Did you know people make movies on their iPhones? Not like hobbyists and the general public. I’m talking about proper filmmakers with budgets and crews. They are popping out feature-length movies filmed on mobile devices. To clarify, the Char Man film was released in 2019 and used a Samsung Galaxy S8, an iPad mini, and an iPhone 6s. For 11 more movies made with an iPhone check out this article from Indiewire. The story of the Char Man legend is inspired by a local myth and movies based on legends always have something going for them.

One of my favorite films from 2018 was Soderbergh’s Unsane. This was made on an iPhone too. Aside from that, there are at least a dozen or so films that have also been created in the same fashion. The first film that was shot entirely with a mobile device was a 2014 horror film, Uneasy Lies the Mind.

Produced by MRP Entertainment and distributed by Indie Rights. Written & directed by Kurt Ela and Kipp Tribble.

The Ojai Vampire, Folk Lore for Char Man Movie

Char Man finds his uniqueness within the storyline. The film manages to create a tale where two urban legends collide. This was one of the positives of this film.

The movie sets out with, Kent and Andy who want to make a documentary about The Ojai Vampire. The filmmakers and cameraman, Eric, head up to Ojai and start mapping their scenes. The story they want to tell us is about a Spanish vampire who moved to Ojai in 1890 and killed local cattle. Legend says the vampire brought a wolf protector, who was also known to kill a few things.

Ranchers hunted down the wolf and enclosed the vampire inside its sarcophagus where they then hid it among brush and weeds. The tomb of the Spanish vampire resides above ground and features a glass window. Those who discovered it reported seeing a human skull within. The movie doesn’t cover the official legend completely, I looked it up though.

The Other Char Man

There are quite a few stories that circulate about Char Man in Ojai. The one recounted in this story by Kurt Ela (as Camron) centers around a very large fire that wiped out many homes. With such a wide area to cover looking for survivors, rescuers eventually discovered one family of two, a father and son.

The son was reported to have gone mad, hung his dad, and skinned him. His father was not alive during this horrific act and afterward, he fled on foot into the surrounding hills. It was said he occasionally came close to town, scaring and menacing people over the years. Police searches to apprehend or find this charred man have been unsuccessful.

People have reported that if you go down to a certain bridge on Old Creek Road and yell out “Help! help!’ Char Man will appear and come after you.

The Myth and Legend

Overall, if it wasn’t for this interesting crossover, this whole film would be a big fail. For me, the unstructured nature of the movie itself just doesn’t gel quite right. Fortunately, once the group begins perusing the town, talking to residents, and sleeping overnight in a house on the outskirts, they discover there is more to Ojai than they thought. They, of course, mock the legend and call out a word rumored to invoke Char Man.

Jeff Kober & Kipp Tribble as Kent & Eric in Char Man — Jeff Kober & Kipp Tribble as Kent & Eric. Char Man movie is found footage and based on a legend.

Essentially, I think short run times are key when you’re making a film that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a big budget. Combined with concise scripting, short run times can heighten the experience of a low-budget film. I read this film was improvised a lot and it shows. Char Man is cited as being partially a comedy film, but I must admit this didn’t come across at all while watching. I’m not sure you can hide the weak points of a movie by saying it’s supposed to be funny.

Pet Peeves & Performances

Performances are pretty solid, I mean just because they’re two guys acting like everyday people filming, doesn’t mean it isn’t acting. I can think of numerous other films where this is the case and the acting feels forced. The guys here all seem pretty natural and do a good job of fumbling around and scouting locations for their vampire documentary.

My main pet peeve was not paying attention to its own story. For instance, I will add that the choice of ‘lurkers’ does not fit the scope of the story. More importantly, do the scares. Some are a little creepy (well for me they were because I’m a sucker for things that lurk) but these lurkers aren’t part of the story the whole film sets up with.

Final Scenes in Char Man

Char Man tries especially hard to be ambiguous in the final scenes using a well-known movie prop device. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough detail in the legends they just finished investigating to pull it off. I did like that they went against everything that had been done before though, and armed only with their phones, trekked off into the darkness to confront the unknown person/s. It showed that you can create a great tense atmosphere using other tactics better than running aimlessly around places without light.

However, based on a generic story with something original added to it, it doesn’t succeed. To clarify, all I ended up thinking about was the movies it literally took elements from and used incorrectly. I could’ve forgiven all that if the tropes were utilized with some pizzazz. The ending especially was particularly abrupt and poorly executed. Almost like the filmmakers didn’t quite know how to create a good finale.

In conclusion, I still want to see what this team can come up with next. Their ability to make a film that looks nice has been proven, now they just need some good writers.

I give Char Man

3 there are no kids in the Char Man legend out of 5

Mother of Movies score

Directed by Kurt Ela + Kipp Tribble
Writing Credits Kurt Ela, Kipp Tribble
Cast Kurt Ela Kurt Ela Kipp Tribble, Nick Greco, and Jeff Kober.
The Char Man film was provided to Mother of Movies as a screener for review purposes.
What to watch next: Blackout is a werewolf movie.