Puzzle Box is a 2023 Australian found-footage horror film about a drug addict who flees to a house in the woods to self-rehabilitate.
Written, photographed, directed, edited and co-produced by Jack Dignan. Also produced by Morgan Wright.
The Repeater Productions movie stars Kaitlyn Boyé, Laneikka Denne, Cassandre Girard, Janelle McMenamin, Matias Klaver and Hazel Pompeani.
Plot:
Kait (Kaitlyn Boyé), a desperate addict, seeks refuge in a remote house in the woods to self-rehabilitate, where she is joined by her younger sister Olivia (Laneikka Denne) to document the process.
Little do they know, the house harbours a dark secret, its very walls shifting and twisting like a nightmarish labyrinth, ensnaring them in an unfathomable puzzle.
As they claw for answers with each twist and turn, they awaken an unspeakable evil lurking within, far more terrifying than their own demons.
As they race against time to unlock the mystery and break free, fear takes on new dimensions, where every step could lead to their terrifying demise…
Reviews:
“I’m not always the biggest fan of found footage, but this has an unsettling mood that holds up for most of the movie, as well as a bleak ending that really got to me. If it worked that well for me, lovers of this genre are going to absolutely love this.” B&S About Movies
“All the found footage techniques and tropes are on full display in this shaky cam effort […] The conceit behind the banshee-like Screaming Woman struggles with its execution; the repetitiveness of the ineffectual screeching scares wears thin quickly, and the reveal amounts to a saccharine whimper.” Bloody Disgusting
“Puzzle Box presents a fascinating story, but the script is so heavy-handed and erratically paced that it becomes difficult to watch.” ★★ Dread Central
“With a brisk runtime, one would hope there would be minimal fat on this movie’s proverbial bones. Unfortunately, it takes little time to devolve into the same old, same old […] Puzzle Box owes much to The Blair Witch Project, going so far as having an identical scene of crying to the camera full of regrets. Too bad it exercises none of the same calculated restraint.” Josh at the Movies
“To drop audiences into the middle of actual addiction, in the context of found footage, is nothing short of brilliant. Puzzle Box doesn’t offer much in the way of tidy conclusions and excessive exposition, and that’s kind of the point […] It’s an ugly process and Dignan’s able to cut right to its dark core.” ★★★★ The Scariest Things
Release date:
Puzzle Box had its world premiere at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival on August 12, 2023.
Teaser trailer:
