It seems like 2023 is going to be the beginning of a period where studios are taking big risks on smaller indie films and getting back big returns. I’m glad because this allows films like “The Outwaters” to get out there to horror audiences. I’m not sure I can safely say that Robbie Banfitch’s found footage horror film re-invents the wheel, but it’s a definite abstract bit of cosmic horror that will provoke a ton of debates from the audience.
Presented in the form of found footage in the frame work of authorities piecing together what happened in the desert through three memory cards, “The Outwaters” centers on a foursome of friends. They set out to the desert to film B roll for an upcoming music video, and while camping weird events begin to ensue. Before long a nightmarish odyssey unfolds through the lens of the camera. I don’t want to give too much away, but for the considerably low budget that Robbie Banfitch worked with, “The Outwaters” does a darn good job conveying its narrative.
Director Banfitch has an obvious love for cosmic horror and delivers on a film that literally dives head first in to blood soaked chaos until the very end. What I enjoyed about “The Outwaters” is that there isn’t a ton of explanation as to what’s occurring. Banfitch alludes to a lot about what’s going on with a lot of earthquakes taking place as our characters go about their daily lives, as well as the back drop of their nightmare being plagued by seemingly deafening recurring thunderstorms. The desert back drop is convincingly hazy and horrifying with much of it acting as a blank slate that we can never really trust.
Much of the turn of events after the first forty minutes results in our main character wandering the desert trying to comprehend what he’s experiencing. And we’re never sure if he’s back on Earth. Even though it’s deceptively similar to the desert he and his friends had just ventured in to. Banfitch builds up to a predatory evil that digs deep in to the characters’ psyches driving them to the brink of madness. There are a lot of themes about mothers, grief, and death, and this will likely amount to evocative debate about what the characters are enduring. Ultimately, “The Outwaters” suffers from being way too long. At almost two hours, I think the narrative could have been chopped down to ninety minutes and not miss a beat.
Plus I think brevity could have worked in its favor. Also Banfitch utilizes a lot of play with dark, light, and the consistent use of a flashlight to flesh out his nightmare, and sometimes I was too confused as to what was happening to even get in the mindset of fear or anxiety. That said, while it might not be a masterpiece, it surely does aim high with an ambitious premise and its embracing of pure gore, grue, and slimy chaos. I’d definitely recommend it, especially for found footage buffs.
Now playing in Select Theaters (US and Canada). Will Arrive on the Streaming Service SCREAMBOX soon.