5 friends.
Stranded deep in the woods.
Hunted by Bigfoot.
With such a basic premise, Exists admirably strings together an intriguing journey. Though the minute cast is not made up of thespians, their half-baked personalities mesh well with the story's absurdity. At its best, Exists is an exhilarating thrill ride. Anytime Bigfoot (Brian Steele) is on screen, the action is unsettling, and his horror movie-esque appearances leave his next moves unexpected. Alternatively, the 80-minute runtime mostly feels stretched as scenes drag on for far too long and the slower moments left me checking the clock. Constantly switching between 'found footage' and normal cinematography gets periodically distracting, causing the dizzying transitions to feel annoying. Exists swings hard at a mostly untapped Cryptid horror subgenre and although it misses more than it hits, it is an admirable small-budget film.
Stranded deep in the woods.
Hunted by Bigfoot.
With such a basic premise, Exists admirably strings together an intriguing journey. Though the minute cast is not made up of thespians, their half-baked personalities mesh well with the story's absurdity. At its best, Exists is an exhilarating thrill ride. Anytime Bigfoot (Brian Steele) is on screen, the action is unsettling, and his horror movie-esque appearances leave his next moves unexpected. Alternatively, the 80-minute runtime mostly feels stretched as scenes drag on for far too long and the slower moments left me checking the clock. Constantly switching between 'found footage' and normal cinematography gets periodically distracting, causing the dizzying transitions to feel annoying. Exists swings hard at a mostly untapped Cryptid horror subgenre and although it misses more than it hits, it is an admirable small-budget film.