Nato – Afflicted
Where Stage Fright is fighting for a spot in my year-end Top 10, Afflicted has all but sealed a spot in my Top 5. I don’t want to reveal any of the secrets, because going into this flick with blinders on made for one hell of a horror experience, so I’m going to be extremely vague on details here in an effort to stay spoiler free. See, don’t say I never did anything for you!
Derek Lee and Clif Prowse write, direct, and star in this unconventional “found footage” film being described as “Chronicle but way more scary,” which is an apt analysis. The setup is simple – two friends go on an international vacation together, but the catch is Derek harbors a disease that could incapacitate him at any moment. Living with the affliction his whole life, Derek decides not to let his health troubles prevent a once and a lifetime opportunity – a trip that slowly descends into horrific madness. What appears to be the disease mutating is something completely different, and from here horror elements kick the door down on this buddy road trip.
Afflicted succeeds not only in providing a grounded jolt of grime to an all-too-twinkly genre, but by addressing “found footage” movies and harnessing all they’re worth – not shaking the camera violently and distorting low-budget antics. Lee and Prowse are proud of their visual brutality, and they show each graphic moment in full, crisp HD. Kudos on embracing everything “found footage” has to offer – not exploiting cheap scares and motion-sickness.