The Most Unforgivable Found Footage Film

Featuring ‪@DiamandaHagan‬ and ‪@FilmBrain‬!
BOYS OF COUNTY HELL: • The Boys from County H...
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ABOUT THE SHOW:
This show celebrates Ryan's love for genre, film, games, art and entertainment through personal retrospective analysis that aims to explore what made them so good or even misunderstood.
SOURCES:
Michael Goi interview with Rachel Yang (Entertainment Weekly, 2020): ew.com/movies/...
Michael Goi interview with Indie Film Nation (2010): • Indie Film Nation Vide...
New Zealand censorship: web.archive.or...
Wikipedia for general notes: en.wikipedia.o...
MUSIC:
Tragic Story by Myuu
The Shining in Dubai by Unicorn Heads
Devoid by ELPHNT
Badlands by ELPHNT
It Happens by Doug Maxwell/Media Right Productions
Nocturnally by Amulets
A Hand In The Dark by Underbelly & Ty Mayer
Minor With Cricket by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Artist: audionautix.com/
It Is Lost by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/

[@RyanHollinger]

Watch my crossover review of THE BOYS OF COUNTY HELL here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/panRnJaLZrKqaKc

[@anubusx]

Review Pi The Mothman Prophecies Angel Heart Exam Conspiracy Razorback eXistenZ

[@larrytrusty4770]

Please do "Dogtooth"

[@fromgreattobrilliant922]

I'd love to see a review of "Noroi: The Curse". Seems like a film you'd enjoy covering

[@neverclosetoperfect]

@@anubusx ANGEL HEART PLEASE

[@Arcananine77]

You could do videos on: - Cure (1997) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa - The Host (2006) by Bong Joon-ho - The Fear Street trilogy (2021) by Leigh Janiak - Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) by Issa López

[@demspookz8732]

I’ve learned that if TikTok says a movie is “deep” or “scary”, nine times out of ten it fuckin sucks

[@SmegmaMale69]

Well what do you expect. Those people are willingly on a platform that rots your brain and sells your data to the Chinese government. Not exactly a demographic known for their high standards and intelligence.

[@selinakyle_]

Lol I remember when the movie The Tunnel went viral and it was virtually unknown for years and suddenly everyone thinks it superb and the conspiracy theorists thinks it has hidden messages lol

[@bigdadybojangls9219]

Just remember, tiktok is inhabited by 14 year olds who are just now starting to watch films and television with more than surface level themes/meaning. Well that, and they’re starting to actually notice messages beyond the surface now. So to kids, this movie probably does feel “deep”

[@longlivethesheet4561]

@@selinakyle_ I actually really liked The Tunnel, shame that conspiracy theorists co-opted it though

[@clarkmichaels822]

Tiktok's average user age is 13. They think seeing a shape in a cloud is profound.

[@MerryGrey]

I'm deeply disappointed the video didn't end on an unbroken 25-second shot of Ryan in an otherwise empty room

[@DiamandaHagan]

So am I, now!

[@CorbCorbin]

Ryan not in an otherwise empty room, then we find Diamanda, has Ryan, setup like Megan, on one of those devices, with his head sticking out the middle. Is Ryan is Missing?

[@MajorJakas]

Anybody that just has an empty room lying around is doing homeownership wrong.

[@Szriko]

@@MajorJakas Tumblr-level reading comprehension.

[@MajorJakas]

@@Szriko how so? You're lying about somebody with a 162 IQ, so you're not fooling anybody.

[@wstine79]

"Megan is missing!" Ryan: "HOYEVER...." "Oh, there she is."

[@Sarah-qx4vz]

I HATE how he says “however.” Makes me enraged

[@thatguy0532]

Really? Its the only reason I watch these😂

[@5th_cellar]

@@Sarah-qx4vz That's...that's literally just his accent... You're getting mad at a guy having an accent?

[@Regu269]

​@Sarah-qx4vz you're mad that someone has an accent? Why?

[@ujustgotpwned2008]

@@Sarah-qx4vz Why does an accent enrage you?

[@_M0R1_CC]

I swear , when TikTok found this film and labelled it as a “deep” film when it’s more so just a messy “written while high” movie

[@yuritarted9890]

They thought it was real too lol

[@_M0R1_CC]

@@yuritarted9890 fr???

