Cryptozoology isn’t just some that popped up in the monster-of-the-week episodes in The X-Files. It’s a thriving pseudoscience followed by hundreds of adherents. For those who are unfamiliar with the terms, cryptozoology refers to the study of cryptids – animals that may exist but remain unconfirmed by science. This includes the Jersey Devil, Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, chupacabra, and – the Loveland Frogman. Some of these cryptids have gotten the horror film treatment with Bigfoot (Exists, Big Legend, Hoax) likely getting the bulk of movies. To date, The Legend of Boggy Creek remains the best cryptid horror movie. Now the Loveland Frogman gets it own found-footage movie.
Synopsis
When Dallas was just a little boy, he caught quick camera footage of what he believes was the mythical Loveland Frogman. Years later Dallas coaxes two friends to join him on a trip back down to Loveland, Ohio. Armed with several characters, Dallas intends to prove his doubters wrong and capture footage of the cryptid. Initially, the amateur filmmakers just find a town thriving on the tourist dollars of the legend. But a late-night trip deep into the surrounding woods brings them closer to the story than they may have wanted.
Frogman Dawdles Too Long On Its Lily Pad Recycling The Blair Witch Project
If there’s a subject matter well-suited to the found-footage format, it’s definitely cryptozoology. After an opening scene that nicely sets up the main character’s motivations, writer and director Anthony Cousins (Scare Package) settles into familiar found-footage territory. Maybe too familiar. Two problems emerge almost immediately in Frogman. First, Cousins and co-writer John Karsko follow The Blair Witch Project a little too closely. That is, the overlap between the two movies is hard to ignore. Passionate amateur filmmakers desperate to prove a legend arrive in a small town, interview the locals, and then set up camp deep in the woods. So much overlap inevitably invited unfavorable comparisons for Frogman.
…Frogman spends a whole lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing.
One of those unfavorable comparisons concerns how to do a proper slow-burn. While The Blair Witch Project takes its time and shows a lot of storytelling restraint, it also methodically dials up the tension. Its unsettling finale doesn’t just get dropped out of no where. Conversely, Frogman spends a whole lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing. Specifically, Cousins allows roughly an hour to pass by with nothing in the way of scares or tension. And the story never justifies that time – at least 30 minutes could have been cut out. Just last year another found-footage movie, The Outwaters, struggled with the same problem.
Frogman Mostly Recovers With a Creepy Final Act
What saves Frogman from getting turned off is its final 20 minutes or so. Though it takes a while to get to the point, once Cousins puts his filmmaking trio in the Loveland woods the movie almost immediately picks up. In fact, the third act serves as a reminder as to just how good found-footage can be when it’s done right. Cousins doesn’t build up the tension, but he hits a fast groove as the jarring nighttime footage in the woods feels disorienting. Quick shots of the cryptid feel suitably creepy and there’s flashes of grotesque body horror. And Frogman detours into an unexpected direction that sets it apart from BWP.
In fact, the third act serves as a reminder as to just how good found-footage can be when it’s done right.
Does the final 20 minutes save Frogman? Almost, but not entirely. Cousins gets so much right, but makes a couple of missteps. Creature features are tricky things because audiences do want to see the monster but it needs to be convincing. Low-budget movies are better off teasing the creature and forcing the viewer to use their imagination. Unfortunately, Cousins shows us too much of a ridiculous-looking Frogman that swerves the tone into comedy. Maybe Frogman intends to be a mix of horror and comedy, but it’s not readily obvious. As a result, a handful of camera shots occasionally jar you out of the mood.
Frogman Can’t Quite Nail Its Slow-Burn, But It’s Still a Good Found-Footage Entry
Nearly an hour passes before anything of note happens in Frogman and that’s just too long. While Cousins ratchets things up for the last third of his cryptid found-footage thriller it’s not quite enough to entirely salvage the movie. Yes, the final 20 minutes remind us what can be so creepy about the found-footage format. But tonal inconsistencies and too many similarities to The Blair Witch Project keeps this one from being a home run. Still there’s enough to like about Frogman to make it worth a watch.