As far as creature features go, Animal is about as generically crafted as they come, but that might be serviceable enough for some of you (no judgement!). A group of hikers venture into a heavily wooded area and get caught stumbling around after sundown, some type of murderous creature pursues on foot, and a playful excursion turns into a fight for survival. People die, blood is spilled, and a monster roams free – but Chiller’s animalistic horror movie doesn’t do a darn thing to differentiate itself. Instead of finding myself cringing in fear at the very sight of these monsters, my first thought was “Oh look, they copied the Feast monsters!” I’ll admit, Animal is quick and relatively painless, but with a presence so duplicative, is all the running, screaming, and dying actually worthwhile?
While soaking in nature’s beauty during a nostalgic trip, five friends end up...
While soaking in nature’s beauty during a nostalgic trip, five friends end up...
- 6/25/2014
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
“For me it is a classic horror film in the sense that there is screaming, and it’s gory, and the killings are so amazing,” says rapper and actress Eve about her new film, Animal. Well, that does tick many of the crucial horror film boxes.
In addition to Eve, Animal stars Keke Palmer, Amaury Nolasco, Parker Young, Joey Lauren Adams, Elizabeth Gillies, Paul Iacono, Thorsten Kaye, and Jeremy Sumpter, and concerns a group of friends being pursued by a blood-thirsty predator. The film is directed by Brett Simmons (The Monkey’s Paw) and written by Thommy Hutson (Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy...
In addition to Eve, Animal stars Keke Palmer, Amaury Nolasco, Parker Young, Joey Lauren Adams, Elizabeth Gillies, Paul Iacono, Thorsten Kaye, and Jeremy Sumpter, and concerns a group of friends being pursued by a blood-thirsty predator. The film is directed by Brett Simmons (The Monkey’s Paw) and written by Thommy Hutson (Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy...
- 4/18/2014
- by Clark Collis
- EW - Inside Movies
Produced by Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films, Josh Anthony’s directorial debut Happy Camp tries to add a little something new to the found footage trope. Anthony was kind enough to take some time to speak with us about his love for the genre amd the challenges of taking the trip to Happy Camp.
He also discussed his high hopes for his first film to be successful enough that he’s allowed to make a second. That’s the dream, right?
DC: There are so many found footage films on the horizon and many that came before. Just to separate you from the pack a little bit, can you talk about the story of Happy Camp?
Ja: I wanted to try to evolve it a little bit more. When we first started doing this, it was a little bit stagnant and everyone was trying to do the Blair Witch model.
He also discussed his high hopes for his first film to be successful enough that he’s allowed to make a second. That’s the dream, right?
DC: There are so many found footage films on the horizon and many that came before. Just to separate you from the pack a little bit, can you talk about the story of Happy Camp?
Ja: I wanted to try to evolve it a little bit more. When we first started doing this, it was a little bit stagnant and everyone was trying to do the Blair Witch model.
- 4/3/2014
- by Drew Tinnin
- DreadCentral.com
Title: Happy Camp Director: Josh Anthony Starring: Michael Barbuto, Anne Taylor, Josh Anthony, Teddy Gilmore An indie horror movie that makes decent use of its outdoor, real-life setting, but otherwise runs aground fairly early in its already concise running time, unable to come up with enough incidents to generate any legitimate sustained suspense, ”Happy Camp” represents one of the particular perils of a low-budget, calling card-type film. Piecemeal, the scene-to-scene work of young multi-hyphenates Josh Anthony, Anne Taylor and Michael Barbuto is fine. But absent a story that generates any sort of clearly defined stakes or rooting audience interest, the movie elicits more of a yawn than any lasting impression. “Happy Camp” [ Read More ]
The post Happy Camp Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Happy Camp Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/1/2014
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
The title “Happy Camp” conjures feelings of a comedy — either an ironically named satire, or perhaps some “Pitch Perfect”-type summer-getaway ensemble where “Glee” fans labor to upstage one another against a competitive backdrop. In actuality, though, the found-footage-framed psychological horror film takes its name from the (real-life) small town, nestled just up against the California-Oregon border, that lends it its setting. Twenty years after his step brother went missing, in a mountainous region rife with missing persons cases, a still-frazzled guy (Michael Barbuto) returns with some filmmaker friends, looking for answers. For ShockYa, Brent Simon had a chance yesterday to speak to multi-hyphenate collaborators Josh Anthony and Anne Taylor one-on-one (well, one-on-two), [ Read More ]
The post Exclusive: Josh Anthony, Anne Taylor Talk Happy Camp appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Exclusive: Josh Anthony, Anne Taylor Talk Happy Camp appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/26/2014
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
First time writer-director Josh Anthony's Happy Camp indulges in all the worst elements of the found footage genre to such an extent that for the first half of the mercifully brief film, I thought it was heading toward some clever subversion of 20-somethings searching for something in the wilderness only to come to a sticky end as the audience is underwhelmed. You wouldn't think that Klamath National Forest, where Happy Camp is set, is even in northern California. The sun never seems to break through the autumnal tree cover and its residents - each and every one a little hostile and terrified as hell - would rather visitors not come in, poking around and asking questions about the 600-odd souls who have disappeared in the...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/25/2014
- Screen Anarchy
And the hairy monster in the woods found footage train continues — The Lost Coast Tapes, The Woodsman, Bigfoot County, Exists, Willow Creek — with the latest film to hop aboard coming, inexplicably, from producer Drew Barrymore‘s Flower Films. All the ingredients are here, from the small town wary of outsiders to the Rv filled with outsiders who come rolling into town with digital cameras filming their every move, from the deadly mystery to the cheesy denouement, from the endless bickering to fill screentime to the questionable camera footage. Welcome to Happy Camp. The opening onscreen text tells us that Happy Camp, CA has reported over 627 missing people in the past 25 years, the highest number in the continental United States, and clearly that’s more impressive than simply saying there have been 628. One of the missing is a young boy named Dean Tanner who disappeared in 1989 while playing with his adopted brother Michael. Twenty...
