Found footage comes in all shapes, sizes, and cryptids. I’d wager to say that at least half of the DVDs and Blu-rays I own are found footage. There has been a recent trend in the subgenre that I don’t necessarily appreciate.
Alan at Night and the Rise of Prank-Based Found Footage
A five-minute scroll through TikTok reveals the recent trend of internet celebrities whose entire persona is built around “pranking” civilians who are simply going about their day. It’s the lowest of low-brow comedy. And people who find entertainment in those people should be chemically castrated. It really kicked off with Deadstream and the exaggerated Shawn Ruddy, and these types of “content creators” became focal points of found footage. But will this shift ultimately push people away altogether?
Alan at Night follows Jay (Joseph Basquill) and Camillo (Jorge Felipe Guevara), two internet “creators” whose gimmick is nothing original. Pranks, “jokes”, the usual cries for attention. Camillo finds himself jobless and forced to move out of the apartment he shares with Jay. To help pay the rent until his girlfriend, Sam (Hadley Durkee), moves in, Jay puts the word out for a quick sublet. That’s when Alan (Chris Ash) answers the call. At first, Alan seems quirky and quiet. Things quickly devolve into madness when Alan turns from quirky white guy to a violent, sleepwalking creep. What is Alan [really getting into] at night?
A Missed Opportunity in Found Footage
Writer/director Jesse Swenson has a good idea somewhere within Alan at Night, but I don’t think it lives up to its potential. Too much of the film revolves around Jay and the incredibly annoying Camillo as they try to navigate an Alan-filled life. It never tries to push boundaries or stand out from the rest of the found footage influencer fare that’s prevalent in the subgenre. Much of found footage is based around the idea of forcing you alongside multiple people you’re not supposed to like, and that’s fine. But Jay and Camillo are frustratingly surface-level people with little to no interesting angles to their characters.
I have a habit of trying to defend found footage. It’s a subgenre that’s often laughed at and not taken seriously. A film like Alan at Night contributes little to the found footage conversation. Its sole purpose is to ramp up to a final stinger, with little substance until that point. Alan is the only interesting character throughout, and we don’t get near enough of him to make the journey worthwhile.
A Highlight in a Lackluster Film
The film’s stinger does work for what it is, but at what point does a stinger scene become worthless in the grand scheme of a film? There are some incredibly strong practical moments in the final third that are absolutely exhilarating. It just doesn’t feel like it’s worth the journey. I can see and feel the creativity that brews in Swenson as a filmmaker. But I don’t think Swenson’s talents are on full display with Alan at Night.
