Survive the Hollow Shoals (2018) Review – A Decent Found Footage Survival Effort
Survive the Hollow Shoals: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A humble and technically proficient entry into the found footage sub-genre that successfully capitalises on the late-2010s survival vlogging trend. Survive the Hollow Shoals (2018) succeeds by anchoring its supernatural premise in a believable reality, bolstered by Brent McGhee’s naturalistic and likable lead performance. Jonathan Klimek’s direction avoids many of the common pitfalls of the format. The micro-budget production shows some inexperience in its pacing and narrative logic, yet it delivers enough jolts to satisfy less demanding genre fans. This 3.0 star effort is an intelligent, technical curiosity that serves as a solid debut for its creative team.
Details: Director: Jonathan Klimek | Cast: Brent McGhee | Runtime: 1h 18m | Release Date: 2018
Best for: Fans of low-budget found footage, survival enthusiasts, and those looking for an easy-to-digest horror for a quiet evening.
Worth noting: Originally conceived as a YouTube series, the project was re-edited into a feature-length film for its eventual release on Prime Video.
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Amazon🛒
Rating: 3.0/5 Stars
(A masterfully directed but narratively familiar found footage horror that successfully utilizes a modern vlogging aesthetic to deliver a consistent, if predictable, series of jump-scares and atmospheric dread.)
Welcome to Knockout Horror and to our very first horror movie review. To kick this site off I didn’t want to go with a big hit. I wanted something humble. Something a little more Prime Video. Something a little more Survive the Hollow Shoals.
Table of Contents
Meet Zach! It’s an isolation horror
Directed by Jonathan Klimek and starring Brent McGhee. Survive the Hollow Shoals is a somewhat intimate portrayal of our protagonist Zach Weiland and his foray into the world of outdoor survival. Playing on the very popular, late 2010’s, trend of survivalism and vlogging one’s adventures in the wilderness, this movie depicts Zach’s attempts to live in the middle of nature for 60 days with nothing to aid him but the bare essentials. It’s just Zach, his trusty knife, his steel water vessel, and his very nice hat that he sometimes places over his eyes to help him sleep during the day.
“Brent McGhee is a likable character with a hearty beard and a fairly natural rapport with the camera. I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed to see his name pop up on horror movies in the future.”
Naturally, this wouldn’t be a horror movie if Zach wrapped up his 60 days out in the woods by submitting his application to *Survivor*. Things take a turn for the worse almost immediately. Zach begins to feel uneasy before noticing things amiss. Noises keep him up throughout the night and it is clear that something is very wrong. Obviously, this causes him substantial alarm. Determined to find the source of the noise… Zach sets up a camera trap and that’s where the horror steps in.
Obviously Zach is the star of the show here and he is ably performed by Brent McGhee. If IMDb is to be believed, he has only one acting credit to his name so kudos are due. He is a likable character with a hearty beard and a fairly natural rapport with the camera. With the exception of some relatively muted reactions to the events occurring around him, Brent McGhee does a pretty nice job. I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed to see his name pop up on horror movies in the future.
Found footage horror woes?
In a theme that most of us will be familiar with thanks to the boom of YouTube and vlogging, Zach spends a considerable amount of time documenting his trip out into the wild using a video camera. This fits the narrative quite nicely and keeps the budget down. It also forces Survive the Hollow Shoals to slip into the much maligned “found footage” genre of horror. I actually enjoy found footage horror so no complaints here.
Survive the Hollow Shoals does an adequate job of avoiding many of the typical found footage pitfalls. Namely the dreaded shaky cam, with the exception of a few scenes. Some of the cinematography is, actually, fairly nice. Night time scenes are well lit and any use of night vision cameras is well placed and clear. You are never really left squinting to see what’s going on.
There are a fair number of jump cuts and tight camera angles. These can give the whole movie a bit of an amateur feel. That’s to be expected given the format. It fits the whole “man makes YouTube video of survival stuff” pretty well. Despite some of the cuts not making a whole lot of sense. It can be a bit baffling when the shot zooms or cuts. Especially considering Zach is the only person operating the camera.