[@aligmal5031]

half of tiktok recommendation for horror movies are msotly garbage movies but they put as if it's the scariest movie of all time :/ shows you the limitation of tiktok brain

[@TheBretchenShow]

I mean, what else do you expect from a crowd that thought Salt Burn was genius!

[@lainiwakura1776]

Considering it's mostly teenagers and children, you're surprised?

[@davidci]

Out of all horror films that depict serious themes like this, of course Tiktok went with THIS movie in particular

[@katievigil5965]

Same thing with domestic violence and it ends with us; like out of all of them you chose THAT

[@spacepan]

They're all bad

[@Dark_Tesla]

Because anything too artsy is weird because we’re getting dumber by the day. Nuance is weird to them, since they can’t understand it what they’ll also do is say “It’s not that deep” as a way to preserve ego.

[@mickflick8133]

​@@Dark_Tesla SO REAL. People say "it's not that deep" as soon as it's too deep for them personally. Those same people will also sing the overwhelming praises of things that legitimately don't have that much thought behind them. More people will understand your message if you write it at a 5th-grade level, those people want to feel smart for understanding that low-level messaging.

[@lalas181]

No wonder folks are so weird about art depicting heavier topics on there, then. Yeesh. 😬

[@SeanRI]

This movie feels like the "KIDS AND THEIR PHONES" types teamed up with those people who make tiktoks about how "if you see a candy wrapper near your car, it means that you are going to be kidnapped and sold into slavery!"

[@bbqrainbow]

Exactly. Not to say this level of evil doesn’t exist but it’s almost like real creeps sell these kind of stories as the main threat to make real grooming harder to recognize. The reality is kids should know healthy boundaries and to tell someone they trust if anyone, even family/friends, are making them feel unsafe.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Oh my god I hate those. I once heard (I forget where, so believe me or don’t) someone claim a freaking Kraft cheese single being on their doorstep is an indication of criminals staking out their house or something. Like their reason was literally just “How else would it get there?!” Literally any other way! I also heard a sleeve of cookies is put under your welcome mat to “track” how often and when you leave your house. Apparently cookie divination is in a burglar’s toolkit now.

[@yupitsjessbbyx3]

Unforgivable is a very apt word to use for this movie. I’m not sure why this movie is the one that disgusts me this deeply considering the other found footage films out there that tip into borderline snuff film territory. It feels like a “psa” made by the very predator who it’s warning about

[@aligmal5031]

this movie is like pg 13 compared to french and S korean movies

[@twilightblade]

This is a perfect description for it

[@aligmal5031]

@@twilightblade if you guys think this is "unforgivable" you need to watch the korean movie called silenced 2011 all i can say about this movie is that due to this movie laws in korea were changed :)

[@scatzilla99]

@@aligmal5031 yes yes, we know we're pussies and you're hardcore, we get it

[@rickardspaghetti]

Jimmy Saville once wrote a book about stranger danger.

[@BixBixby-j6c]

I hate when horror (or pseudo-horror) movies are so focused on being shocking and disturbing that they forget to make the characters even somewhat likeable

[@sleepylionking1103]

Or even worse: “THIS HAPPEN IN REAL LIIIFE OOOOO SCARY” with no substance

[@BeijingNoodle]

My parents were big in the “be careful on the internet” thing and so we all sat down to watch this movie together. Except that they assumed it was gonna be like that Emily Osment movie about cyberbullying. So imagine their shock and horror as the movie went as shocking and graphic as it possibly could including the full onscreen r*pe of a child in front of their three kids, I was 10 at the time and it was an experience. An experience that taught my parents to vet movies beforehand or else deal with the consequences of the weeks of nightmares afterwards and their oldest child refusing to touch a computer for at least a year making doing schoolwork impossible because he’d start crying hysterically

[@revolvertaco7493]

😂😂😅

[@faeb.9618]

did... did they even consider turning it off once things started getting really fucked? or did you all just sit there through the whole movie???

[@-EJ-]

To be fair, a child not touching a computer out of fear for a year after watching this move sounds like the mission was a success. It at least was failed successfully.

