The Conspiracy

Aaron and Jim are documentary filmmakers who become fascinated by a street preaching conspiracy theorist. A man who spends all his time spreading a message, like a modern day prophet, about how we are all slaves and the world is run by a group of rich men who are connected by secret societies. When this man suddenly vanishes, Aaron begins to study the clues the missing man left them and believing in the conspiracy as well.

Anyone familiar with the dark side of YouTube will know what this film is exploring. It's a mockumentary with elements of found-footage horror that touches on as many different conspiracy theories as possible but eventually focuses in on a particular secret society.

The Conspiracy is a perfect horror story for our times. Don't expect an average horror film, this is Blair Witch Project meets Eyes Wide Shut. The writer/director, Christopher MacBride, fearless dives into the frightening subject matter and keeps the film as real as possible, working well within the small budget. The film is quite an accomplishment in more ways than one.

This movie had no fan fare that I am aware of and I came upon it by chance. The documentary style the film is shot in and the storyline are all really interesting and quiet believable. The film starts out as interview piece with one person in particular who believes in conspiracy theories. One world Order and a group of high powered individuals controlling us is the theme and it is perfectly pitched for our times. The acting, particularly the person who plays Terrace at the beginning of the film is good, I feel I could have spent more time with Terrance, he is an engrossing character. The movie which goes from Documentary style to a Thriller with ease is a real surprise package, I really enjoyed the experience.

Two film-makers shooting a documentary on conspiracy theories soon find themselves out of their depth.

Judging from the cover of the DVD, I was expecting another generic found-footage film with elements of a slasher movie, however, not since the paranoia films of the 70s (such as those directed by Alan J. Pakula) has a conspiracy film frightened me as much as this film did. In fact, I was more frightened than I normally am these days when watching most horror films. The style of this movie is a mix of pseudo-documentary and found footage styles, however, it is many times more convincing than the ones I have seen so far in the latter genre. Though it may not hearken to the classic 70s conspiracy thrillers in terms of its aesthetics, it certainly does so in spirit and in the extent to which it very effectively induces paranoia.

The events in the film are given credence by the initial set-up, which references many real-life world events and conspiracy theories, such as JFK's assassination, 9/11 and World War One. The film asks and attempts to answer some of the questions regarding with whom power really resides, how much influence and control "they" have, and reasons for the methods "they" employ. One aspect chillingly realised is the extent to which "they" can manipulate not just what we see and hear but also how we see and hear it. The film shows how powerless we really are, at least as individuals, in the faces of these monumental positions of power; you'll be fine if you conform but anyone who dares to question will be dealt with. The film also asks how much freedom we have in society- are we truly free?

A very strong element in the film is the score by Darren Baker, which is instrumental in creating an atmosphere of horror and dread. The score incorporates an organ (in certain sequences, the organ actually provides additional emotional depth), some very loud and ominous-sounding horns, and something which is reminiscent of an air-raid siren. I am listening to the score as I write this piece, and it does not lose its power outside of the film. It makes me long to watch the film again, and it has not even been 24 hours since I first watched it!

The Conspiracy is utterly compelling and convincing, a chilling and believable film with much plausibility, a film which elicits a visceral as well as an intellectual response from its witnesses. Even if you don't subscribe to conspiracy theories, you just might find yourself being carried away by what this film proposes.

Note: I would not be surprised if any/all proposed conspiracy theories are (ever) proved to be true. I find what is proposed in this film truly terrifying, however, one thought comforts me: the world will end one day, regardless of whether you look at it from a religious or scientific point of view. These powerful people and the rest of us will all be dust. When you think of it like this, these so called powerful people truly pale in significance. They are not powerful after all. None of us are.

The Conspiracy is about exactly what the title suggests: conspiracies. From 9/11 to the New World Order to occult rituals between world leaders, The Conspiracy wraps it all up into one incredulous story that is documented as realistically as possible. Real footage is mixed in with false claims, blurring the lines of reality, and one of the lingering themes in the movie is the fact that it's easy to dismiss conspiracy theories but it's impossible to disprove them. It's a fantastic concept for a horror movie and it's executed as barebones as possible - we're on the journey with these reporters, and you better be ready for one hell of a ride.

The first half is mainly setting the foundation for disbelievers. The cameramen begin as skeptics, then one of them starts to believe, then one of their contacts goes missing leading them to believe he was taken by the same syndicate they're researching, then they become even more determined to find the truth. It's similar to The X-Files in the searching for truth aspect, but it's far more dark and sinister. The syndicate here want the world to be run by one government, birthing the New World Order, and actual presidential speeches are cut together to make it as credible looking as it can be. No matter how skeptical you are, it's easy to get lost in the mindset of, "Hey, what if this were true..."

I'm not going to spoil anything because the less you know the better. I will say that the third act is an absolute roller coaster, but the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It's an exercise in the underground; the occult; the "what ifs". Some interviewees are masked in anonymity - blank faces and robotic voices - multiplying the creep factor by a hundred percent. Again, from the documentary-style filming to the expertly edited real footage, The Conspiracy blurs the lines between reality and fiction to the point of probability, and there's nothing scarier in horror than not knowing what is true and what isn't.

This proved to be one of the most surprisingly effective thrillers I have seen in recent memory. At a glance we have an unknown first time writer/director in Christopher MacBride matched with a relatively small budget of just under $1.2 million. Maybe I'm wired a bit different than the average film addict, but when I come upon a new indie film like this my anticipation for the result is much greater than say your average Hollywood blockbuster. Finding greatness in the unknown is what drives me as a fan, while it doesn't always pan out, nothing beats when it does, as this film proves to.

The Conspiracy starts off at a somewhat slow pace as we are introduced to the main characters Jim (James Gilbert) and Aaron (Aaron Poole), two documentary filmmakers who are out to make a film not unlike many you may already be aware of. It's theme based on the age old conspiracy of a worldwide secret society of powerful, wealthy individuals behind such things as staging events to start wars such as WWI, Vietnam and 9/11 Iraq. They become interested not so much into the truth of such conspiracies, but in the people who so adamantly and wholeheartedly believe in them. They find Terrance (Alan C. Peterson) through an internet link, a man who is exactly one of those people. His house is covered in news articles connecting everything and anything that could possibly be evidence in his search for his desired truth. After Terrence goes missing and his landlord is disposing of his possessions, Jim and Aaron take Terrence's research from his apartment walls and begin their own quest to find truth within the mountain of information. After finding the existence of a secret group called Tarsus, they make contact with one of it's members Mark Tucker (Bruce Clayton) , who later gives them access and a chance at finding and filming one of their secret rituals.

The first half of "The Conspiracy" can appear deceptively mundane. Do not make the assumption that this is just another propaganda film filled with unconfirmed speculations. The last act is the real deal, it's as chilling as it gets. The score pulls you into the scenes as the true reality of the events is slowly revealed to each of the characters. Their mini spy cams give off a perspective from their eyes that really pays off. For a small budget indie film from a first time writer/director it was an extremely original, effective thriller which I would surely recommend. One thing I should note though, while listed as a thriller/horror film it stays mainly within the confines of a thriller, replacing needless gore instead with a very sinister atmosphere, which proves to be a worthwhile trade.