It was only a matter of time before we got a found footage horror film about Ohio’s cryptid oddity, Loveland’s Frogman (that’s not sarcastic; I’ve seen far stranger indie horror concepts). Anthony Cousins’ search for a slimy urban legend (shot almost exclusively on HI-8), aptly titled Frogman, is a weirdo treat for fans of V/H/S/94‘s “Storm Drain” segment featuring Raatma and other handheld shaky-specials spawned from The Blair Witch Project inspirations. Shades of Willow Creek chase a mythical creature through dense woodland territories as our view bobbles around much like found footage diehards are used to, which won’t win over any motion-sick doubters of the subgenre — even with a third act that doesn’t shy away from noteworthy Frogman effects and an unrelenting sensation of “going there.”
We follow irrelevant filmmaker Dallas Kyle (Nathan Tymoshuk), whose claim to fame is a 1999 family video clip where 12-year-old Dallas accidentally catches a quick glimpse of Loveland, Ohio’s legendary Frogman. Decades later, Dallas has a film degree but no illustrious career, and has been crashing with his sister for over a year. The time finally comes to shoot his shot, so Dallas decides to prove the haters wrong and make a documentary about Frogman that includes irrefutable evidence. Along for the ride are his cinematographer buddy Scotty (Benny Barrett) and future Los Angeles actress Amy (Chelsey Grant), neither of whom are prepared for the lengths Dallas is willing to take with his Frogman obsession.
Cousins and co-writer John Karsko wear their influences like patches on a denim vest dedicated to found footage horror. The Legend of Boggy Creek rings throughout backwoods lore, interview segments recall Bobcat Goldthwait’s Sasquatch slow-burn, and a heck-ton of primitive found footage camerawork brings us back to meager beginnings. There’s a familiarity about Frogman that’s hard to shake, especially when introducing so-so character dynamics meant to add spicy drama during downtime between bursts of action. We’ve seen the film’s sleepier setups; it’s shot, acted, and sounds like the countless low-budget found footage films that flooded the subgenre’s once oversaturated market.
Fortunately, you’re not here for Dallas and Amy’s lukewarm “will they, won’t they” subplot. You’re here for the wizard-lookin’ frog humanoid that adolescent Dallas reveals in the film’s opening segment. Cousins isn’t shy about letting Frogman leave his mucusy trail for Dallas to find or outright full-body glimpses of the rotund cryptid amphibian. Audiences aren’t robbed of on-screen monster representation like in the largely velociraptor-less Area 407 — Cousins emphasizes mucky practical effects from egg sacks to werefrog transformation-type cosmetics. Frogman isn’t an invisible villain; he’s shown in plain sight, which gives Cousins’ majority faux documentary an edge over tricksters that plague the subgenre with tease after tease only to abandon any payoffs.
Just remember, Frogman‘s budget comes with limitations. These aren’t Cloverfield-level special effects. There’s a roughness to technical capabilities when selling the camcorder aesthetic, especially during chaotic disturbances that cause footage to cut between random imagery, like the tape is having a mental breakdown. Cousins lives and dies by the pedigree of his Frogman creation because nothing else stands out. Interview subjects range from forcibly loony crackpots to nobodies on the street; banter between Dallas’ group is sometimes hard to pick up due to low audio levels, but I’ll give credit to the laugh that escaped my mouth when a feisty local barks back at Dallas, “How do you know it’s a man?” Chelsey Grant stands out the most as a bubbly screen actress trying to liven up an otherwise stuffy investigative crapshoot, while the rest are stuck playing their parts to the best material allows.
Frogman isn’t the worst or the best, but at least it tries something absurd in a found footage genre littered with Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity copycats. Cousins proves what he can accomplish outside short and anthology formats (responsible for both “The Night He Came Back Again!” Scare Package segments), and his third act is a rip-roarin’-ribbity riot. While Frogman might have made a tighter V/H/S chapter than an 80-minute feature film, it still climaxes with a winning ambition. There are legitimately haunting Mr. Frogman shots as Dallas stumbles upon Loveland’s long-tongued secrets, which is far more than other found footage flicks are willing to present their audiences. It’s surreal, off the beaten path, but most of all, it’s a chance to get real damn weird with a found footage curio that actually delivers on promises.
Frogman will be available on VOD outlets beginning Friday, March 8.