Dustin Tamplen / United States / 1h07
Synopsis
Strange lights torment the inhabitants of a county in Texas, and children regularly disappear. The « TEXtraterrestrial » TV-show examines the case. The police will seize this episode to keep it secret.
« Lights over Montgomery County » is a surprising little feature film structured with two parts, each one being nice with a few minor flaws.
1st Half: Mockumentary
The fictional TV-show sets the scene: you’ll discover the history of the facts, some archives, and lots of accounts in the form of interviews collected by the channel. The resulting performance is very mischievous. All the codes of the genre are used and amplified, it’s like pictures and sound are taken from some tortured VHS. Weird but funny: an early 90s-like programme, but with QR Codes and smartphones… These aesthetics, plus some of the intertitles or ludicrous photos, give to the whole thing an underlying humour that manages to make us forget that a few comments drag on too long.
NB: The film exists in two versions, namely two different intros (one « illicit » with a witness explaining how he clandestinely obtained the following programme; another one « classified evidence » stamped by authorities, with a warning and initial introduction by two presenters on so-called HDH Channel 48).
2nd Half: Found-footage
[Important: you must remember, from the first part, that victims in the grip of the phenomena lose their memory thereafter; otherwise this second part will barely make sense.]
Now are broadcast the Thomas family’s misadventures. The immersion into action is made thanks to unlikely but original and clever means, avoiding putting gratuitously cameras in the characters’ hands— for instance, you’ll see the footage of a robot-child dedicated to housework (?!)… OK, put that way it sounds aberrant; but the thing is skilfully established from the first segment and keeps developing the crazy and strange universe of the flick.
Two little drawbacks. Firstly in the writing: a few quick minutes here and there to deepen the characters wouldn’t have been unnecessary, so we could relate to them— maybe it wasn’t done due to a timidity preventing filming at length the faces of non-professional actors (if they are). Secondly in the technique: too bad the sound isn’t a little more impressive on the high points (let’s say it lacks a bit of cinema, in the moments where amplifying low frequencies or the effects would’ve been good for tension; however was made the honourable choice of sticking to the result’s “credibility”, to what it would actually sound like with those recording mediums).
Nevertheless the horrific scenes remain frightening— sometimes with a very welcome slow pace, sometimes turbulent and surprising to blow away the audience.
Conclusion
An exuberant blend of uninhibited parody and first-person-perspective horror, with a forceful ending. Dustin Tamplen and his crew have fun while creating, and you’ll feel it. Worth watching!
G.W.
« Lights over Montgomery County » joins official selection for the Little Croco Festival’s first edition, nominated in the Horror category.
Trailer:
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