In the realm of horror films, there’s a subgenre for virtually anything. Sometimes, there’s even a subgenre within another subgenre. That’s part of the beauty of horror: anything goes, and there’s something for everyone. Now, that something might not be someone else’s cup of tea, but you are guaranteed to find an audience for whatever story it is that you’re trying to tell. Reel, directed by Chris Goodwin, certainly falls under the category of “not everyone’s cup of tea” by offering up a deranged, shocking addition to the found footage world.

One thing that can be said right away about Reel is that it minces no words on what kind of movie it is, with the tagline stating “one of the sickest bloodbaths in horror movie history….” While a statement like that could be considered grandiose or even arrogant, it’s a fair and true assessment of what unfolds during it’s 79 minute runtime.

Reel begins with a creepy, disguised voiceover from someone who identifies themselves as SlasherVictim666, whose movie it is that we are supposed to be watching. The center of the movie is YouTube personality and film critic Todd Smith (Michael Estes), though, and it becomes evident that Todd is a victim of our narrator’s sick obsession.

Through a combination of YouTube and other various internet clips, along with handheld camcorder and smartphone videos, we quickly get a sense of who Todd is. Todd gives a rundown to his dysfunctional family life growing up, and blames his sister in law for his current estrangement with his brother. Todd is convinced that not only is she cheating on his brother, but that the child they share together isn’t actually his brother’s. 

He goes through great lengths in order to prove this theory, even resorting to sneaking into their home in an attempt to find evidence to support his claims. Interspersed with this are rants about his family, with clips to showcase just how flawed they all are, telling viewers “my family took a lot of videos of themselves.” At this point, our friend SlasherVictim666 interjects to make sure we know that his family liked to take videos as well, and that he had a similar upbringing as Todd. But oh, it is most definitely not the same. 

It’s at this point where you get a full understanding of the depraved road you’re about to go down while watching this movie. The clips of the “activities” SlasherVictim666’s family enjoyed can only be described as the messed up love child of the characters from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. And that’s just the beginning of the nefarious, lewd, shocking moments during the final act.

Todd’s incessant need to uncover his sister in law’s transgressions eventually catches up with him in ways he, and the unsuspecting audience, couldn’t expect. The final 12 minutes of Reel are, to put it mildly, some of the most disturbing, unwatchable, sadistic moments of any horror film accessible today. The fact that it’s in the grainy, amateur found footage style only adds to the sickening feeling of being subjected to what transpires.

Isn’t that the goal for a movie like this, though? Just because it may be difficult for, let’s face it, the vast majority of those watching, doesn’t mean the filmmakers didn’t accomplish their goals. The point to a story like this is to make people uncomfortable. And they not only do just that, they exceed it. Reel toes the line between going too far and doing exactly what they set out to do. It’s even more impressive that this is all done with practical effects on a minuscule budget, because even the most scrutinizing viewer will have a moment where they will question if what they are watching is actually real.

Reel is not an experience for the faint of heart or the squeamish. If you have a strong stomach and an even stronger fortitude, however, there are some impressive feats made in the attempt to provide audiences with an experience they won’t soon forget, even if that experience is not an enjoyable one.

4 out of 10