‘They went looking for a legend… and found a nightmare.’
Char Man is a 2019 American found-footage horror film written, produced and directed by Kurt Ela and Kipp Tribble (The Stay; Evil at the Door; Lobo; Coffin and Coffin 2) who also star. The movie also features Jeff Kober, Nick Greco, Unique Dowtin and Buddy Wilds.
Plot:
Two friends visit fire-ravaged Ojai, California, intent on making a fake documentary about the infamous Ojai Vampire. However, things take a bizarre and frightening turn when they learn about a different local legend: The Char Man…
Reviews:
“Over 45 minutes pass before something more sinister happens than a discarded doll reappearing in unexpected places or faucets turning on by themselves. A couple of kids in masks start stalking outside the trio’s rental house and, well, that basically sums up the extent of Char Man’s supposed scariness.” Culture Crypt
“The creators of this film, Kipp Tribble & Kurt Ela, wrap you in with some epic comedy while poking at their film-making lives, until shit literally hits the fan with the legendary tale of Char Man. The best way to describe this type of film is it’s got an effective Blair Witch/paranormal flavor to it for those type of fans. It’s fun and entertaining for those who are in that particular mood. ” ★★★★ Gaustch Vision
“It does […] do a good job of creating its own mythology for the fictional ‘Ojai Vampire’ and scarily real ‘Char Man’. It’s also fun to see the making of the ‘movie within a movie’ and it even plays with some tropes of genre. However, this is all well-treaded ground in the ‘found footage’ sub-genre which is already saturated and I don’t feel like this film does much to set itself apart.” Indie Mac User
“This started off slow and only really picked up in the second act when it started to show some promise. Sadly it never goes anywhere. After it ends you feel like there should be another half an hour to actually tell the story of what happened. Instead, there is too much “B roll” and no actual film going on.” Lost Highway
” …all I ended up thinking about was the movies it literally took elements from and used incorrectly. I could’ve forgiven all that if the tropes were utilized with some pizzazz. The ending especially was particularly abrupt and poorly executed. Almost like the filmmakers didn’t quite know how to create a good finale.” ★★★ Mother of Movies
“It’s not particularly scary, but the actors and their interactions are a treat to watch on film and I found myself genuinely laughing out loud several times while watching. The story is solid enough for me to recommend giving it a shot even if it is heavily contrived and fails to break any new ground. They really should have kept a better focus on what the movie was really about because Char Man is a bit of a mess and kind of confusing to be honest.” 5.8 out of 10, Scream Geeks
YouTube reviews:
Teaser trailer:
Release:
Available on Amazon Instant Video and via Prime
Cast and characters:
Jeff Kober … Kent Bridewell
Kurt Ela … Cameron
Kipp Tribble … Eric
Nick Greco … Andy
Unique Dowtin
Buddy Wilds … John
Filming locations:
Los Angeles and Ojai, California
Technical credits:
1 hour 25 minutes