- 3/25/2014
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
I am reminded of growing up in the late-80s, watching Unsolved Mysteries on prime-time television. Intrigued by commercials for Time Life’s Mysteries of the Unknown, an encyclopedic series of books about everything supernatural, extraterrestrial and any other unproven or unexplained phenomena, I recall begging my parents to buy me the books about alien abductions, Stonehenge, and mythical creatures that live in our backyards. Sadly, they never did, but I did manage to find the random torn and battered volume available at the local library.
Happy Camp, directed by first-timer Josh Anthony, stirs these nostalgic memories of an era defined by the weird, abstract and unusual. The film is about a man named Michael, played by Michael Barbuto, who returns to his small home town 20 years after his brother went missing as a child. Michael is accompanied by his girlfriend Anne, played by Anne Taylor, and two friends named Teddy (Teddy Gilmore) and Josh,...
Happy Camp, directed by first-timer Josh Anthony, stirs these nostalgic memories of an era defined by the weird, abstract and unusual. The film is about a man named Michael, played by Michael Barbuto, who returns to his small home town 20 years after his brother went missing as a child. Michael is accompanied by his girlfriend Anne, played by Anne Taylor, and two friends named Teddy (Teddy Gilmore) and Josh,...
- 3/25/2014
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Deep within the Klamath National Forest is a backwoods trailer park community called Happy Camp. This is where Michael came to live when he was adopted at the age of 9 by Walt and Sandy Tanner. Two years later, when Walt and Sandy's biological son disappeared mysteriously, Michael was the only eye witness but had no recollection of what happened. The Tanner family quickly disintegrated and Michael was shipped off to yet another foster household. Two decades later, Michael (Michael Barbuto) has agreed to return to Happy Camp with his girlfriend, Anne (Anne Taylor), and her two-man documentary film crew, Josh (Josh Anthony) and Teddy (Teddy Gilmore). They pile into a rickety old Rv that barely makes its way to Happy Camp, making it pretty clear that the foursome will not be driving away from Happy Camp in this vehicle.
- 3/24/2014
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
This is that found footage flick coming at us from producer Drew Barrymore. Don’t remember what Happy Camp is all about, got a nice long synopsis for you right here:
n the vast wilderness of the Klamath National Forest lies the small logging community of Happy Camp. With a population consisting of only a few hundred souls, this mysterious mountain town has become world renowned for its staggeringly high number of Missing Persons Cases.
Walt … Continue reading →
Horrornews.net...
n the vast wilderness of the Klamath National Forest lies the small logging community of Happy Camp. With a population consisting of only a few hundred souls, this mysterious mountain town has become world renowned for its staggeringly high number of Missing Persons Cases.
Walt … Continue reading →
Horrornews.net...
- 3/22/2014
- by Dave Dreher
- Horror News
Happy Camp has been receiving a modicum of buzz, perhaps because of Drew Barrymore’s name being attached to the product, and maybe even because it seems to fall in line with the out-of-nowhere trend of Bigfoot movies popping up in the genre. (Seriously, what are we up to now, like six?) And it could be that these are the reasons that many viewers have been watching the trailer and still thinking “Yeah, that looks like it could be original.” The premise really isn’t as awful as a lot of the found footage horror movies.
