The Borderland

Most found footage movies try to have a good excuse for why the cameras are rolling all the time, but writer/director Elliot Goldner has found one of the best justifications yet: after a disastrous fuckup in Brasil that resulted in a few priestly deaths, the Vatican forces any group of miracle investigators to basically record absolutely everything they do. Holy health and safety department!

 And that's where our point of view character comes in: Gray (Robin Hill) is a techie who's tasked to make sure there's a buttload of running cameras around at all times to document the work as two priests (Gordon Kennedy and Aidan McArdle) investigate the site of a mysterious earthquake-like disturbance at a small rural English church that the local priest (Luke Neal) swears has a supernatural origin.

 Gray's a great character - a neurotic, John-Oliver-style smartarse who holds out opinions on anything and everything in a nasal Londoner whine. A proper geezer. Brother Deacon (Kennedy) is a lot of fun, too - a gruff Scotsman who strikes a good balance between idealistic and world-weary; The exasperated kinship that develops between the two men is both hilarious and hugely charming.

 They're overseen by Father Amidon, a by-the-book type who doesn't seem to hold Deacon in high regard. Both holy men are refreshingly realistic about the chances of there being anything of supernatural origin at the church - they arrive halfway convinced it's a hoax, and are always trying to find rational explanations for any of the mysterious events that start piling up as they explore the site. It's very funny that Gray, the guy who lied about being a believer to get the gig, is way more excited about the prospect of finding something mystical than they are.

 Writer/director Elliot Goldner (who sadly has only made TV since this) ably mixes character drama with a slowly evolving metaphysical threat - and because most of the sets are flooded with cameras, plus the ones worn by every main cast member, he's able to make a pretty compelling film around it. It's a little more dynamic than the ones centered around wannabe documentary filmmakers or the more comparable paranormal investigation teams, without neglecting the typical running-in-the-dark-with-a-shitty-flashlight scenes that are so integral to this genre.

 There's some pretty effective jump scares, but the bulk of the horror is more drawn-out, and the film excels at building up a considerable sense of dread, which it brings to a head in an excellent (if slightly unoriginal- though it's easy to see its influence in, say, Frogman) subterranean finale. Very little in the way of special effects, and next to no blood and guts, if that's important for you one way or the other.

 It's a very entertaining investigation yarn that inexorably decolours into a genre-appropriate shade of bleak. And along the way, it gives us a chance to hang around some very likeable characters; Any film where someone tells a priest 'Dan Brown was right about you lot!' is all right by me.