Film Review: (The 16th Episode) Little Horror Movie

It’s no secret I like a bit of found footage now and again. ‘Little Horror Movie’ aka The 16th Episode is a mixture of POV and found footage mashed alongside some standard scenes but overall it tends to weigh heavily on the handheld camera side. If you’re looking for newer found footage movies, you’ve come to the right place.

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Little Horror Movie aka The 16th Episode

• Writer/director Jérôme Cohen-Olivar
• Produced by Dark Island Pictures and distributed by Gravitas Ventures
• Release Date June 2019 (USA)
• 5 Awards and 2 nominations 🏆

The storyline for Little Horror Movie

Some YouTubers find the numbers dropping on their adventure channel. They travel to the city of Casablanca to up their game. What they find is something more sinister than they could ever have imagined.

The 16th Episode Review (Little Horror Movie) Review

The moment one of the characters opened their mouth, I began to worry. From the banter between the core group of YouTubers to the bizarre conversation with a dreadlocked criminal carrying one of the largest handguns I’ve ever seen, there is something just a little off. There are other moments in this 93-minute film that I wondered how or if it would redeem itself.

For example, Helen is the spokesperson for the trio and while filming, a random thief snatches her phone and runs off knocking her to the ground. The cameraman, Mark, gives chase and when he finally catches up, the thief, a child is wielding a small knife.

When Helen arrives on the scene, she tells the crew to leave and points out that she needs her memory card so she can make a living. Failing to win the argument, she asks his name. Helen then translates it to “gift of God” and for some reason, this shirtless backstreet thug with the giant pistol hands everything over. He tells her she’ll regret it. Crisis averted.

Within the oddly defined structure of the narrative, there are massive sparks of brilliance. One theory I have about it all is that the cast was allowed to ad-lib and the basic structure of the script was then built up around it. It’s the only thing that makes sense because the actual story is quirky but intriguing.

Classic Cinematography in Horror Movies

The film has self-aware anecdotes peppered throughout which gives it a certain charm that made me not dislike it. There’s also great momentum and unpredictability which is not often found in this type of story.

The cinematography is also really well-established. I’m always happy to watch a film in this subgenre that forgoes the shaky-cam aspect. Instead, Little Horror Movie filmmakers put in the hard yards finding the right light, the right atmosphere, and making whatever’s happening on-screen enjoyable to watch. The practical effects are also nicely executed and there are kill scenes dropped to shock which were an excellent addition.

New Found Footage Movies Little Horror Movie Trailer

There’s Always One That’s Dumb All Over

All the characters within this story seem to be hiding something, which is a great way to create speculation as to what might happen next. Mark, however, is heavily typecast as the bumbling but lovable cameraman. Despite some of the lines he is given which are completely insane, for the most part, I liked him.

For example, Marks’s reaction to blood-covered Helen is that she must have been bathing in her period-blood and they should go help her clean up. I’m not even kidding. It’s commentary like this that makes you wonder if anyone on the planet could be that stupid and still able to walk and talk, but I digress.

There’s also this small exchange…

Mark: Wait! this is not going to work! Einar: What? Why? Mark: It’s a Muslim demon, it’s not going to give a shit about Christ!

Einar: How do you know it’s Muslim? Mark: It was speaking Arabic!

Einar: You’re being so racist right now.

Quote from the Little Horror Movie

It takes about an hour before we are given any type of payoff, but by found footage standards, Little Horror Movie could be given bonus points for originality. I can’t say the ending blew my mind but the whole thing is tied up loosely but securely.

I give Little Horror Movie

2.75 watch those tour guides out of 5

Writer-Director Jérôme Cohen-Olivar

Its writer-director Jérôme Cohen-Olivar is known for his previous work Kandisha (2008), a Moroccan fantasy/horror. It’s also worth mentioning that Oren Peli bought the film, the same guy responsible for Paranormal Activity.

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