Butterfly Kisses (2018) Review – A Brilliant and Meta Folk Legend Nightmare
Butterfly Kisses: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A highly intelligent and genuinely unsettling found footage mockumentary that manages to breathe new life into a tired genre. Butterfly Kisses succeeds primarily through its incredibly rich world-building; the legend of Peeping Tom is so convincingly constructed that it has successfully bled into real-world folklore. While the lead character is intentionally grating and difficult to root for, the film’s meta-commentary on the nature of found footage and the obsession of creators is fascinating. It balances creepy background scares with a cynical, self-aware wit that keeps the audience engaged throughout. It is a 3.8 star effort that stands as a fitting legacy for the late Erik Kristopher Myers, proving that even with a modest budget, a well-told story and a terrifying hook are more than enough to leave a lasting impact. If you appreciated the initial viral mystery of The Blair Witch Project, this is a must-watch.
Details: Director: Erik Kristopher Myers | Cast: Seth Adam Kallick, Rachel Armiger, Reed DeLisle, Matt Lake | Runtime: 1h 31m | Release Date: 2018
Best for: Fans of urban legends, mockumentaries, and those who enjoy “spot the monster” scares and deep narrative world-building.
Worth noting: The film features a cameo from Blair Witch director Eduardo Sánchez, serving as a seal of approval for a film that serves as a spiritual successor to his 1999 classic.
Where to Watch: Amazon🛒, Tubi (Free), Vudu
Rating: 3.8/5 Stars
(A masterclass in folklore world-building with genuine chills and a clever meta-narrative.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing the 2018 found footage horror movie Butterfly Kisses.
Highlights
The legend of Peeping Tom
I am not sure if everyone knows what butterfly kisses are? It’s basically the term for someone fluttering their eyelashes on your cheek. Cute, right? Well, not in the case of the movie we are looking at today. The butterfly kisses in this case are those of a malicious folklore legend.
Peeping Tom is a supernatural entity that lives at the end of a tunnel in an American town. Legend says that staring into the tunnel without blinking for one hour will summon him. From then on, the Flimmern Geist, or Flicker Spirit, will get closer and closer to you every time you blink. Eventually, he will be so close he will give you butterfly kisses before scaring you to death. Is that a terrifying idea or what?
Butterfly Kisses follows the story of director Gavin (Seth Adam Kallick). Gavin’s family recently purchased a property and found some tapes in the basement. The tapes depict the filming of a documentary by a pair of students. The students believe they have captured the sinister Peeping Tom on camera. The only problem is, they went missing shortly after. Gavin is now determined to prove that the tapes are real. The only question is: to what lengths is he willing to go?
A fantastic backstory
Butterfly Kisses plays out like a mockumentary. Gavin has hired a team to follow his journey, documenting his attempts to prove the authenticity of these tapes. The idea of Peeping Tom is genuinely unsettling and the lore behind the character is tremendously well crafted.
“The lore behind Peeping Tom is so well-crafted that it was featured in a book about Maryland legends. Director Erik Myers had to contact the author to confirm he invented the legend for the movie.”
In fact, it is so well crafted that an author featured it in her book about Maryland legends. Director Erik Myers felt he had to contact the author to clear things up, confirming to her that it was a legend developed by him for a horror movie. The author was so impressed that she ended up leaving it in her book. How many films can boast a claim like that?
The lore here is something that absolutely stands out about Butterfly Kisses. It features a background story crafted with genuine care and attention. Erik Myers was, evidently, an absolute folk legend nerd. Peeping Tom taps into all the same elements that make folk legends of old so compelling, not to mention terrifying. It makes it all the easier for the viewer to buy into the story.
Butterfly Kisses drags you in and absorbs you in much the same way as The Blair Witch Project did back at the beginning of the found footage boom — a movie which greatly inspired Myers to the point where he requested the involvement of director Eduardo Sánchez.
Genuinely creepy in parts
Butterfly Kisses is rather effective and genuinely creepy in parts, as well. Fleeting glimpses of Peeping Tom promote obsessive background watching. The sense of vulnerability surrounding the characters adds to the level of fear. You can see that they are taking things too far, but they never realise and are incapable of helping themselves.
