My History With the Film:
I’ll watch any trailer with Danielle Harris in it since she’s one of my favorite scream queens, but I know not to get my hopes up for quality in all of her films. Camp Cold Brook had a decent trailer that was only elevated by it having Chad Michael Murray who happens to be my wife’s teenage crush. This put the movie on my radar for easy viewing and when it showed up on Amazon in late 2020 I knew we’d have to check it out. I gave it a watch on a cold Saturday evening and probably should have spent my time doing something else.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
A reality ghost hunting show is on the verge of cancellation unless they can pull off the ultimate ghost hunting story at a small camp where children were murdered thirty years earlier.
What I Liked About It:
-The movie is not a found footage film, but it does use some found footage style shots throughout the film. It’s explained early on that the Go Pros they are using have a gyro sensor in them that keeps them from jumping around and this makes for a much more pleasurable viewing experience vs. the usual shaky cam footage.
-I’m impressed with the restraint used with the CGI. Very little is used and this helps the picture immensely.
-The cast all show up, but no particular performances are noteworthy. Honestly, the script didn’t give any of them much to do.
-I liked the premise of the reality show needing to find real ghosts, but sadly that is about the only thing from the story that I liked.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-The campground did not feel abandoned from the 90’s. Not even close. I’ve seen sheds left unopened in a backyard that looked more downtrodden than this campground.
-The story was weak and you can tell about half way through the type of twist it’s going to have. There is nothing truly there to be afraid of and because of that the movie lacks tension. The jump scares all feel about a second too late and the pacing just seems off.
-This movie feels like a paint by numbers horror film made to make a quick buck. Get a former TV star cast alongside a horror celebrity with a weak script filled with tropes and don’t worry about telling a coherent story.
Additional Notes:
-Produced by Joe Dante as part of his new production company’s attempt to help out young filmmakers with low budget productions.
Rating:
Move along, nothing to see here. This movie was a drag and a waste of 90 minutes.
One knife, skip it.
