Death of a Vlogger (2019) Review - Enjoyable Scottish Vlogger Horror
Welcome to Knockout Horror and to another edition of our Horror On Tubi feature. Today we will be reviewing Graham Hughes’ Found Footage horror Death of a Vlogger. This is a movie that is very well regarded by critics. Hell, it is a afforded a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 7.8/10 average. Isn’t that just about the highest rated found footage movie on their entire site? That doesn’t mean we will be swayed by people’s opinions, though. As far as I am concerned, we will look at this in the same way we would look at any low budget Tubi movie. With disdain and, even, a little bit of disgust. At least until it proves us wrong, of course.
Critics Love It, Viewers Don’t
Death of a Vlogger’s 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, that I referred to earlier, really starts to look a little odd when you compare it to the viewer score. Sure, we have 4 extremely positive written reviews and only a few ratings but those ratings hint at a far less enthusiastic response. When we head over to IMDB, that sentiment is shared with a 5.6/10 score. The one that really concerns me, however, is the Google User Score.
Let’s be honest for a minute, here, Google Users love everything. They are the most enthusiastic group of reviewers on planet earth. I have reviewed some utter crap on here that has been liked by 80% of Google’s audience. In fact, I am pretty sure that they must count a “Like” as having not fallen asleep during the movie. The Google User score for Death of a Vlogger is 65% which is quite low. Especially when compared to the critic score. There is, likely, a simple explanation for that. Death of a Vlogger is one of those movies that some people will love and others will absolutely hate. Me, I am somewhere in between.
Found Footage YouTube Style Mockumentary
That’s, really, the best way to describe Death of a Vlogger. Following the story of popular vlogger Graham (Graham Hughes) experiencing internet backlash after his video of an alleged haunting goes viral. This movie is presented as something of a mockumentary of the process, and fallout, of creating a social media video that gains immense popularity. The thing that people seem to be missing is that Death of a Vlogger really isn’t a horror movie.
Of course, it has a few scares here and there. And the themes at play are firmly routed in horror. But the movie is far more focused on the social, and psychological, ramifications of existing as part of an always online generation. The impact a vicious, and unforgiving, internet community can have on a person and the things that drive content creators to produce videos.
Not Really a Horror Movie
The scares here might best be described as fan service. Something to keep the movie on track for a horror audience but utterly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Death of a Vlogger could have existed with no horror elements at all, its story really doesn’t depend on it. With this in mind, if you go into this movie looking for scares, you may be disappointed. If you are looking for laughs, however, you will definitely find a few as Death of a Vlogger has a very keen sense of humour.
There’s a key moment, around half way in, that pushes the horror completely to one side for almost the entire remaining length of the film. From a horror perspective, this decision is to its detriment but, from a simple story telling perspective, it makes sense. Lake Mungo does something similar and suffers the same consequences but I think the story and production style of Lake Mungo affords it more leeway. It is easier to be drawn back in when the horror kicks back up a notch. I think, for some viewers, Death of a Vlogger will push its luck a little too hard leading to them becoming disinterested, feeling mislead, or simply switching the movie off.
An Interesting Mystery
For people who are willing to dig a little deeper than scares and horror, Death of a Vlogger has something else to offer. There is an interesting mystery at the core of this movie. A constant question of whether the events being depicted actually happened or whether they were being faked for publicity. The movie presents us with interviews with friends of our protagonist, investigators and people who have worked with Graham. Some support him, others doubt him, and some claim to have inside knowledge on just what took place during the infamous haunting incident.
We gradually learn more about Graham and what took place on the night in question. With the movie occasionally presenting us with major pieces of exposition that, effectively, turn the mystery on its head. One of the big problems here is continuity. Some of these moments of exposition, unfortunately, can undermine earlier parts of the movie. It feels a little messy and can even lead you to question why this documentary would be being made at all. It brings it all back together with a strong ending, but it is impossible not to feel a bit thrown off in parts.
It’s pretty clear that the most poignant and relevant element of Death of a Vlogger is its message. It demonstrates the realities of becoming too wrapped up in the world of social media and the very real world ramifications of that obsession. Something many people can relate to and something that many have learned the hard way. The internet is a harsh and brutal place; people are quick to judge and slow to forget. When people feel taken advantage of they will be quick to do everything they can to ruin your life.
Acting is Mixed
Acting is a bit of a mixed bag. The characters here don’t have a tremendous amount of depth but they are developed personalities. Our star, Graham, played by Graham Hughes, is an online prankster with a social media following. Hughes does a decent job with the character, though it can, sometimes, be difficult to imagine Graham actually becoming a popular online personality. He just doesn’t feel special or unique. Graham is a very ordinary guy and Hughes can seem a little uncomfortable on camera, at times.
Paddy Kondracki, as ghost investigator Steve, is a bit of a different story. His character is a “dialed up to 11” parody of some of the ghost hunting personalities we have been exposed to in the UK. Kondracki has some of the funnier moments of the film, prompting a good few laughs and having some great lines. But I think that speaks more to the writing of these specific lines than his delivery. He is fairly awkward on screen for much of the movie, seeming inexperienced and ill at ease with playing an eccentric online personality. He warms up as the movie goes on but is mediocre for much of its length.
The strongest performances come from Annabel Logan, as Graham’s girlfriend Erin, and Joma West, as Alice. Logan and West both seem far more comfortable on camera and far more experienced. Joma West, in particular, gives a very effective and confident performance in a very entertaining role. I have heard some people complain that some of the character’s thick Scottish accents get in the way here. I didn’t really have that problem.
Should You Watch Death of a Vlogger?
Death of a Vlogger will not appeal to everyone but is still worth watching. As a horror movie, it isn’t particularly scary and some of its themes rob the scares of gravity. As a mystery movie focused on a very real issue faced by the always online generations, it can be interesting stuff. It has some genuinely funny moments and the story will have some people really engaged. For an audience that is expecting scares and horror themes, however, the movie may be a little bit lacking.
