‘Found’ DVD Review
Stars: Gavin Brown, Ethan Philbeck, Phyllis Munro, Louie Lawless, Alex Kogin, Andy Alphonse, Shane Beasley, Angela Denton, Kitsie Duncan, Kate Braun, Edward Jackson, Adrian Cox-Thurmond | Written and Directed by Scott Schirmer
When a serial killer is caught one of the questions that is often asked is why didn’t the family realise? For many the answer probably is that they never thought that the person was capable of it, love is blind. In Found though this questions is examined through the eyes of a young boy.
When Marty (Gavin Brown) discovers a human head in his brother’s closet at first he is unsure of what to do. Being a horror fan he watches events unfold with interest, as if it is one of his movies, even checking out the different heads that appear from time to time. As his brother’s psychopathic tendencies escalate though Marty begins to realise that he and his family may be in danger, especially when his brother realises that he has discovered his hidden secret.
Found is based on a story by Todd Rigney and is an intelligent story that sets things out in a believable way that makes it easy for the audience to empathise with Marty. I’m not a fan of putting blame on horror movies as inspiration for a person turning to killing, but I can understand it as a plot tool to push the plot of Found along. The fact that Marty also uses horror as a way to compensate for his family problems and bullying at school also gives him the tools to understand that things aren’t right, he shouldn’t be seeing things in real life that are part of the fantasy world on television. Marty is smart enough to realise the difference, and the dangers which it brings.
It’s interesting that although horror is Marty’s way to escape the world, learning his brother is a killer changes this for him. The horror he sees on-screen, especially in the film Headless suddenly becomes all too real for him. With the insinuation that Headless is the inspiration for his brother and the murders he commits brings the horror into Marty’s life, and when we see him becoming scared at what he sees in the horror film, this shows the realisation of the danger he is in. You have to pity the poor kid, his older brother is his idol which is part of the reason he doesn’t reveal his secrets. There is even a hint that Marty could be walking the same path, if he is going to learn how to act who better than his brother right?
Another thing that Found examines is the hypocritical nature of bullying and corporal punishment within families. The fact that Marty’s brother pushes him to fight back against the bullies may seem good advice, especially with the fact that the bullies are marking him as a target because of the fact that he won’t hit back. When he finally does (and goes too far) he is suddenly the one who is chastised, even told that kids get bullied, deal with it (but not by fighting back). Add to this the parents use of force on both him and his brother, there is an expectation for the kids to not fight back which leads to problems once the brother finally snaps. Are the parents to blame for the actions of their children? They can’t be fully to blame of course, but there are issues within the family and the older brother is acting out in the most extreme way possible.
Found is a good film and although some of the acting leaves a little to be desired at times, Gavin Brown who plays Marty is very good. He creates a character that although sometimes cold is easy to empathise with and more importantly makes the audience believe the situation he is in. With a more psychological style of horror, though not shying away from the gore when it needs to this is a horror that definitely does deserve to be Found.
**** 4/5
Found is out now on DVD from Monster Pictures.
