‘What happened to #DropTheMike?’
Followed is a 2018 American found footage horror film directed by Antoine Le from a screenplay by Todd Klick and produced by Matthew Brewbaker. The movie stars John Savage, Blanca Blanco and Christopher Ross Martin.
Taking place entirely on a computer screen, the story unfolds as an unseen observer clicks through the video posts of DropTheMike, a controversial ‘vlogger of the macabre.’
When a famous clothing brand offers to sponsor his show if he can gain fifty thousand more subscribers, DropTheMike kicks his vlog into high gear and recruits three friends to do a special Halloween-edition vlog to be held inside the reputably haunted Hotel Lennox in downtown Los Angeles, where several famous serial killers stayed while on their killing sprees and where, more recently, a female tourist’s body was found cooking inside the basement ventilation system.
However, when sinister things happen to the crew after they play a forbidden ‘elevator ritual’ game, DropTheMike commits himself to figure out if it’s malicious fans of his vlog messing with them, or the hotel’s evil spirits intent on murdering them all…
Reviews [click link to read more]:
“The acting, which is the nuanced art of actors acting like normal people who are acting, was believable. The story had enough turns and jump scares. The cinematography and score add to the building tension. I recommend Followed.” 1428 Elm
“Followed is low budget, but well made and the performances are all realistic. The shocking fate of Mike and his crew is haunting, and the story has an interesting, true crime twist. This movie is fun and certifiably scary, and it proves that you don’t need a big budget and flashy effects to make a compelling horror movie.” Dread Central
Followed borrows from the found footage genre, while also focusing on character development and more traditional narrative elements. It’s a horror movie for today’s technological world, with its eye on the creepiest urban legends of the past. It also has a surprising moral message.” Indie Horror Online
“Through the hotel’s backstory and the numerous urban legends which seem to exist on every floor of the building, Followed is just good, tense fun. One particular aspect to especially love is the use of a unique setting for the film. No wildlife, no abandoned buildings, or suburban landscape devoid of parents.” Killer Horror Critic
“At nearly 100 minutes — way too many for material this flimsy – Followed even has time for a couple clumsily maudlin bits, not excluding brief yet awesomely trite address of “the homeless issue” in downtown L.A. A movie like this doesn’t need to have a social conscience. It ought to have worried first about having a brain, period.” Variety
“Although some of the effects looked a little fake, Le did a great job at building dread throughout the film. A lot of the scares weren’t about what you saw, they were about the buildup and anxiety leading up to what you saw. There were numerous ‘Blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ scares that I just loved catching.” Nightmarish Conjurings
“An uneven blend of social media, found footage, and peer pressure, but somehow there are some effective chills amongst the shallow plot.” Ready Steady Cut!
“There are some jump scares, and like many of the other found footage movies I have seen, rely on shaky cameras to cause confusion. The scenes in the basement and boiler room of the Lennox though had a very ominous tone and provided some truly suspenseful scenes […] This is a fun flick to experience!” Sinful Celluloid
Cast and characters:
Matthew Solomon … Mike
John Savage … Wallace
Blanca Blanco … Nic’s Step Mother
Christopher Ross Martin … Security Guard
Kelsey Griswold … Jess
Sam Valentine … Danni
Karan Sagoo … Masked Evil Presence / unstable drug dealer
Thaddeaus Ek … Ghost Boy
Francheska Savage … Security Guard
Terumi Shimazu … Meghan Kim’s Mother
Kate Romero … Nic’s Mom / Mrs.Eply
Sonia Pizarro … Homeless Woman
Brianna McClellan … Halloween Girl
Tim Drier … Chris
JoAnna de Castro … Maid
Technical details:
96 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
