On the surface, Afflicted looks like just another found footage movie in a world that is already overflowing with them. Fortunately, it proves to be a lot more than that when you watch it. The film follows Clif Prowse and Derek Lee (who also servers as writers-directors) as they leave their families and friends behind to go on a trip together around the world. Early on, Derek meets a beautiful woman in Paris who he ends up having quite the evening with. The next morning, Clif finds him in a hotel room bruised and battered and Derek has no recollection of what happened. As time goes on and Derek starts to exhibit strange behaviour, the guys realize that there is something seriously wrong.
Having premiered at TIFF to excellent reviews, the film is building quite a buzz as it approaches its April 4th theatrical release. Our very own Matt Donato recently checked it out and had the following to say (which I completely agree with):
Afflicted is an unconventional horror movie with the guts to successfully reinvent not only one stale horror subgenre – but two.
I had the pleasure of conducting an exclusive interview with Lee and Prowse last week in Santa Monica while they were in town promoting their new horror film. With a budget of well under $1 million, I was extremely curious to find out how they managed to pull off several impressive shots and what challenges such a tight budget presented. Thankfully, the two filmmakers were eager to chat and they gave us the complete scoop on their buzzy movie.
Check it out in the video below and be sure to catch Afflicted when it hits theatres this Friday!