The found footage/faux documentary was well and truly alive at this year’s Frightfest, though despite the onslaught of post-Paranormal Activity pap, The Conspiracy proves that there’s still life in the old subgenre yet.
Aaron and Jim have just begun making a documentary about Terrance, a conspiracy theorist who believes that a secret society is governing our lives and is responsible for all of the world’s major catastrophes, from the assassination of JFK to the banking crisis. While Aaron and Jim initially find Terrance’s theories little more than entertainment, his passion gradually sucks them in, and when he goes missing, the filmmakers set about picking up where Terrance left off.
The Conspiracy comes with all the habitual pitfalls of the faux doc, from unconvincing talking head videos to the implausibility of what’s caught on camera. As discussions of conspiracy theories abound and the protagonists get caught up in the pursuit of answers (even though there might not be any), it becomes apparent that there’s probably a better film in here somewhere: an actual documentary about conspiracy theorists and how their lives are destroyed/consumed by a theory that’s near impossible to prove or disprove.
As it stands, The Conspiracy isn’t all that convincing as a documentary, though it does boast one outstanding section that makes it worth the admission fee alone, where the protagonists, armed with tiny hidden cameras on tie clips, infiltrate what they believe to be a secret society meeting in a country hotel. Tense, terrifying and transfixing; if only the whole film was like this.
Overall Verdict: Not entirely convincing but one intense standout section makes this conspiracy worth uncovering.
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths