Horror Movie Review: Exists (2014)

Exists is a 2014 found footage horror that revolves around a group of friends on a trip into the woods of East Texas. They are planning a weekend of drinking, getting high & having fun while staying in a secluded cabin.

While driving there at night they accidentally hit something in the road but find nothing when they get out to investigate. They do hear the sounds of an animal in pain somewhere in the distance but figure in the dark they can’t do much to help it.

They arrive at the cabin to find it in utter disarray & clear indications that someone has been inside. Regardless they decide to stay anyway & the next day take advantage of the sun.

I’ts while out in the woods that one of the group, the main camera user, films what looks like a large creature in the distance. He (Brian) is fascinated by what he believes to be a Sasquatch but the others don’t believe him.

So Brian sets up a number of GoPro cameras in & around the cabin in the hope of catching the creature on film.

That night it all kicks off as the creature approaches the cabin & begins to assault it scaring the group. After a rough night bunkering down, the next morning they decide to leave but find their car completely destroyed. They’re stuck & no-one is coming to rescue them. It turns out that the group are there without the owner’s actual knowledge.

An attempt to try & get phone reception by cycling nearer to the road results in one of the group getting attacked by what is clearly a pissed off Sasquatch. The rest of the group are forced to barricade themselves in the cabin as night falls.

This creature is relentless though…

Exists is a horror that actually had some potential. Of all the Sasquatch/Bigfoot horrors out there this is one that really turns the creature into something to be feared. It’s violent behaviour & unwillingness to stop is akin to Michael Myers, just a bit hairy & louder.

What makes it just another bad horror movie unfortunately lies with the majority of the actors & the found-footage filming style.

The cast are so forgettable, so bland & so stupid at times that you’ll be shouting at the screen constantly. The only one with anything resembling personality also happens to be the most annoying of the group. The reactions to the events that unfold are hilarious at times. One character shows about as much emotion as a plank of wood. His girlfriend dies in his arms & he stares off into the distance while another spends most of the movie cowering in a corner.

Get used to hearing amazing dialogue such as “what was that?” & ‘what’s going on?”. It comes up a lot!

My disdain of found footage is no secret & every time I think I’ve seen the worst it has to offer I find one more. Now fortunately Exists isn’t the worst found-footage horror out there but it comes mighty close at times. All the hallmarks of just why the sub-genre is so derided exists here. Shaky cam, fuzzy/blurry pictures, dropped cameras, up close shots of peoples faces, characters filming when there is no good reason for it etc. It’s all here & it’s all terrible.

The only time it borders on watchable is when we’re viewing the events through the static GoPro cameras.

As stories go Exists doesn’t offer anything in the way of freshness & it’s finale is easily predictable. However it is well told & the pacing of the movie works well. The Sasquatch looks great & while gore doesn’t flow it is realistic & visceral enough to please most horror fans.

If you hate found-footage & poorly acted/written characters then this is a movie that will do nothing for you. However if cheap jump scares & a short runtime are more your thing then you might get a kick out of Exists.