Site 13 is a hard film to categorize. Its part found footage, part possession and part something else. I’m being somewhat vague because I think it’s better to go into this with no idea of what’s going on. And the film itself has a truly fascinating story behind it that almost makes it worth the watch. The found footage scenes were shot in 2003. And the other scenes were shot within the last few years. This makes the older scenes have a genuine age to them.

A professor and a small team decide to investigate something known as Devils Circle, it’s the 13^th such known circle, hence the title. Jump ahead ten years and the very same professor wakes from a coma with no idea what happened or how he got to the church-run hospital that they find themselves. While speaking with a former nun and psychologist, Catherine, we learn the truth is far worse than anyone could have imagined.

The story of Site 13 is split into two parts, the “present day” which mostly takes place in a hospital and “the past” which is shown with a videotape. The story isn’t anything new or groundbreaking, the past has the mentor with an obsession that clouds their judgement while the present involves a former nun who lost their faith. But it’s the whole of the film that makes it worth watching and not the sum of its parts.

There is a very noticeable split among the acting. The stronger acting is taking place in the present while the much weaker acting is in the past. The standout being Catherine (Katie Gibson) as a former nun, who has faced her fair share of trials and tribulations, leading her to a crisis of faith. Her character, portrayed with remarkable depth and vulnerability, allows viewers to connect with the struggles of inner conflict and the pursuit of personal redemption. The rest of the cast ranges from okay to “gosh I hope you get eaten”.

From an overall technical point of view, the film is mostly serviceable. The video is consistent and balanced throughout. Where it really stumbles is the audio, the sound design is just all over the place. It jumps from barely audible to ear piercing with little to no warning. This is one of the few movies a recommend watching with subtitles, so you don’t feel the need to consistently adjust the volume. The practical effects aren’t bad either, though the special effects do suffer from the smaller budget. It doesn’t take away for the film though.

Throughout my viewing of Site 13 I kept thinking about how the story behind the film felt more interesting than the movie itself. The idea of someone taking the old footage from a project shot years ago and framing it into a modern movie was incredibly ingenious. It’s a shame that the finished product waits until its third act to show some of that same creativity.