“Survive the Hollow Shoals does an adequate job of avoiding many of the typical found footage pitfalls. Night time scenes are well lit, and you are never really left squinting to see what’s going on.”
Half the time, Zach is too busy starting fires to actually realign the camera. Couple that with Zach’s infinite supply of batteries and the immersion can drop just a tad. This was an issue with The Blair Witch Project and it is an issue here.
Horror tropes and a failed gamble
Survive the Hollow Shoals shows its hand almost immediately and it is to the detriment of the film. I won’t specify what it is because I don’t want to ruin things for anyone. But if you notice it you will spend the first 25 minutes of the film playing Where’s Waldo whenever a wide angle camera shot appears. Plenty of movies have done the exact same thing and succeeded. Survive the Hollow Shoals, in my opinion, does not. The result is a serious punch in the nose to some, otherwise, decent tension on the first few nights.
This really speaks to the greater issue with the movie itself. It seems as though Survive the Hollow Shoals‘ director Jonathan Klimek couldn’t wait to get the scares rolling. Survive the Hollow Shoals is Klimek’s only movie, even as I am updating this in 2024, and, unfortunately, it suffers for his inexperience and lack of patience.
We should only have experienced the slightest hint at spooky goings on. Instead we have a few minutes of Zach talking into the camera before we are bombarded by a relentless onslaught of noises and visual scares. This doesn’t stop right up until the film reaches its final stanza.
“Survive the Hollow Shoals is an okay horror movie with a short enough run time to not feel punishing and enough jump scares to rattle the bones of even seasoned horror fans.”
This wouldn’t be the problem it is if the film had a little more originality but Survive the Hollow Shoals is very trope heavy. It comes out bearing such classics as musical cues with an undertone of infrasound, “did you or didn’t you see it” glimpses of figures, camera interference, watching eyes, bestial screams, and some of the most aggressive jump scares I have seen in quite awhile.
Where have I seen this before?
It is hard to watch Survive the Hollow Shoals without drawing comparisons to The Blair Witch Project. We have creepy noises at night. The movie is set in a similar, yet less imposing, location. Zach wakes up to wooden effigies surrounding his camp. There is a constant sense of dread and the woods feel seemingly endless.
It is all just very familiar. Sure, Survive the Hollow Shoals goes in a different direction towards the end. But, unfortunately, this doesn’t really change much. The movie never manages to feel like much more than an overly familiar, yet charming deep woods, found footage horror movie. It is extremely paint by numbers but a good effort is a good effort and it deserves praise for that. It is watchable and less demanding viewers will, likely, find at least something to enjoy.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Brent McGhee: Delivers a very natural and likable performance as Zach, maintaining a believable rapport with the camera that grounds the film.
- Technical Clarity: Unlike many low-budget found footage films, the nighttime and night-vision shots are clear and well-lit, avoiding excessive shaky-cam.
- Effective Scares: The film provides enough aggressive jump-scares to satisfy viewers looking for a quick, visceral horror fix.
The Bad
- Familiar Tropes: The film relies heavily on established genre cliches – like wooden effigies and nighttime noises – that feel a little too similar to The Blair Witch Project.
- Rushed Pacing: By revealing the scares too early, the movie loses some of the slow-burn tension that is essential for isolation horror.
- Immersion Gaps: Minor issues like an infinite supply of batteries and baffleing camera cuts occasionally remind the viewer they are watching a movie.
The Ugly: The “Where’s Waldo” Gamble. A visual scare reveal so early in the film it forces the audience to hunt for the antagonist in every frame, distracting from the narrative.
Should You Watch Survive the Hollow Shoals?
Yes, if you enjoy indie found footage. It is a 2.8 star film that functions as a solid, humble effort in a crowded sub-genre. If you go in with tempered expectations, you will find a likable protagonist and a decent amount of spooky atmosphere. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel and relies on very familiar tropes, it remains a professional and watchable 78 minutes. It is an intelligent, technical curiosity that serves as a fine starting point for director Jonathan Klimek. It is a decent, spooky picnic.
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