[@BeijingNoodle]

@@faeb.9618 I think my mom turned it off , I don’t fully remember I just remember we didn’t finish the movie. Although I did end up watching it a little after I turned 16 lol

[@unknown6390]

That's hysterical but I'm sorry that happened 😂

[@MeredithRules]

This is one of those movies where it just feels like the director enjoyed seeing horrible things done to underaged girls a litttttttle too much.

[@natedoggcata]

And are we not gonna talk about how or why "Josh" has a literal medieval style torture dungeon? That shit was so unnecessary to the point that it feels like that's what the director finds hott.

[@SpoopySquid]

Starring: The Writer's Barely Disguised Fetish

[@YoungCilantro]

Horror movies fans watching violent gorey depictions of murder: 😃 Horror movies fans watching depictions of SA: this is gratuitous, exploitative and unnecessary. 😡🤬

[@lolsnez7542]

​@@natedoggcatai mean that happens in real life

[@nicenameyougotthere.5021]

​@@YoungCilantro You can do SA in horror respectful and less exploitative. The last 25 minutes feels less shocking but more fetishist in how much it drags on.

[@nicole9volt]

I’m surprised you didn’t cover the INSANE stuff that came from Goi (the director) around this film. -That scene where she describes in *great detail* the first time she “performed an act” on the camp counselor, was from Goi interviewing a young girl who gave her own account of the same thing. -Goi himself gave the movie 5 stars on different platforms multiple times -Goi often would argue with any person who gave the movie a bad review

[@flufflewarrior]

Oh yes I remember that scene... it's so disgusting how detailed everything was. Yes, it was supposed to be shocking, but that was just inappropriate, especially considering that he interviewed *an actual girl for that!*

[@MrJamaigar]

Most people with am IMDB account know how to spot reviews for sucky movies written by the filmmakers themselves. 😅

[@madam-mint]

Ever heard of UrbanSlug? I guess this is one of their friends. Same behavior patterns.

[@flesh1229]

if you go to yms's video on megan is missing, theres a screenshot linked at the very top of the description of michael goi himself gloating that yms's review made more people buy his film, pretended he wasn't actually michael goi and called someone a dumbass for thinking he was, and then it turns out it actually was him because his channel had a megan is missing trailer 3 years before the movie release. dudes beyond cooked

[@hcapps7769]

Also in that same shot you can see mom's hand dip into the frame too early and backpedal super fast. There were so many shitty choices made during production! 😂

[@bekindrewind335]

The movie was inspired by the disappearances of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis in Oregon City. Their remains were found stored on the property of Ward Weaver: Gaddis's in a shed, and Pond's in a sealed drum buried under a concrete slab. I believe they they went to the same school as Weaver’s daughter, hence Lexi’s implied connection to Josh.

[@michaelsinger4638]

It’s very insulting to those two girls with how they’re portrayed here.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

That’s a sad,terrifying case.

[@quasarsurfer]

I went to the elementary school in Oregon City during this time, and my sisters' were on their dance team when they went missing. I don't think they caught the tone at all, and my friends saw when it was released and agreed. This is a disgusting reference by the director.

[@MrBeardsley]

Yup, that’s why it’s impossible to see this movie as anything other than sensationalistic exploitation and Michael Goi as anything other than a creep with a very unhealthy schoolgirl fetish.

[@SMcGowan287]

Sounds like something the director chose to use as an excuse to make this abomination of a movie. He just wanted to make a snuff film. Truly ridiculous and laughable.

[@_GeneralMechanics_]

The sick part about all this is there are real cases like this, but this movie comes off as a satire bordering on torture po*n especially when the kidnapper continues to video tape it.

[@lolsnez7542]

People are sick f in real life dude

[@pastichiorocker]

Yes, because that totally doesn't happen for real.

[@MrJamaigar]

People think changing the victims' names is respectful enough, rather than the bare minimum. 🤨

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@pastichiorockerThe fact that it happens for real is the whole problem

[@andrewb6194]

It’s an exploitation film, plain and simple

[@tangentartists6876]

The 90s was chock full of these "scared straight" movies that catered to parents' overactive imaginations. As a kid who was really only interested in drawing Elves and getting home in time to watch Gargoyles, it irked me to no end that the grownups all assumed I was doing drugs and giving handies for meth. (Like I had the TIME after choir practice and 4 hours of homework!)

