One of the latest efforts is Tape 407, a first-hand account of the fictional events that occurred at the 'Mesa Reserve Incident'. Opening the film in a plane, we are introduced to our pawns in the form of sisters Trish (Abigail Schrader) and Jessie (Samantha Lester), the former feeling the need to document the trip through her camera. Through her lens we get to know a number of the passengers, from a newlywed couple to a photographer to a rather irritable drunk, all of whom we will get to know better when disaster strikes.
No sooner are the words 'safest way to travel' uttered than the plane is crashing, leaving the characters stuck in a crash site seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
A few injuries and arguments later and our survivors soon find themselves in the midst of something even more terrifying than the crash itself: they are in the middle of a government testing area where predators are roaming and they are the prey. In an attempt to escape the facility the group have to band together and find any means to elude their pursuers.
As an avid horror fan and viewer of plenty of found footage films, Tape 407 is one of the worst I've had the misfortune to sit through. In attempting a gradual uncovering of the characters once the crash occurs, Tape 407 not only lingers desperately but it also rids the film of any tension whatsoever. So much so that when the time comes for the 'strange noises' and the 'what was that sound' we are already tired of some truly dull and irritating individuals and are rooting for them to be gruesomely slaughtered as opposed to gaining their freedom.
As is the case in the sub-genre, a majority of the scenes aim to build up the heart-pounding terror with the use of minimal lighting and the dreaded sound of breathless characters bracing themselves for what is to come. Tape 407 is no different but directors Dale Fabrigar and Everette Wallin miss the mark and inject very little terror into their film. Glimpses of the creatures are few and far between but within the first brief viewing the majority of the audience will have figured out what is pursuing our helpless crash survivors, resulting in the twist ending not quite hitting the mark it.
Tape 407 does little to inspire in way of performances from its cast. As one of the main protagonists wielding the camera, Abigail Schrader is irritating enough to drive the audience spare. Melanie and James Lyons look to be feuding over the hero duties but fail to pack the punch that the film so desperately needs.
Offering nothing different in the found footage field in terms of originality and the build up of a reasonable level of tension, Tape 407 flounders once its major set piece is out of the way. With creatures so blatantly obvious and an inability to create any edge-of-the-seat horror, the film remains flat.
