Apollo 18 (2011)

This week at Unseen we're going to do a week of horror films that kind of work. They are films that work in fits and starts and never quite bring it all together but despite falling short of the brass ring are still worth you time.

First up yet another entry in the found footage genre Apollo 18

Supposed film footage of a secret and disastrous last Apollo mission to the moon. The idea is that men were sent to the moon in order to place missile tracking material on the moon in case the Soviets launched an attack. Unfortunately there was something on the moon.

Neither as bad as most nor as good as others in the found film genre, this film is an okay exercise in horror and science fiction. Working best when the film manages to present footage that seems real, the film only loses its way when we get long sequences of exposition that seem to have been inserted as filler. After a good start we get a couple of long sequences that spend way too much time allowing the characters to prattle on rather than just getting to the good parts.

I really think that had this film been shorter, say by half an hour you would have had a truly scary film. Unfortunately right now you have a film that only really works in fits and starts.

I should warn you, that the things on the moon are not your typical monsters and what happens is probably more in line with what would happen rather than what a monster lover would want to happen.

I like it more as an idea, rather than in actuality, however I do think it's worth catching on Netflix or cable.