[@raeoverhere923]

I thankfully was able to avoid that in my own childhood, my parents both have experience with addicts, and I preferred to read books at home rather than go out anywhere, though my little sister was never questioned about coming home late or new accessories that none of us bought for her. My husband's dad, though, used to go through his backpack in middle school, and one day confronted him with a slightly unbent paperclip, demanding to know if he was getting high. My husband said no, and his dad went on a tirade about how people use paperclips to do drugs (while pantomiming an injection into his elbow) and that they were going to get a drug test the next day (because the pharmacy was already closed). To this day we have no clue what he meant, and his dad denies ever doing anything like that, so we'll probably never know lol.

[@rosiejl2798]

Yup I was your classic nerdy teen girl in the late 2000s and even the "cool kids" never talked to each other like the clips in this review. Idk if it was just me but never did I get invited to sex and drug filled parties or "peer pressured" to take drugs like we were warned about in health class. The friday night activity my friends went to was the local youth group at a church ffs. Sure there were probably kids who sneaked out to go hang out at a park and drink/smoke weed but that was about it. The one big house party that nearly turned into a riot was in a different state and made national news so it wasn't like they were a regular event. Big parties were more of a wealthy area thing/ university thing.

[@GargLassie]

Gargoyles shoutout! What a kickass cartoon!

[@markcarpenter6020]

​@@rosiejl2798getting invited to wild parties was more an 80s/90s thing. That's why parents worried about it, they knew what they had done as teens. I was the quiet nerdy guy reading in the back of the class. But I had made friends with some...bad influencers. The teen parties you see that look like weird exaggerations used to actually happen. I know because I was at those parties.

[@rosiejl2798]

@@markcarpenter6020 Yeah now that you mention it before stranger danger was a thing there were absolutely older teens going to dances in the 70's and doing dodgy stuff. My mum even had a friend Trudy Adams who disappeared and was likely murdered after hitchhiking from a dance in 78, Mum said she just disappeared after leaving the dance and was never seen again. Unsurprisingly after the backpack murders in the 90's every Aussie kid my age had the dangers of hitchhiking drilled into us as an incredibly dangerous activity that would get you kidnapped and killed.

[@amelia7501]

tiktok thinking this was good just bc it gets disturbing is silly

[@DarknessAmongUs]

tbf we were all teenagers once and a majority of teenagers, especially younger ones, think that.

[@gabe6646]

I don't think it's totally unreasonable for young teens to think that. Adults on the other hand... you gotta take a step back if you're finding this movie really deep and powerful in its message.

[@seraphpuke]

@@DarknessAmongUsi was 14 when i watched this movie and could EASILY see it was complete and utter garbage in every possible way i think anyone who thinks that is genuinely brain dead

[@sneezmireniggity1145]

i met a guy in high school who said this was his favorite found footage movie, gave him the “i know what kind of man you are” look ended up being outed as a predator on discord, who would have guessed

[@YoungCilantro]

Previously on things that never happened and I made up to get validation.

[@lolsnez7542]

How was he outed?

[@KicsiFloo]

​@@YoungCilantro just because nothing interesting ever happens to you, doesn't mean this didn't happen, lmao

[@YoungCilantro]

@@KicsiFloo If you project any harder you are going to hurt yourself.

[@nrg6245]

You can like a horror movie a lot without being a piece of human filth lol…

[@FTZPLTC]

I don't know what's worse, the director saying a film "couldn't be made today", or the fact that he's talking about this film specifically. The only reason I can think of that Megan Is Missing "couldn't be made today" is that people who grew up with their Internet are in their 30s and 40s now and aren't going to buy into evil Internet hysteria that was pretty dated even then.

[@theduckcompany]

Also it couldn't be made then, the mf'er had to self fund, no one wanted a piece of it then or now.

[@linasayshush]

Another reason this movie couldn't be made today is because of labor laws, probably. I'm pretty sure most of these actresses were minors while filming.

