.
There is an undeniable charm to how Puzzle Box produces reliable scares under a noticeably low-budget. It cleverly doesn’t reveal all its cards until far into the film and sets up a good amount of backstory for the characters of Kait and Olivia for audiences to actually care. The dynamic between the two sisters is believable enough to sympathise for the hellish experience that they will undergo.
Kaitlyn Boyé gives a truly haunted performance of a flawed individual fighting her own demons while also possibly fighting a physical demon herself.
Cassandre Girard as the ancient evil is also having a lot of fun here, screaming (which does get tiring by the end, even laughable, perhaps intentionally so) and chasing our protagonists with an unsettling animalistic energy.
The tight handheld camera-work utilises the tight-space of the house fantastically well to create a nauseating, labyrinthine design to the location. The use of night-vision later in the film produces the best jump-scares, harkening back to the tight corridors of the cult 2007 Spanish horror [REC].
If anything holds Puzzle Box back, it’s the limp reasoning and logic behind the use of the camera as the audience’s POV; a frequent problem with indie horror films. However, what it does excel at is being a genuinely fun midnight-movie, leaving some food for thought and plenty of jump-scares in its wake.