Myers shows a little bit too much at times; some stuff should have been left to the imagination. A few jump scares aren’t particularly welcome. There is, also, a couple of scenes that don’t really work.
“Fleeting glimpses of Peeping Tom promote obsessive background watching. The sense of vulnerability surrounding the characters adds to the level of fear.”
I think Myers could have leaned more into The Mothman Prophecies approach, keeping some things unexplained and making the viewer question what they saw. It’s still a creepy movie though, especially by found footage horror standards.
Extremely self aware
For much of its length, Butterfly Kisses acts as something of an examination of the found footage genre as a whole. It is incredibly self-aware and mentions the genre by name on a number of occasions. It poses the questions of “what if found footage horror was real?” and “what if these people were actually going through these things?”. Documenting and recording them only to be dismissed.
It’s fantastic stuff and a legitimately unique approach to the genre. It feels pretty fresh and the self-aware nature of the narrative actually leads to some genuine moments of laugh-out-loud humour. It would be remiss of me, however, to not point out how much it leans on its inspirations. At times, Butterfly Kisses feels like a combination of successful found footage horrors – like a tribute act to Found Footage’s Greatest Hits.
An unlikable lead
Gavin, our lead character here, is a bit of a prick. He is difficult to relate to and even harder to care about. Much like the lead of another found footage movie we covered recently, Followed, he is almost impossible to like. This may turn a few viewers off. I would have been quite happy to see Peeping Tom dry hump him into the abyss. Actor Seth Adam Kallick does a fine job. He clearly buys into the character’s motivations; Gavin is just not a likeable character.
The rest of the cast are fine. Rachel Armiger is decent as Sophia. Some of her more dramatic moments aren’t particularly great, mainly down to her facial expressions, but she is believable otherwise. She feels like a real person, not a caricature. Reed DeLisle does a nice job as Feldman, conveying well the insecurities he feels as a camera operator as well as his resentment towards directors.
“Gavin, our lead character, is a bit of a prick. He is difficult to relate to and even harder to care about. I would have been quite happy to see Peeping Tom dry hump him into the abyss.”
Side characters are all very convincing. I loved Matt Lake as Mr Folklore. He offers up some genuine laughs with his delivery and facial expressions. I really enjoyed seeing Eduardo Sanchez as well. His scenes play out as a great bit of satire, adding a bit of levity to the movie just as it is becoming a bit heavy.
A terrible tragedy
The movie’s actual director, Erik Myers, has a fairly substantial role as well. He is very convincing. Myers tragically passed away in September of 2021. A sad loss for the horror community and, of course, for his family and friends.
It’s easily forgotten but when we lose a director and writer, we don’t just lose the person and the talent. We also lose the stories they have to tell. Erik was obviously incredibly talented and it is truly sad that he can’t still be here scaring horror fans. No messages will suffice but needless to say there is help out there if you need it. I know that is sometimes not enough, though.
Rest in peace to a great horror mind.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Folklore Lore: The Peeping Tom legend is one of the best-conceived urban legends in modern horror, feeling authentic and terrifying.
- Meta Approach: The mockumentary format allows for a clever exploration of the found footage genre, providing both depth and humour.
- Background Scares: The fleeting glimpses of the entity encourage a high level of viewer engagement and deliver genuine chills.
The Bad
- Protagonist Likeability: Gavin is a remarkably unlikable lead, which may make it difficult for some viewers to stay invested in his journey.
- Over-exposure: In the final act, the film reveals a bit too much of the entity, robbing the mystery of some of its initial power.
- Familiar Tropes: While it subverts them well, it still relies on a “greatest hits” collection of found footage elements that some may find tired.
The Ugly: The Blinking Rule. The terrifying logic that a monster gets closer every time you blink turns a natural bodily function into a countdown to death.
Should You Watch Butterfly Kisses?
Yes, absolutely. It is a 3.8 star horror that stands as one of the best independent found footage films of the last decade. It manages to be smart, scary, and satirical all at once. If you can tolerate a protagonist who is a bit of a berk, you will find a rewarding and highly original take on the urban legend sub-genre. Just try not to blink.
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A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.
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