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Released by: Camp Motion Pictures
Released on: July 17, 2012.
Director: Wayne Capps
Cast: Patrick Hussion, Kelly Coulter, Jillian Walzer, Wayne Capps
Year: 2011
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The Movie:
Directed by Wayne Capps, 2011's Documenting The Grey Man is based on the actual legend of a ghost that supposedly haunts South Carolina's Prawley Island, where he appears just before the island is hit by a hurricane. The set up for the film is pretty simple - a filmmaker named Mitch and his team intends to basically pose as paranormal investigators with the intention of investigating the home of the Sims family, an old plantation style estate that they've recently moved into.
Mitch has got more up his sleeve than just showing up and trying to get EVP's and evidence of paranormal activity - he actually requests that his crew, a bunch of actors, stage incidents that will prove to people just how easy it is to fake the types of things that we see happen on shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. So with that in mind, Mitch and his team head to the Sims' home and set up for the night. They start by exploring the house and interviewing the husband, wife and young daughter, the latter of whom seems more susceptible to interference from the 'grey man' ghost whose presence can be felt in the house. Of course, as the investigation continues, Mitch and company realize that there may be more truth to this than they first thought and that, like it or not, they've started messing with something they shouldn't have been messing with.
An introductory test screen tells us that in 2007 South Carolina police officers were called to a Prawley Island home to investigate a murder where they found a man in a vegetative state covered in blood with his friends and the residents of the home all dead around him - through the Freedom Of Information Act, this footage has been released, and we're to believe that this is what makes up Documenting The Grey Man. On this level, the film gets pretty dicey. There are far too often shots used throughout the movie where there would have to be more than one cameraman operating, something that some better planning and editing could have helped with and which would have helped the movie quite a bit. It takes us out of things very early on when it happens in the restaurant where Mitch and his team discuss their project and a few times after that - if you pay attention to the movie you can't help but notice it. Additionally, some of the performances are questionable in their quality and not always convincing.
Yet, by the time the movie comes close to its finish, the filmmakers manage to craft some legitimate scares. Yes, this was made for no money and yes, this movie borrows a lot from the Paranormal Activity movies and from a few similar 'reality TV' ghost shows but there are a few spots in the last fifteen minutes where Documenting The Grey Man succeeds quite well and actually pulls off a couple of neat tricks that you will not see coming (though the main one you will obviously see coming because it's all over the cover art and menu screens). Had there been a bit more effort put into how the film was shot and cut it might have been more consistent but even as it stands, fans of found footage horror movies will appreciate this one if they stick it out. At sixty-four minutes it goes by quickly and while the last shot of the movie is more hokey than horrific, but if this movie doesn't bring anything new to the genre, it does at least offer some interesting local flavor (it was shot on location) and a few good scares.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Documenting The Grey Man was shot on consumer grade digital video for what the IMDB says was a budget of $32,000.00.With that in mind, it looks about as good as you can realistically expect it to. Despite the whole 'found footage' aspect of the production it's fairly well shot and detail is okay. Not amazing, but okay. This isn't a transfer that will floor you but for what it's supposed to be, it looks decent enough.
Likewise, the English language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track on the disc is also fine. Dialogue is clear and well balanced and any distortion that does come into the mix (when certain characters scream, for example), doesn't feel out of place. No alternate language options, closed captions or subtitles are offered.
There are no extras here relating to the feature itself but there are a bunch of trailers for other Camp Motion Pictures and Alternative Cinema releases as well as standard menus and chapter stops.
The Final Word:
Documenting The Grey Man has got its share of problems but so too does it have its share of creative and creepy moments. This won't win you over if you have an aversion to 'found footage' style horror movies but if you don't, and are willing to look past some slips and slides in terms of narrative and presentation, this one turns out to be a lot of fun.