[@mv9653]

This. What people don’t seem to understand is that “scary internet predators,” were the Satanic Panic of the early 2000s. The whole idea was less about portraying nuanced subject matter and more about kids and their parents scared of creepy internet boogeymen…and it worked at the time, but kids today are much more tech savvy than we were.

[@NightmareChild013]

@@linasayshush Nope. Believe it or not both main actresses were in their 20s. Me thinking they were minors was originally my biggest issue with the movie and would have pushed it into Cutie's territory IMO.

[@TheSCPStudio]

Bro why are you acting like the movie is propaganda lol. No one needs to ‘buy into’ anything in order to just enjoy a movie lol

[@TheAbigailDee]

I was SHOCKED that this movie, of all things, had a resurgence of popularity. It's objectively horrible. It's badly made. It comes from a nasty place. Your phrasing of "unforgivable" is absolutely correct. Just because something makes you uncomfortable doesn't make it powerful. Sometimes it's just uncomfortable. Because it's a gross movie made by someone sus as hell.

[@shelbyyoungest]

Oh I am keeping “just because something makes you uncomfortable doesn’t make it powerful” in my back pocket for future reference. I once went to a staged adaptation of a notorious horror/thriller and I wanted so badly to tell the director this same sentiment bc they went so far with some of the horrific elements that it alienated the audience rather than kept them engaged with the story. It didn’t provide impact, it just took me out of the show entirely, especially seeing friends and colleagues performing in it. Granted they didn’t go nearly as far as the original New York production did for some scenes, but particularly the violence towards women (especially women who worked in a certain field), and how drawn out and excessive parts of it were even compared to the original film it was based on. Something being “edgier” doesn’t automatically make it potent and deep.

[@bbqrainbow]

The fact some scenes were identical to footage of real abductions just takes this movie from stupid and exploitative to downright disrespectful and rage inducing.

[@lolsnez7542]

That was the point

[@nicenameyougotthere.5021]

​@@lolsnez7542 But it's not a good thing at all. It's gross and the director gets off to it.

[@MrJamaigar]

Clearly this was intended as a scare-straight movie, about stranger danger on the internet; which was still a thing in 2011, apparently.

[@-EJ-]

Wtf does unforgivable mea-ohhhhhhhh.

[@rushguy1]

This movie made me feel dirty after I watched it, and it didn’t help that it seemed like Goi directed it with one hand on the camera and one hand down his pants.

[@Thiccythiccreads]

This is scarily accurate…

[@revolvertaco7493]

That's how alot of people watched it.😂 ...if it's still out there.🤔

[@Scarshadow666]

@@revolvertaco7493 Sounds like a statement that could make some socially anxious people to self-isolate even more... 0_0

[@karlmarx1745]

mate what ​@@revolvertaco7493

[@lolsnez7542]

How do you know that?

[@bigshotfilms7741]

The worst part is that this movie has no point, it's all just misery and torture for the sake of explaining the obvious, at least the Guinea Pig films have some artistry behind them, and when they don't they arent pretending to have a grand point (at least the Japanese films) This movie is smug

[@pastichiorocker]

Ah yes, please explain the artistry of the Guinea Pig movies to me.

[@baddidea4863]

@@pastichiorocker so they're basically just unapologetic gnarly gorefests that don't get preachy about it. that's the artistry lol

[@loverboymadita7811]

What's a guinea pig film?

[@CerebralSupport]

Bro Cannibal Holocaust proved their point better than this movie

[@AbrasiousProductions]

sort of like Wanda (1970) too, just endless boring misery.

[@theMitchBau5]

I remember being told this was "the scariest movie EVER MADE" when I was in high school, and when I watched it I thought it was a joke.

[@jennmoslek921]

The CCTV footage of Megan's abduction is based on the Carlie Brucia abduction footage here in Florida. Carlie was abducted & killed about 20 years ago in Sarasota while walking home from a friend's house. A security camera on a car wash caught the actual abduction & is what ultimately led to the capture of the man who did it. If you were to watch the real footage next to the movie footage, they're almost identical.

[@mikaross4671]

So incredibly disrespectful. I cant stand how this movie glorified this young girl's deaths.

