Distort Summary and Review - A Chilling Echo of the Past
Richard is a musician who ventures into the remote forests of County Wicklow, Ireland, to rekindle his creativity. Set against the backdrop of the pandemic lockdown, his solitary journey begins as an artistic escape - camping in the wilderness and recording an album, stripped of digital conveniences. But his retreat soon takes a sinister turn.
Growing Unease
A restless first night filled with strange sounds and the sense that a stray dog is nearby, gives way to an eerie discovery the next morning - an old cassette tape hidden beneath a pile of leaves. Intrigued but not alarmed, Richard decants to a nearby ruin to continue recording, only to be interrupted again by the sound of stones being thrown. On investigation, he discovers more tapes, along with a cassette player, and Richard begins to unravel the tale of Sarah, a student in Dublin who, decades earlier, explored the legend of Neil O'Byrne, a local man who had been unjustly executed and who is now said to haunt the woods with his fearsome dog.
As Richard listens to Sarah's story on the tapes, his unease grows. What started as series of curious events, that Richard believes is the work of a Youtuber prankster, things quickly spiral into terror, with Sarah’s recorded experiences eerily mirroring his own. Shadows close in, the barking of an unseen dog becomes a constant threat, and Richard starts to believe that the legend of the "Weeping Man" and his dog, perhaps isn't as mythical as he at first thought.
Disorientating Paranoia
Though Distort is clearly indebted to The Blair Witch Project, it avoids becoming a tired re-tread and instead, it captures that same disorienting sense of paranoia, where the terror is as much about what you cannot see as what you can. In a film such as this, sounds design is key and it's very much on point here. There are genuine chills, particularly when the (mostly) unseen presence lurks, the barking fades in and out of earshot, and the lines between past and present blur.
As with many found-footage films, Distort leans on familiar tropes, including deliberately uneven camerawork, which gives an air of authenticity to the one-man-with-a-camera setup. However, the constant shifts - shaky footage, glaring sunlight, and lagging autofocus - proved more distracting than absorbing, with my eyes constantly adjusting to the unstable view. Additionally, Richard's decision to remain in the haunted woods, rather than making the sensible choice to leave, felt unconvincing, lacking a compelling reason to justify his persistence.
An Eerie and Memorable Experience
Having said that, Distort manages to maintain a tight narrative (aided by a 76 minute runtime) and keep the viewer engaged with a series of breadcrumbs, leaving a trail that you just have to follow. As a single-hander, it could easily have run out of steam but Walters ably carries the film, delivering a finely tuned performance as his character moves through the gears of scepticism, fear, and desperation.
Distort is an atmospheric, slow-burning horror that rewards viewers with an eerie and memorable experience. The film’s ending might initially feel like a bit of a let-down, but a final twist redeems it, leaving viewers speculating and perhaps even hoping for a sequel.
Of Walters' three found-footage films (including In a Stranger's House and Bring Out the Fear), Distort showcases his growing skill as a director within the genre and I very much look forward to his next project.
3.5/5
Richard: Richard WaltersSarah: Charlotte Hall
Neil O'Byrne: Joe B. McCarthy
Director: Richard Walters
Writer: Richard Walters
Release: 2025
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