The post Review: Happy Camp is Missing Something Pretty Important… appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Review: Happy Camp is Missing Something Pretty Important… appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 3/21/2014
- by Ryan Turek
- shocktillyoudrop.com
I’ll never be one who joins the ranks of haters ranting and raving about how “found footage” horror is single-handedly destroying horror cinema as we know it, because for every atrocious, microbudget genre cash-in blindly praying to be the next Paranormal Activity, we have a Cloverfield or [Rec]. “Found footage” shouldn’t go away because someone is always willing to reinvent the wheel eventually, as a movie like V/H/S did – but Happy Camp isn’t that film. Coming from Drew Barrymore’s production company Flower Films, we’re given a simple rehash of typical genre norms, stringing us along for what feels like an eternity’s worth of mockumentary filmmaking only to end with a weightless payoff. There are hints of originality and vision, teases of something wicked coming our way, but ultimately our investment goes unwarranted – like going to band camp and not coming home with an awesome flute story.
- 3/17/2014
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
You never know who, or what, is waiting for you during the opening of ‘Happy Camp.’ The horror-thriller is set to open nationwide on March 25 through such On Demand platforms as Time Warner, Comcast and DirecTV, and on iTunes. ‘Happy Camp,’ which was executive produced by Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen, will be distributed by Gravitas Ventures. The film was directed by first-time filmmaker Josh Anthony, who wrote the script with fellow actors Anne Taylor and Michael Barbuto. The thriller also stars Teddy Gilmore. Gravitas Ventures has released the following synopsis for ‘Happy Camp’: In the vast wilderness of the Klamath National Forest lies the small logging community of [ Read More ]
The post You Never Know What’s Waiting For You During the Opening of Happy Camp appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post You Never Know What’s Waiting For You During the Opening of Happy Camp appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/15/2014
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
The weekend is finally in sight, and you know what that means, right? It's time to head to Happy Camp with an exclusive clip for you horror-loving cats who appreciate your carnage served up warm and bloody.
Happy Camp is produced by Drew Barrymore's Flower Films banner, and it's helmed by first-timer Josh Anthony, who stars in, wrote, and directed the flick. Michael Barbuto, Anne Taylor, and Teddy Gilmore also star.
Look for the film on VOD March 25 via Gravitas Ventures.
Synopsis
In the vast wilderness of the Klamath National Forest lies the small logging community of Happy Camp. With a population consisting of only a few hundred souls, this mysterious mountain town has become world renowned for its staggeringly high number of Missing Persons Cases.
Walt and Sandy Tanner adopted a young boy named Michael at the age of 9 and brought him home to Happy Camp, where the...
Happy Camp is produced by Drew Barrymore's Flower Films banner, and it's helmed by first-timer Josh Anthony, who stars in, wrote, and directed the flick. Michael Barbuto, Anne Taylor, and Teddy Gilmore also star.
Look for the film on VOD March 25 via Gravitas Ventures.
Synopsis
In the vast wilderness of the Klamath National Forest lies the small logging community of Happy Camp. With a population consisting of only a few hundred souls, this mysterious mountain town has become world renowned for its staggeringly high number of Missing Persons Cases.
Walt and Sandy Tanner adopted a young boy named Michael at the age of 9 and brought him home to Happy Camp, where the...
- 3/13/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Happy Camp will be released on VOD Tuesday March 25 2014. This found footage film is about a man that the returns to the childhood town where his brother was abducted 20 years earlier. Check out the trailer below but my guess is you wont want to go to Happy Camp. The film is produced by Drew Barrymores Flower Films and stars Josh Anthony Michael Barbuto Anne Taylor and Teddy Gilmore.
- 3/3/2014
- Best-Horror-Movies.com
One thing is for sure... when it comes to the new horror flick Happy Camp, the kids are anything but all right. Check it out, and if you have a little bastard in your life that's in need of some learnin', sign 'em up!
Happy Camp is produced by Drew Barrymore's Flower Films banner, and it's helmed by first-timer Josh Anthony, who stars in, wrote, and directed the flick. Michael Barbuto, Anne Taylor, and Teddy Gilmore also star.
Look for the film on VOD March 25 via Gravitas Ventures.
Synopsis
In the vast wilderness of the Klamath National Forest lies the small logging community of Happy Camp. With a population consisting of only a few hundred souls, this mysterious mountain town has become world renowned for its staggeringly high number of Missing Persons Cases.
Walt and Sandy Tanner adopted a young boy named Michael at the age of 9 and brought him home to Happy Camp,...
Happy Camp is produced by Drew Barrymore's Flower Films banner, and it's helmed by first-timer Josh Anthony, who stars in, wrote, and directed the flick. Michael Barbuto, Anne Taylor, and Teddy Gilmore also star.
Look for the film on VOD March 25 via Gravitas Ventures.
Synopsis
In the vast wilderness of the Klamath National Forest lies the small logging community of Happy Camp. With a population consisting of only a few hundred souls, this mysterious mountain town has become world renowned for its staggeringly high number of Missing Persons Cases.
Walt and Sandy Tanner adopted a young boy named Michael at the age of 9 and brought him home to Happy Camp,...
- 2/28/2014
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
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