Folks, I often have to remind readers that in all of the wide, wide Internet I might be the very last person who actually enjoys found footage films.
Now, let me clarify: this isn’t to say that I love each and every one of them. I can assure you that there have been a great many stinkers that have tried to take whatever advantage they could find of this particular storytelling format, so please don’t confuse my affection for them with unsubstantiated or unearned praise. Honestly, I think it’s that to me found footage kinda/sorta represents a unique subset of flicks that tend to more often than not be made on-the-cheap by folks who really want to spin some yarn with a bit of a twist. These folks tend to demonstrate that last wave of battle-hardened auteurs who’ll stop at nothing to compose a film against the odds, so – yes – I do tend to give them a bit of leeway if for no other reason than I like to see what they can come up with. The flicks don’t always work … but they’re definitely tried, and I think that alone warrants someone somewhere giving them serious consideration.
If that’s me? Well, so be it.
In any event, 2023’s Frogman successfully taps into the subset by taking on the case of an urban legend: this half-man-half-frog critter has resulted in the town of Loveland crafting their own cottage industry surrounding his legend, and – as tends to happen in these stories -- a small team of interested parties set out on the mission to expose it for what it is or lose themselves in the process. Of course, this kind of thing has been done before – it’s practically the core foundation to the bulk of found footage films – but creators Anthony Cousins and John Karsko did put in a bit more thought into their characters and the script, giving those of us who like three dimensions a little something extra to watch along the way. Their commentary proves that effective relationships might ultimately be as elusive as some of our world’s greatest cryptids, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying to capture them either on film or in our own experience.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
Now, let me clarify: this isn’t to say that I love each and every one of them. I can assure you that there have been a great many stinkers that have tried to take whatever advantage they could find of this particular storytelling format, so please don’t confuse my affection for them with unsubstantiated or unearned praise. Honestly, I think it’s that to me found footage kinda/sorta represents a unique subset of flicks that tend to more often than not be made on-the-cheap by folks who really want to spin some yarn with a bit of a twist. These folks tend to demonstrate that last wave of battle-hardened auteurs who’ll stop at nothing to compose a film against the odds, so – yes – I do tend to give them a bit of leeway if for no other reason than I like to see what they can come up with. The flicks don’t always work … but they’re definitely tried, and I think that alone warrants someone somewhere giving them serious consideration.
If that’s me? Well, so be it.
In any event, 2023’s Frogman successfully taps into the subset by taking on the case of an urban legend: this half-man-half-frog critter has resulted in the town of Loveland crafting their own cottage industry surrounding his legend, and – as tends to happen in these stories -- a small team of interested parties set out on the mission to expose it for what it is or lose themselves in the process. Of course, this kind of thing has been done before – it’s practically the core foundation to the bulk of found footage films – but creators Anthony Cousins and John Karsko did put in a bit more thought into their characters and the script, giving those of us who like three dimensions a little something extra to watch along the way. Their commentary proves that effective relationships might ultimately be as elusive as some of our world’s greatest cryptids, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying to capture them either on film or in our own experience.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Three friends in search of the Loveland Frogman find out that he is more than just a local legend.”
Dirty little secret time, my friends: yes, I’m a firm believer in the statement that “the truth is out there.”
Yes, I love a global conspiracy as much as the next knucklehead. Unexplained phenomena have been something I’ve followed closely since the 1970’s when things like UFOs, spontaneous human combustion, haunted houses, and Bigfoot pretty much emerged into our collective consciousness. While so many in the mainstream press and middle America tend to dismiss such stories as a bunch of hokum, I’ve instead invested time, effort, and money in books pulling back the veneer of the ordinary in hopes of coming to my own terms with the extraordinary: monsters may not live and breathe on every streetcorner around the world, and yet I’m willing to embrace the possibility that there are corners and pockets in small places that serve up a glimpse at things defying conventional explanations.
So, yes, things like the Mothman intrigue me without end, and a little film dabbling with something called Frogman (2023) would naturally tweak my interest.
For those who might’ve missed it, the Loveland (Ohio) Frogman is a legend that dates back to the 1950’s; so storytellers Cousins and Karsko aren’t exactly making things up out of whole cloth. While they might tinker with some of the mythology a bit – from what I’ve read online, the creature has never quite been described as being so much man-sized as it has been large-kid-sized – this is still a fable grounded in eyewitness accounts. Believe it or not, there are those who’ve seen such a thing, making the myth something worthy of the extra light Cousins and Karsko shine on it, albeit briefly in their film of relationships as flawed as might be the stuff of an old wives’ tale.
At one time they were the best of friends, but then life happened for ex-film school chums Dallas (Nathan Tymoshuk), Scotty (Benny Barrett), and Amy (Chelsey Grant). But when a bon voyage party for Amy – who’s departing for the bright lights and the big cities of California to pursue her Hollywood dream even further – brings the gang back together, it presents Dallas with one more chance to appeal to his friends: come with him to Loveland for one last road trip to capture footage of the indefinable Frogman, something he knows he saw in his youth (on a family vacation) and has never been able live without ever since. Putting the legend to bed – meaning proving or disproving its existence – might give him the peace his life has never had, and who better to do it with than his two besties?