[@owlcyclops7163]

I have a horrible suspicion that no one of any those real life missing cases that I am increasingly finding out about to my horror in the comments of this video alone were never able to rightfully sue this [Insert worst word you can think of to sum this man up] for every drop of penny he had for weaponizing the Trauma of those poor victims. like seriously Fuck this guy.

[@juicyj7979]

even more insulting look up ashley pond abduction i forget the second girl buts it’s almost a 1:1 of this movie

[@MegCazalet]

Seeing the footage of Carlie Brucia when she was kidnapped and killed lead to an emergency therapy session in which I was sobbing the whole time. It was so raw for me. I will never forget how viscerally horrified I was. Her and Polly Klass have affected me the most.

[@TheSCPStudio]

@@mikaross4671oh shut up lol. No one is glorifying anything just because it’s used as inspiration. War movies glorify war I guess? I bet you’re the type of person to change their profile picture to a flag in order to show ‘support’ rather than actually ever do anything. If you truly can’t stand whatever wrongdoing you think has been done, do something about it lmao.

[@hartthorn]

Just once, I'd like to see this kind of setup reveal that the party girl is actually INCREDIBLY competent BECAUSE they've dealt with grope-y predators and users. Like, it's so lazy to assume these girls are just WAITING to get taken advantage of.

[@levischorpioen]

Because, unpopular opinion, that’s what would happen. As much as they’d like to believe, not all girls are Erin from You’re Next. Especially teenage girls. In most cases, they’re dumb ignorant idiots who think that accountability is a cute fairytale that should never apply to them.

[@kristofclaus7460]

Well, they pick out the ones who can't deal with it... They could show the predator failing a few times first, but the movie is always about the one that does get caught, otherwise there would be no movie

[@rpNerd]

It does not have a happy ending, but Promising Young Woman is a film that follows a young woman who targets men that would take advantage of a drunk party girl by pretending to be just that. Truly, it does not end well, but it is satisfying to see her gain the upper hand in situations by revealing that she has been the one leading them into a trap all along.

[@MrBeardsley]

Something tells me this is just how Michael Goi sees young girls.

[@Rexorazor]

Girls lol 🤣😆

[@troin3925]

Anyone else remember being introduced to this movie through YMS? It felt so surreal (and also annoying to me), that years later the movie suddenly became popular and relevant again for like a month as a result of a younger generation of kids and teens on TikTok who probably don't even know who Adum is discovering the movie and overhyping it as this "super terrifying movie that will traumatize you" when it's just a really shitty movie.

[@ridleysomeliana-lauer5814]

Definitely agree. It’s so fuckin odd.

[@VS-kf5qw]

YMS was my entry point to this movie as well. Seeing it resurface as "based on a true story" on social media was like finding out that there are people who think that Black Eyed Kids are real.

[@nicole9volt]

The scene with the video call with the girl and the older creep always made me uneasy, the actress looks legit uncomfortable and tightens up when the guy touches her thigh. She looks so uncomfortable filming that, like she was legit creeped out

[@Orochimaruswife1]

I found it very, very gross that the actors were underage. Like the material is bad, but having KIDS act it out? Really gross.

[@emtpmpknhed]

This is what skeeves me out the most, along with the girl saying *that scene* was traumatizing to film. Shame on the director, and shame on her parents for allowing that. Gross.

[@narcissistsanonymous3904]

WHATTTTTTRTTFTTSYEUEIRIIDUUSD?!?!???!??!??!??!?

[@lolsnez7542]

So you wanted adults pretending to be teenagers?

[@nicenameyougotthere.5021]

​@@lolsnez7542 Yes, it makes this movie feels a lot less exploitative and fetishy.

[@trustedroot]

​@@lolsnez7542 yeah, actually

[@quitpayload]

So, I misread the title of this as "The Most Unforgettable Found Footage Film". When the video started I was groaning and saying to myself "Oh my god, you're not actually gonna give a positive review of this shitty movie are you?". I was so relieved when I re-read the title and watched the video

[@AbrasiousProductions]

I thought the same thing!😂

[@eliotmccann2589]

First "hoyevver" drops at the seven second mark. That MUST be a record.

[@biirdbraiins]

GOD thank you for talking about how bad this movie is! it’s so bad, not just because of the content, but the writing and filmmaking too

[@minuette1752]

How does it compare to A Serbian Film?

