The Rebrand
Canceled Lesbian influencers Thistle (Nancy Webb) and Blair (Andi E McQueen) decide it’s time for a Rebrand. Hosted by Tranna Wintour (Tranna Wintour), Thistle and Blair have their lives put back in the limelight when Nicole (Naomi Silver-Vezina) goes to their house to film their comeback. Eight months pregnant, Nicole realizes Thistle and Blair may not be as sweet and sincere as they seem online.
Parasocial relationships are a hell of a drug in co-writer and director Kaye Adelaide’s debut feature. Co-written by Nancy Webb, The Rebrand is a bold look behind the curtains of social media stars. In a world where the sharp-chinned Dream was canceled shortly after his disastrous face reveal, and the Miranda Sings apology video, this feels all too realistic. The faces we pump hours of watch time into have, time and time again, proved to be nothing more than monsters disguised by slick editing, ring lights, and stans. The Rebrand takes that idea and turns the dial up to 11.
A fantastic blend of horror with sharp bits of comedy, The Rebrand is a fast-paced, mind-bending found footage flick. Coming in at about one hour and 20 minutes, this film doesn’t leave room for much fat and utilizes nearly every second to further the story. We aren’t forced to sit through a film that’s 1/10th b-roll, but are given precise shots that feel like a fully realized product within the world it exists in. I can see this film making a killing at midnight screenings.
Leech
Content creator and all-around lolcow, Dark Lord of Loves Park (Jordan Acosta), has curated an image of degeneracy to be laughed at by those willing to cough up a fiver. Mike from Content Corner (Mike Miller) starts making reaction videos of Dark Lord, which does not please his darkest majesty. Dark Lord thinks Mike’s videos are taking money out of his pockets, when in reality, as it usually goes, Dark Lord wouldn’t have viewers without Mike. This begs the question, is Dark Lord a Leech on society? Or is Mike Leeching off of someone else’s “hard work”?
From writer/director David M. Dawson, Leech captures a not-too-alternate universe KingCobraJFS. I’ll be upfront and say I absolutely enjoyed Leech. Jordan Acosta unabashedly gives Dark Lord 110%. It gets to a point where Acosta seems a bit too comfortable as Dark Lord. This film is an entertaining, hellish rebuke of KingCobraJFS-like content and asks the question, “What happens when they inevitably go too far?”
But that’s really it.
IF you don’t enjoy cringe-watching KingCobra on TikTok/Reels or feel genuinely turned off by watching content of that type, Leech won’t get the job done. While there’s more to Leech than the abhorrent inedible concoctions and general cringe-worthy behavior, that’s really what the film is about. You either buy into the bit, or you don’t. Due to the complete commitment to the bit, I can see that being the main detractor for some audiences.
The Unsolved Love Hotel Murder Case Incident
Guy (Guy) and Dave (Dave Jackson) learn of the unfortunate death of a young woman at a love hotel from their friend Kuromi (Kuromi Kirishima). The three decide to take a trip with their cameras to the abandoned and decrepit hotel to see if they can find the ghost of the young woman. Will they see the ghost of Hinano? And will they finally get to the bottom of The Unsolved Love Hotel Murder Case Incident?
Part of me wonders if writers/directors Guy and Dave Jackson are having a laugh with the questionably long title of this film. Unsolved is a fun take on J-horror’s underrepresentation in found footage. The film rings in at one hour and 10 minutes, and it doesn’t use that time wisely. Guy and Dave deliver some solid scares and do a good job of building tension, but the beautiful abandoned hotel gets very little screen time. It felt like we were leaving the hotel as quickly as we arrived.
Maybe this could be due to budget/time constraints, so it’s difficult to fault the film for that alone. But with the film’s short runtime, you can’t help but feel left wanting something more. Like Distort, my biggest issue is how the film just kind of ends. The million-dollar question is: does the horror work and make it worthwhile? For me, yes. For those wanting more atmosphere and creepy, abandoned hotel wandering, you may feel slightly short-changed.