Atrocious

(2010) ***

While on holiday siblings and amateur paranormal enthusiasts Christian and July Quintanilla decide to investigate the “Legend of the girl in the Garraf woods”, a large overgrown maze of a garden where a young girl once disappeared that just so happens to abut the Quintanilla’s remote countryside home. Christian and July both record everything that they do with the hope of creating a television special. On the 5th day, however, they are found dead under mysterious circumstances. Atrocious presents the last 5 days of their lives.



Atrocious is another solid found footage indie film. Although these films are increasingly following a very basic formula (i.e. people are found dead and their final days are documented on film or video), it’s an effective formula that I’m currently digging, a lot. I went through a similar phase with J-horror up until recently. Atrocious is a tight, 75-minute story that rarely drags, although there were a few moments that seemed to go on a smidge too long. The Spanish setting (Sitges) is perfect and the garden labyrinth puts The Shining maze to shame.