The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real (2020) Review – A Dull Social Media Fumble
The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A tedious and derivative entry into the crowded “social media found footage” sub-genre that fails to justify its existence. The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real attempts to replicate the atmospheric dread of The Blair Witch Project but lacks the narrative discipline or technical skill to pull it off. The film suffers from a predictable script, irritatingly two-dimensional characters, and a total absence of genuine scares. While its short 60-minute runtime is a blessing, the pacing still manages to feel uneven, relying on repetitive shouting matches and illogical plot developments. Despite a potentially interesting dimensional hook, the execution is amateurish, resulting in a bland experience that offers nothing new to horror fans. It is a 1.7 star fumble that is best left undiscovered on the depths of streaming platforms. Save your hour and watch literally anything else.
Details: Director: Matt Kincses | Cast: Jennifer Tong, Zachary Macdonald, Taylor Pfeifer | Runtime: 1h 0m | Release Date: 20 October 2020
Best for: Found footage completionists who have an exceptionally high tolerance for “shaky-cam” clichés and unlikable influencers.
Worth noting: The film was shot in Vancouver, Canada, during the 2020 lockdowns, which explains the small cast and isolated, single-location setting.
Where to Watch: Tubi (Free), Roku Channel
Rating: 1.7/5 Stars
(Painfully derivative, annoying lead characters, and a total lack of atmosphere.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing found footage horror The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real from 2020. While yesterday’s movie, The Andy Baker Tape, was quite watchable, this movie most definitely isn’t.
Table of Contents
More social media themes
As you may be able to tell, The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real taps into that “oh so common” found footage trope of social media. There are so many of these movies around at the moment. Some of them, like Deadstream and Sissy, are decent. Others, like today’s movie, most definitely are not. The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real focuses on a group of social media influencers.
Heading into the Vancouver woods, three social media personalities are determined to dispel an urban legend. It is said that a tree located deep in the woods has the ability to transport people to another dimension. Becoming a recent online viral trend, the so called “tree game” involves circling the tree before disappearing. Ruby Real aims to debunk the trendy myth and gain a few followers in the process. Only, it appears there may be more to the legend than she thought.
Devoid of scares
The vast majority of this story takes place in the woods. A classic setting for a horror movie, right? Exactly! The woods are creepy, there are plenty of opportunities for scares and the scene sets itself. Only, these woods aren’t creepy at all. In fact, they are beautiful. The movie takes place in the height of daytime with plenty of lighting and beaming sun. The woods are open and inviting, full of gorgeous streams and scenic vistas. It all just looks like a pleasant day out.
“The story itself is so poorly formulated, relying heavily on one specific element, that there is very little to invest in.”
Which speaks to one of The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real‘s major problems. This movie just isn’t at all scary. Sure, if you buy into its story, you may feel a little creeped out but the story itself is so poorly formulated, relying heavily on one specific element, that there is very little to invest in.
Scenes featuring characters acting strangely are peppered in to unsettle the viewer but it really doesn’t work at all. Prompting laughter on more than one occasion rather than the desired scares. It’s all incredibly bland and very boring.
Full of tropes
My fiancée and I played a found footage horror drinking game that we made while watching this. We did the same thing with The Andy Baker Tape and went straight onto The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real when that movie was done. The basic idea is to take a drink whenever a certain found footage trope takes place. We had hit over 20 tropes in under 25 minutes while watching this. Leaving us with a pretty serious buzz and some slight concern about how much worse it would get.
The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real hits on practically every found footage horror trope going. Bringing almost nothing new to the table, it wears its influences on its sleeve. Something that is all too apparent as it basically recreates The Blair Witch Project condensed into one afternoon.
Everything here is so painfully familiar and incredibly lacking in innovation. All found footage is guilty of this, to some extent, but this movie takes it to a whole new level. I suppose some praise has to go to its plot but even that feels like the plot of Blair Witch just with a different explanation.