“Three friends in search of the Loveland Frogman find out that he is more than just a local legend.”
Dirty little secret time, my friends: yes, I’m a firm believer in the statement that “the truth is out there.”
Yes, I love a global conspiracy as much as the next knucklehead. Unexplained phenomena have been something I’ve followed closely since the 1970’s when things like UFOs, spontaneous human combustion, haunted houses, and Bigfoot pretty much emerged into our collective consciousness. While so many in the mainstream press and middle America tend to dismiss such stories as a bunch of hokum, I’ve instead invested time, effort, and money in books pulling back the veneer of the ordinary in hopes of coming to my own terms with the extraordinary: monsters may not live and breathe on every streetcorner around the world, and yet I’m willing to embrace the possibility that there are corners and pockets in small places that serve up a glimpse at things defying conventional explanations.
So, yes, things like the Mothman intrigue me without end, and a little film dabbling with something called Frogman (2023) would naturally tweak my interest.
For those who might’ve missed it, the Loveland (Ohio) Frogman is a legend that dates back to the 1950’s; so storytellers Cousins and Karsko aren’t exactly making things up out of whole cloth. While they might tinker with some of the mythology a bit – from what I’ve read online, the creature has never quite been described as being so much man-sized as it has been large-kid-sized – this is still a fable grounded in eyewitness accounts. Believe it or not, there are those who’ve seen such a thing, making the myth something worthy of the extra light Cousins and Karsko shine on it, albeit briefly in their film of relationships as flawed as might be the stuff of an old wives’ tale.
At one time they were the best of friends, but then life happened for ex-film school chums Dallas (Nathan Tymoshuk), Scotty (Benny Barrett), and Amy (Chelsey Grant). But when a bon voyage party for Amy – who’s departing for the bright lights and the big cities of California to pursue her Hollywood dream even further – brings the gang back together, it presents Dallas with one more chance to appeal to his friends: come with him to Loveland for one last road trip to capture footage of the indefinable Frogman, something he knows he saw in his youth (on a family vacation) and has never been able live without ever since. Putting the legend to bed – meaning proving or disproving its existence – might give him the peace his life has never had, and who better to do it with than his two besties?
As the film unspools, however, it becomes clear that the young filmmaker’s inability to separate fact from fiction has put a toll on all of his relationships. Dallas has been unable to maintain positive connections with anyone; and – for reasons that are never quite hammered into perfect shape in the wayward script – he seemingly ties his shortcomings to that seminal experience of seeing “something” in the woods outside of Loveland. Much like Captain Ahab and his maniacal quest for Moby Dick, Dallas chooses to live his life pursuing a topic most dismiss as beneath consideration; so it becomes only natural to see that he’d tie so much of his self-worth to returning to that place of legend and proving that the fabled amphibian lives, hops, and breathes in offroad Ohio. Such closure is necessary for achieving his dreams, thus giving his willingness to sacrifice those who care for him most his Achilles’ Heel in the process.
Plus, this kind of devotion is what makes most found footage films truly tick like a well-wound clock. There’s almost always a central legend, and such a foundation practically requires misfit souls who’ll stop at nothing to show the world they’ve been wrong for so many years. It’s only when these forces collide that the drama of the ensemble’s shared circumstances takes center stage; and – in that respect – Frogman is, arguably, a bit better than most attempts. Dallas, Scotty, and Amy may’ve been seen before – there’s nothing new under the sun – but audiences still root for them, especially when they’re stacked up against forces they can neither control nor anticipate.
To their credit, Cousins and Karsko give their thrill ride one additional layer for complexity’s sake: Dallas and Amy enjoyed a one-night-stand that obviously meant more to them than either is willing to admit. As the perennial ‘third wheel,’ Scotty knows and sees all – he’s the only one with enough awareness to understand the two were and remain in love with one another – but his respect for their separate affairs of the heart keeps him from pushing them together, choosing instead to nudge each of them privately in the right direction. He’s no Cupid, mind you, and yet he perseveres to matchmake them as politely as he can, perhaps secretly knowing it’ll never come to fruition.
It goes without saying that Frogman contains all the good, bad, and ugly elements that go hand-in-hand with found footage. Yes, there’s more than a fair share of jerky camera work – tons of it rendered just slightly out-of-focus and at the customarily bizarre camera angles – and there’s a scene or two with some post-production effects trickery that makes it even harder to discern a footprint from any other hole in the ground. Also, this one isn’t fully ‘found footage’ authentic as the story as presented does end up being edited together in a few spots in order to weave this spell the way filmmakers did. I dare suggest that perhaps this story would’ve been vastly better if it had been captured as a more conventional procedural – there’s definitely enough story to have made it work that way – but that’s the kind of Monday Morning Quarterbacking that amounts to much of nothing at this stage of the game. I throw it out because I think it could’ve made for a more universally accepted feature than found footage stuff ever gets.