[@changbinstreadmill]

@@minuette1752 it's not as fucked up as A Serbian Film, at least this one doesn't have a baby r@ping scene or that scene that was near the end when one of the covers was removed and it was discovered the person getting r@ped is his son and who was the perpetrator for all this, that movie was just tragic and the victims in there were Milos (who was drugged and the events that occured are out of his control) and his family and that infant and the 12 year old girl too, everyone else were absolute pieces of crap. if you have a strong stomach watch it but that movie is jarring even if you're used to gore and vi0lent movies. mostly because you'll feel terrible for this guy who only took the job to provide for his family only to get screwed over big time and then the end was just sad but it gives some relief to the watcher knowing these three won't have to suffer with the memory of the event for the rest of their lives

[@DankrumStar]

@@minuette1752I would say subject wise, A Serbian film is definitely worse than this movie. There’s just horrible things one after another and even in the last minutes of the movie you get hit with even more horrible things. The acting is definitely better. There’s a lot of hopelessness and despair and the actors portray it very well

[@minuette1752]

@@DankrumStar I found A Serbian Film to be delightful. The world sucks and this stuff happens.

[@Akashiachan]

i think i was 14 when i watched this movie (might have been 15 or 16) and my friend and i, both teenage girls, were truly unaffected by basically everything going on. it's only the r*pe scene that sticks with me over a decade later because like... there's a reason that that act is not usually depicted on screen. never scared me away from the internet, but at 28 it does leave me wondering what the hell compels a grown man to want to put that to screen. unforgivable is a good word for it.

[@Schattenfaust2]

I don't think I've seen Ryan be outright scathing like this before, it's interesting. Didn't expect the old school skits-and-characters-review stuff to come back around.

[@TheSCPStudio]

What? He whines a lot.

[@Schattenfaust2]

@@TheSCPStudio I've never seen one of these reviews where he's just flat out gone "fuck this movie" like he does here

[@Waffleplateninja]

"We have The Poughkeepsie Tapes at home."

[@NukaCola514]

Poughkeepsie Tapes sucks too so that's not saying much

[@DefinitelynotaPupper]

Comparing the Megan is Trash to The Poughkeepsie Tapes is an INSULT I know that The Poughkeepsie Tapes sucks too but still Lmfao

[@Dustaroo]

the barrel scene is the only good scene in this film. for such a cheap and exploitative film such as this, ending with being buried alive with a decayed friend is one of the most haunting deaths I could think of.

[@CometCereal]

I have to agree. While the movie as a whole is pretty bad, the ending can really stick with you due to how horrifying of a concept it is.

[@DefinitelynotaPupper]

Though I really REALLY HATE THE MOVIE because of how BADLY WRITTEN IT IS I got to admit that's the only scene that I could definitely call "Disturbing" Seeing your decaying friend on a same barrel that you're in is truly one of the most horrifying ways to die

[@ivarent3784]

Megan is Missing slander is just the thing I needed for my birthday, thanks Ryan

[@xChaosFlower]

Happy birthday 🎉

[@ivarent3784]

@@xChaosFlower Thanks!

[@nathanielleguizamo409]

The plot sounds like if Fire Walk With Me was a shit movie instead of Art

[@sillygoose3084]

I'm gonna mention. When I was 13-14 it was actually common to call your girl friends cruel things as like a funny haha moment. It's not very mature, but it was something that happened where I lived at the very least. Not that it makes the dialogue any better.

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

At age 27 I walked into my girlfriend and her sister having some kind of discussion and her sister did the *shocked gasp* "You slut" as the tee-hee I'm gonna call you offensive things. It was the norm when we were teens and it still comes out as grown ass men and women when in the privacy of our homes.

[@WFHRUG]

I remember this film made its rounds on TikTok and completely traumatized like a lot of people.

[@Sandcake098]

Most of the people saying it “traumatized them” said that for clout

[@jennyAsta]

I don't know if you two know about the "Cineman Therapy" guys are, but about halfway through, you seemed to turn into a dark mirror verse version of them.

