Delayed Reaction: Afflicted

Premise: A man on a trip around the world gets startling symptoms after a night with a mysterious woman.

This is a found footage movie that's eluded me for a while. I'm not really sure why. The trailer I'd seen looked good and it's been on a recommended list for a while. I guess I can't see everything right away.

Pretty early on, they establish a good enough reason for the cameras to always be on. They grow the mystery at a steady pace. I was genuinely surprised when they kill off the best friend midway through. I figured he'd be recording until the end. The idea that Derek would continue filming in his honor is a little suspect, but whatever.

This is a vampire story at the end of the day, although it challenges the concept some. The idea that he can't kill himself is cool. I like that his choice is ultimately between control and lack of control, not whether or not he'll be a monster. It leads to a nice, open ending. Perhaps the best thing of all is that the movie clocks in at under 90 minutes. I love when filmmakers know when to let a movie end. Horror filmmakers in particular.

Verdict: Weakly Recommend