The next unwanted step in found footage films is Cybernatural (2014) Fantasia 2014

Don't worry this film isn't going to spawn any new ways of telling bad stories

I don't know what to say about CYBERNATURAL,  and what I can say isn't really nice

It seems that a year before the six friends had cyber bullied a young girl to death. Now someone is on line, who knows way too much about the suicide and the dark secrets they are all hiding. All the dirt is being posted across the internet and the friends taken out

The problem that the film is essentially watching events transpire on a computer screen during a chat between friends.Its simply watching a giant computer screen where all the various social media programs open and close. Its like looking over someone's shoulder and watching them talk on line for 89 minutes- and not being able to open any browsers or game programs of your own to help pass the time.

I suspect this is the next step in the found footage genre (something the PR material trumpets) but at the same time after about ten minutes it kind of becomes boring.(Trust me even in real life it's boring having watched on line conversations while stuck on crowded train ) Watching boxes pop off and on the screen or screens isn't all that exciting a fact made worse by the fact that you really don't like any of the kids involved- they are all self-centered twits.

I know that some of you are going to call me a Luddite since I don't have a smart phone and I don't take advantage of all of the wonderful things that technology can  do, but at the same time I a sucker for a really good story told well and isn't just about the gimmick of how it's told. This film is no story, it's simply the fancy gimmick of how it's told. I mean let's face it if this were told in a conventional matter this film would have been a non starter since its all the cliche's of the supernatural force comes back to get revenge on one time friends genre. You can't take as  worn cliche filled plot line as this and say it's now classic because you tell it in a new way. It;s not new, it's just shit painted to look like gold.

I'm sure some of you will fall in love with it, but as for me, and I'm guessing a large number of people, it's at best an okay riff on a familiar tale that is unremarkable outside of the window dressing and is an hour too long. I don't need to see it or it's cliches again. (and let's hope this doesn't spawn any copy cats)

The film premiered on July 20th and is screening again on the 29th. For tickets and more information check the film's Festival page.