Director Seth Landau’s “Bryan Loves You” is the prime example of a movie that has a great idea but never quite sticks the execution. With the film’s trademark mask and set up, “Bryan Loves You” has every single chance to be a terrifying tale about cults, hive minds and indoctrination. Instead, a lot of what unfolds is rambling filler that never quite amounts to much of a movie.
Landau also makes the mistake of setting his film in 1993 and compensates for the found footage format by literally explaining that “everyone on the compound has a camera.” But, of course. “Bryan Loves You” starts off fairly well, exploring a small town in Arizona being consumed by a cult. Working off the convoluted myth of a man named Bryan who was involved in a holy war of some kind. His legend lived on as his followers don the mask symbolizing him, and furiously protecting his honor. Landau does a great job of setting the picture with protagonist Jonathan hoping to infiltrate the cult.
There’s even a great shot of a very loyal class room of high schoolers who adorn his mask during the Pledge of Allegiance. This is a perfect chance for social commentary but Landau never quite takes advantage, compensating for the limited budget. “Bryan Loves You” could be a cerebral horror film with some interesting ideas about the appeal of the cult lifestyle, and how fascism can creep up on small areas of our world. But nothing ever really develops in to a complete horror film with a concrete message. So much of it feels under developed and half baked, relying on more surface level tension, rather than getting under our skin. I appreciate the effort of “Bryan Loves You,” it just fails as psychological horror, found footage horror, and drama.
The Blu-Ray for “Bryan Loves You” includes “They’re Still Talking About Me,” a forty five minutes Zoom interview with George Wendt conducted by Seth Landau. “Your Attitude Needs to Change” is another fifty minute Zoom interview with Tiffany Shepis conducted by Seth Landau. “Get Out of Here” is an hour long Zoom interview with Daniel Roebuck conducted by Seth Landau. Daniel Schweger later joins in. “Have a Pleasant Day” is a thirty minute Zoom interview with Brinke Stevens conducted by Seth Landau. There’s a new 2022 Audio Commentary with Seth Landau, which can be accessed under the Setup Menu, and the 2008 Commentary with Seth Landau, James Oster, Elissa dowling and Dr. Phillip Baker, which can also be accessed under the Setup Menu.