Plus, this kind of devotion is what makes most found footage films truly tick like a well-wound clock. There’s almost always a central legend, and such a foundation practically requires misfit souls who’ll stop at nothing to show the world they’ve been wrong for so many years. It’s only when these forces collide that the drama of the ensemble’s shared circumstances takes center stage; and – in that respect – Frogman is, arguably, a bit better than most attempts. Dallas, Scotty, and Amy may’ve been seen before – there’s nothing new under the sun – but audiences still root for them, especially when they’re stacked up against forces they can neither control nor anticipate.
To their credit, Cousins and Karsko give their thrill ride one additional layer for complexity’s sake: Dallas and Amy enjoyed a one-night-stand that obviously meant more to them than either is willing to admit. As the perennial ‘third wheel,’ Scotty knows and sees all – he’s the only one with enough awareness to understand the two were and remain in love with one another – but his respect for their separate affairs of the heart keeps him from pushing them together, choosing instead to nudge each of them privately in the right direction. He’s no Cupid, mind you, and yet he perseveres to matchmake them as politely as he can, perhaps secretly knowing it’ll never come to fruition.
It goes without saying that Frogman contains all the good, bad, and ugly elements that go hand-in-hand with found footage. Yes, there’s more than a fair share of jerky camera work – tons of it rendered just slightly out-of-focus and at the customarily bizarre camera angles – and there’s a scene or two with some post-production effects trickery that makes it even harder to discern a footprint from any other hole in the ground. Also, this one isn’t fully ‘found footage’ authentic as the story as presented does end up being edited together in a few spots in order to weave this spell the way filmmakers did. I dare suggest that perhaps this story would’ve been vastly better if it had been captured as a more conventional procedural – there’s definitely enough story to have made it work that way – but that’s the kind of Monday Morning Quarterbacking that amounts to much of nothing at this stage of the game. I throw it out because I think it could’ve made for a more universally accepted feature than found footage stuff ever gets.
Also, the script tries a bit too hard to give Frogman a wider and even more conspiratorial mythology; and I’m not entirely certain all of that works as well as intended. Without spoiling the pot, let’s just say that the locals are hiding their various dark sides despite building a whole cottage industry on the Frogman’s back; and – yes – it kinda/sorta feels hokier than the toad’s existence. Still, cults have their time and place in filmdom; and I suspect those showing up to celebrate Horror’s most basic elements might have a bit of fun knowing that middle Americans see nothing wrong with worshipping anything different than the norm. Indeed, stranger things have happened.
Frogman (2023) was produced by Feral Child Films, Rotting Press, and Shock Treatment Productions. Based on the press materials I’ve received, the film is presently available for purchase on physical media or digitally across a variety of platforms. As for the technical specifications? Well … look … while I’m no trained video expert, I’m comfortable saying that the kinda/sorta primitive presentation aspects of ‘found footage films’ is controversial with audiences because of its low resolution framework … so consider yourself warned. (Again: I’m OK with it, so there’s that.) Lastly, as I considered this one via streaming? There were no special features under review.
Recommended.
As a fan of found footage stories, I had more fun than I honestly expected with Frogman (2023), and I think that’s because there was a bit more to the characters than what one generally gets with the format. Indeed, Dallas ultimately loses more than he ever gains from achieving his dream of being a celebrated filmmaker (at least, that’s my takeaway from the closing scenes); and rarely do found footage flicks even hint at such depth. Traditionally, they’re all about the surprises – which Frogman offers – but I’m thankful that this ensemble delivered a bit more. If the truth is out there, then there’s nothing wrong with adding a layer of character to a journey of discovery … especially when the message is to be careful what you search for.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Rotting Press provided me with complimentary streaming access to Frogman (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Frogman (2023) was produced by Feral Child Films, Rotting Press, and Shock Treatment Productions. Based on the press materials I’ve received, the film is presently available for purchase on physical media or digitally across a variety of platforms. As for the technical specifications? Well … look … while I’m no trained video expert, I’m comfortable saying that the kinda/sorta primitive presentation aspects of ‘found footage films’ is controversial with audiences because of its low resolution framework … so consider yourself warned. (Again: I’m OK with it, so there’s that.) Lastly, as I considered this one via streaming? There were no special features under review.
Recommended.
As a fan of found footage stories, I had more fun than I honestly expected with Frogman (2023), and I think that’s because there was a bit more to the characters than what one generally gets with the format. Indeed, Dallas ultimately loses more than he ever gains from achieving his dream of being a celebrated filmmaker (at least, that’s my takeaway from the closing scenes); and rarely do found footage flicks even hint at such depth. Traditionally, they’re all about the surprises – which Frogman offers – but I’m thankful that this ensemble delivered a bit more. If the truth is out there, then there’s nothing wrong with adding a layer of character to a journey of discovery … especially when the message is to be careful what you search for.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Rotting Press provided me with complimentary streaming access to Frogman (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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