“Everything here is so painfully familiar and incredibly lacking in innovation. It basically recreates The Blair Witch Project condensed into one afternoon.”
Attempts to bring some, poorly fleshed out, science fiction and Lovecraftian elements to the story fall flat. Leading the movie into a cycle of stuttering and repeating itself. All while the characters act oblivious to what is going on. In fact, it takes our cast nearly the entire movie to realise what is going on and, by then, it’s too late for them to do anything about it. Worse than that, however, is that it is too late for the viewer to give a shit. Especially considering the fact that most people will realise what is happening 15 minutes in.
Annoying characters
It really doesn’t help that the characters here are utterly unlikable. Ruby Real acts like many social media personalities; over the top and obnoxiously loud. Feeling completely two dimensional and impossible to care about.
“Zachary Macdonald is completely unbelievable as a social media influencer. The guy struggles so much when it comes to looking at the camera, it was actually putting me on edge.”
Her co-host, and camera operator, Steven Lane, is awkward, lacking in personality and uses the word “same” so much you want to strangle him by thirty minutes in. And their third wheel Cali Carson seems like she is only there because the actor who plays her agreed to appear in a g-string for one brief scene. Can’t hate the hustle, I guess, and it is a very nice g-string.
Acting is equally as bad. Zachary Macdonald, who plays Steven, is completely unbelievable as a social media influencer. The guy struggles so much when it comes to looking at the camera, it was actually putting me on edge. His eyes skip around like he is in the middle of peddling fentanyl laced cocaine to kids. Not to mention his complete lack of personality.
Taylor Pfeifer also seems a little awkward on camera. While having more personality than Steven and, let’s not forget, showing off her bum, she still feels a bit unnatural and a bit uncomfortable in her line delivery. Some of that may be the script or having to improvise but it is noticeable in a number of parts. Jennifer Tong seems to be a lot more experienced and far more comfortable on camera than her costars. She does an okay job despite her fairly unlikable character.
Sub-standard direction
Direction is incredibly mixed. Whereas I can give credit for the short runtime and shooting the movie under the bizarre circumstances that encompassed the year of 2020, there are a lot of issues here. Pacing feels all over the place, the movie seems to repeat itself even more than is necessary for a time loop film. There are too many scenes where little happens and Matt Kincses resorts to having his characters engage in shouting matches far too often. Much like The Blair Witch Project but without the long, drawn out build up and the slow brewing interpersonal tension.
Some direction could have sorely been used when it comes to performances. A brief word to Macdonald to engage his eyes on the camera would have been helpful. A few scenes really needed re-shooting, as well, given what takes place. A scene where Cali runs up to one of the characters feels really awkward, impacting the scare factor majorly. Characters teleporting all over the place looks utterly ridiculous, as well.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Runtime: At only 60 minutes, the film is mercifully short and doesn’t waste hours of your time.
- Jennifer Tong: Provides a relatively professional performance, standing out as the only cast member who feels natural in front of the lens.
- Scenery: The Vancouver woods are genuinely beautiful to look at, providing a nice daytime aesthetic.
The Bad
- Derivative Plot: A beat-for-beat imitation of superior found footage films with a weak dimensional twist that lands with a thud.
- Annoying Cast: The characters are so loud and vapid that it becomes impossible to care about their survival or their “vlogs.”
- Technical Flaws: Teleporting characters and awkward camera work drain any potential tension from the horror sequences.
The Ugly: The “Steven” Character. A co-host so devoid of personality and charisma that his presence on screen is actively distracting from the story.
Should You Watch The Lost Vlog of Ruby Real?
No. It is a 1.7 star disaster that offers zero innovation to the genre. Even if you are a die-hard found footage fan, this movie feels like a low-effort exercise in trope-checking. There are dozens of better social media horrors available (like Deadstream or Spree) that actually understand how to build tension and create believable characters. This one is a safe skip.
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