While people are getting sued left and right for illegally downloading films from BitTorrent, other filmmakers seek to use the massive platform to fit their needs. Enter The Tunnel, a horror film that was just released for free via the sharing platform and is currently being downloaded and watched by thousands of people.
This is the first release from BitTorrent’s Artist Spotlight Program, which seeks to distribute films worldwide through the company’s products. Is this the way of the future?
As for The Tunnel itself, here’s the trailer and official synopsis.
In 2007 the New South Wales government suddenly scrapped a plan to utilise the water in the disused underground train tunnels beneath Sydney. In 2008, chasing rumours of a government cover-up and urban legends surrounding the sudden backflip, investigative journalist Natasha Warner led a crew of four into the underground labyrinth. They went down into the tunnels looking for a story – until the story found them.
This is the film of their harrowing ordeal. With unprecedented access to the recently declassified tapes they shot in the claustrophobic subway tunnels, as well as a series of candid interviews with the survivors, we come face to face with the terrifying truth.
This never before seen footage takes us deep inside the tunnels bringing the darkness to life and capturing the raw fear that threatens to tear the crew apart, leaving each one of them fighting for their lives.
Yes, it’s yet another found footage film, but it’s free and you’re actually helping to support independent film.
The idea is that if you like the film you can donate a few bucks to them and help pay their cast and crew. Check out the film’s site here and get ready to fire up uTorrent.
3 comments
I might give it a try. That weird bell thing is hopefully not just a found object but something the filmmakers designed – hinting that they may have at least attempted an original mythology.
But in general, I love the inference of found-footage movies like this that by the nature of the odds involved, that out there somewhere, are hundreds upon hundreds of these “Wannabe Investigative Journalist takes a film crew into situation X” documentaries where they just walk around some vaguely spooky-if-you’re-in-the-mood locations and…NOTHING HAPPENS!!!! Repeatedly. Must’ve been a fuckin’ bitch back when it was film in those cameras and tape in those nagras.
Even Cropsey, which is a real doco and handles itself well, has a daft moment where they’re moping around the old mental asylum at night and see a line of lights heading towards them out of the surrounding woods, only to discover it’s just a bunch of scuzzy teen dimbulbs coming out for a mildly thrilling look around the place and to presumably light up some joints and make out a bit.
I gotta say this is one of the best found footage horror movies I have seen in a long time. Seriously creepy
Watched it. Was mostly positive, but like most horror movies, it fails when you engage your brain on any level.
They got the creep factor down. They blow it a few times unfortunately (eg: the zoom on “camera 2” in the chair room) and the tension just evaporates. There’s also a problematic lack of a clear driving impetus underlying the whole situation – suggesting the filmmakers have discovered the tunnels on some under-city tour and cobbled together a bunch of vague/confused ideas as to why a film crew would go down there (there’s literally no story to be divined from an on-the-spot investigation, unless horror movie stuff happens – Lucky!!). It’s not even clear what sort of journalists they are/what TV Show they work for, looking at the establishing “girl reporter on the story!” business (Some shitty Current Affairs show? or one of the very few serious News programs). The chick doesn’t even use the “News Voice” ubiquitous to the industry (seriously, every Australian on-camera talent uses it – standard downward intonation that communicates seriousness and offsets the Aussie upward inflection that makes everything sound like a question or too informal). The main journo chick doesn’t check the authenticity of the very weak youtube clip. A crazy homeless guy acts like a crazy homeless guy. There’s a conspiracy around a government initiative that makes no sense and some of the found footage from various security cameras is a little too cute/impossible. It all nibbles away at the foundations of the effective tension they create, which is a shame.
Eventually they give away just how small the tunnel system really is by re-using several areas. If you’re looking for landmarks to get a sense of geography, you’ll soon spot certain bits of architecture shot from different angles, with crude blocking props removed/added. Even the map looks small (the actor holds his hand over it a lot, but it looks like it may be an accurate blueprint rather than an art department creation).
On the upside, it’s great how they put the danger up front. That feels like they were confident on that level. Though if you’ve seen Creep (UK train tunnel movie starring the chick from Run Lola Run), this is a poor cousin. It’s the issues that AREN’T budget related that bring it down to just another “no budget conceived-and-shot-on-the-fly-horror-movie” and undermine the strong elements that would have me recommending it to me friends.
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