THE LAST BROADCAST

A strange mix of THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, PARADISE LOST and the old "In Search Of..." television series, THE LAST BROADCAST - the debut feature of digital pioneers Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler - is a fascinating mix of true crime documentary and serial killer flick. It is also one of the most important films of the new digital age, not because of its onscreen content - unless you're the filmmakers behind THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT - but because of the way the film made it into theaters. THE LAST BROADCAST was the first film to be satellite broadcasted, beating George Lucas and his STAR WARS EPISODE 1 premiere to the punch by close to a year.


Stefan Avalos, Lance Weiler, Rein Clabbers, and Jim Seward in The Last Broadcast

Anyone familiar with the aforementioned THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT - a truly terrifying and magnificent film in its own right - will feel comfortable here. The masterminds behind an "In Search Of..." style cable series, "Fact or Fiction?", decide to do a live broadcast in the Pine Barrens region of New Jersey in hopes of finding the Jersey Devil. The co-hosts, Steven and Locus, played by the filmmakers, take along with them a sound man, Rein, and a supposed psychic, Jim. By the end of the night, Locus and Rein are dead, Steven is missing, and Jim is arrested for murder.


Rein Clabbers in The Last Broadcast

THE LAST BROADCAST is presented as an actual documentary. Its "director", David Leigh, mixes his own investigative footage with the found footage of Locus, Stefan, and Rein, all in an attempt to find out whether or not a man named Jim Suerd, the obviously unbalanced amateur magician / faux psychic who is acting as their guide, is truly guilty of the murders. The real beauty of the film is how well Avalos and Weiler nail the feel of a true documentary. Unlike BLAIR WITCH, which simply uses the footage of its missing filmmakers, Avalos and Weiler use still photographs, maps, interviews, and re-enactments to create a film that looks like a real work. It's because of their attention to detail and use of popular documentary devices that THE LAST BROADCAST becomes a much stronger film than it would have been in the hands of anyone else.


Deep in the Pine Barrens in The Last Broadcast

Though the narrative device of the Jersey Devil would seem to indicate that we are going to be watching a straight horror film, THE LAST BROADCAST is much more. Beneath the surface, the film functions as an examination / criticism of reality television ethics and the narcisstic impulses of those who participate in that medium, all under the guise of a mystery. Once the truth is revealed and the final piece of the puzzle is in place - the final reveal of the guilty party is a stunner even though Avalos and Weiler somewhat botch the execution - THE LAST BROADCASTs true colors show and the film suddenly becomes less about the subjects of the documentary and more about the purpose of the documentary itself. It's an interesting about-face that changes not only the tone but the nature of the film itself.


Essential Viewing.