Touches You

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Absolutely the worst movie.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The Internet is a weird place. One moment it's making you laugh at Russian men with brilliantine hair and amazing eyebrows sing lyric- less songs from the 1970s, and the next it's making you scream at a tall albino in a nice suit who resides in a forest. The latter is of course the infamous Slenderman; a tall, vaguely Lovecraftian creature that feasts on your fears and is always, always watching you (despite not having a face). Though Slenderman originated on the forums of Something Awful, it was the ARG web series Marble Hornets that truly put the character on the map. The premise of the series is relatively simple; a guy named Jay stumbles upon some tapes of an old friend's unfinished college movie that contain images of a creepy tall man stalking the production crew. From there, Jay gets embroiled in a Blair Witch-style scare fest where he desperately searches for answers.Having finally concluded last year - adding up to a total of three seasons - Marble Hornets did tend to try its luck a bit when it came to concealing information from the audience. And much like other supernaturally-orientated mystery shows, it concluded with about as much resolution as a report commissioned by a bureaucratic committee. It also had a habit of being repetitive, with one episode out of every five using the 'wondering-aimlessly-through-the-forest- while-supernatural-freak-trolls-you' format. Yet what it lacked in originality it more than made recompense with good writing and a meticulously-conceived atmosphere of foreboding.And if none of that sells it for you, just imagine the game Slender as a web series. That should do the trick. Best avoid though if you're the sort who masturbates to the thought of Damon Lindelof and his ilk being strangled by the threads of his own tangled 'plotting'.

A long-running web-series, "Marble Hornets" is something of an odd beast. On one hand, it's concept is great, and it's generally a well-executed example of the "found footage" sub-genre of horror.On the other hand, I do find there to be many problems with the execution, holding it back from reaching the perfection it is capable of reaching.But still, for fans of horror, this is definitely a must-see.The series seems to predominately follow Jay, as he tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his friend Alex that caused him to seemingly lose his mind and withdraw from society. Told from a "found footage" perspective, the early episodes alternate between footage shot by Alex some time earlier that Jay is reviewing (during production of a student-film he was working on) and newer footage shot by Jay as he investigates the matter. Little does Jay know that the mystery of what happened may be linked to a twisted, possibly-supernatural figure known as "The Operator." (Based heavily on the "Slender Man" mythos from the internet.)I'm quite torn by what to give the series for a score. As I said above, it's a series of strengths and weaknesses. And I fear that my decided on score of 7 may be misleadingly low, despite being a decent score. Because I do genuinely love the series. (Well, at least what I've seen so far.) And in terms of entertainment value, it's great for a free series.I think the biggest strength of the series is atmosphere, and wonderful use of the "found footage" style. If you're in the correct mindset, this series will definitely creep you to the bone. While the quality might not be great, it comes across as generally "true to life", and there's a wonderful sense of pacing, build-up and payoff as the episodes continue. Technical aspects like composition are also well-handled. And I find the storyline incredibly intriguing, and definitely one that makes me want to continue watching.That being said, I have some big issues. First, (and I hate to say this), the acting can be pretty bad at times. At least early on. It does rob some of the suspension-of-disbelief that is required for a "found footage" series. I also find the episodes to meander a bit too much. I feel like there is a lot of room and time that could be condensed and make for a more compelling experience. It can almost get boring here and there. Which makes it harder to want to sit through the episodes.Thankfully, despite those weaknesses, I feel that the strengths make the series one that fans of horror (and especially "Slender Man" fans) certainly must at least try out. I think it's great fun. It has a good story. And it has some absolutely, positively spine-tingling scares.I give it a pretty-good 7 out of 10. Frightening and fun, but not without its flaws.

There are a ton of low-budget Slender Man films out there (everymanHYBRID, TribeTwelve, and Windigo to name a few) but this one is definitely the most fleshed-out, most interesting, and absolutely the scariest of them all. Marble Hornets handles the character of Slender Man very well, expertly exploiting his 'mysterious figure in the background' status. You will look for him throughout an entire entry, only to find him and realize he was there the entire time. And when you do find him, it is pee-in-your-pants frightening. As another reviewer has stated, this movie is not an "I just jumped out of my seat" movie; it is an "I am frozen in terror" movie. The run time is an impressive figure at over 3 1/2 hours, but, honestly, I didn't notice. I was so absorbed into this movie that those 3 1/2 hours just went by unnoticed. It is very hard to get that effect in a movie of this length. By the way, the movie isn't even finished yet! Part 3 is only half done! I cannot wait for the ending, but I also don't want it to end. Troy, Joseph, congrats on a job well done. But you're not done yet.

Everyone who knows The Blair Witch Project knows the incredible impact it has had on pop culture and the surrounding area it took place in, having the ability to bring a rich history into existence despite having been not known before the film. Marble Hornets attempts to do this with an established internet bogeyman (the Slenderman) and brings it to a level most would not have expected.Marble Hornets, a youtube series about an abandoned student film with many hidden secrets to share before bringing in the narrator, Jay's own experiences into the story, shows an amazing aptitude into psychological horror. By showing very little of the mysterious tall, well-dressed being, and giving visual and auditory clues of his influence instead, the creators are able to add a perfect amount of tension, keeping viewers on the edge of their seat throughout the duration of each entry into the series. Viewers' minds will be reeling with questions as they watch, trying to uncover the mystery of the events shown.Highly recommended for fans of horror and mystery, especially Lovecraft fans