[@Kiss_My_Aspergers]

OH MY GOD I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT OF THAT Is Diamanda Alan or is Ryan

[@comicbookreviewer4856]

when Cineman therapy point out the moral and their views on the movie than going into a full movie making jokes or joking with the clips unlike most people copying NC from Channel awesome to get famous

[@MrBeardsley]

To anyone who lived through this era of American TV, the “My Child is Missing!” segments feel more like a parody than even the most over-the-top sensationalistic “news” shows that plagued cable TV and syndication in the ‘00s.

[@Milkytan]

Oh my god so glad to see somebody shit on this movie because I see it included with actually "good" disturbing movies so often. I hate it so much, damn thing was such a waste of attention and time

[@kellydavis3219]

If the crux of your "movie" can be fully experienced by looking at three still images, you really didn't need to make a movie, just a crappy reddit post

[@tmountain1]

I'd rather watch Martyrs, A Serbian Film, and Irreversible back to back for two weeks straight nonstop than subject myself to another moment of this thing. At least those are actual serious artistic statements. A true horror film about the dangers adolescents face is Larry Clark's "Kids."

[@QWERTYCommander]

Even A Serbian Film, which 😂😂was nowhere near as good or smart as the exploitation/arthouse films it's often compared to, at least knew when to pull its punches and made the more infamous scenes few and far between. It's like jumpscares, you have to use them sparingly so the viewer doesn't get desensitized.

[@Las645]

A Serbian film is disgusting. I’ll never understand people acting like that film is “artistic” or any better. What damned statement did that movie have to make? It was just nasty, especially towards kids and babies just to be nasty

[@joly2834]

@@Las645 thats just the pretentiouse artsy people. The film was really just made to piss off the serbian government

[@WhiteTulip2002]

How about Antichrist, À l'intérieur, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original), and House of 1000 Corpses on repeat back to back? I include the last 2 because the screaming gets exhausting

[@scraperindustry]

Don't put Martyrs and Serbian Film on the same level. Serbian Film was just gross with nothing to say

[@markittystuff]

So glad to get in the Halloween mood early and watch some Ryan Hollinger videos. So happy you been uploading so much recently! Hats off to all the effort put in them!

[@ivanbluecool]

Oh right this film. Reminds me of one where 99 percent of the film is the girls life and then has jump cuts to her in some tied up jigsaw trap. Made me chuckle

[@3possumsinatrenchcoat]

"we're only five minutes in" "mOTHERFUC-"

[@TheMovingEye]

Diamanda Hagan tying up Ryan without sharing the full footage is the exact kind of cruelty I came to expect from her.

[@DiamandaHagan]

There's a little more in the other crossover :)

[@mickeydill3608]

Thought that was a dude

[@jasonhunter2819]

@@mickeydill3608 Ryan? Yeah. Oh you were being a dickhead! Oh, in which case no, Hagan is very much a woman.

[@trashcanchic]

​@@mickeydill3608He is, Ryan is just being polite and playing along.

[@fjorgyn7438]

​@@trashcanchic they're trans, dude.

[@gerardwfreak]

I always think of YMS whenever I this film is mentioned xD EDIT: I wrote this before I started watching it, so I'm glad YMS got a mention!

[@StreslaManagement]

I remember the writing feeling like it was written by a teenager but, I think that's because the movie is from a teenager's perspective and the plot isn't overly fantastic. No heroes journey. No shocking twist. Just the mundane until the horrific ending.

[@levischorpioen]

Yeah I don’t really understand the criticism of “teenagers don’t act and talk this way”. I was a teenager in 2007 and this is EXACTLY how we talked and acted. That’s why it’s so effective. The issue is that people think this is a traditional film with likeabLe protagonists we can root for (because that’s always been a staple in horror, he lied). It’s not. It’s exactly what Goi said: A PSA. A fictionalized documentation of real life, and reality doesn’t give a fuck how “likeable” you are.

[@michaelsinger4638]

And that’s the issue. This is still a fictional film. You need to make people care. And if the characters are both unlikeable and also boring frankly, then I don’t care what happens to them, “Realism” is a cop out excuse.

[@wendyd_darling]

​@@levischorpioenyeah I never got the criticism either. Although I'm far from being a teenager lol I've seen and heard them act exactly like they do in the movie. In a word it's pretty cringe. I totally agree on your take pretty insightful

[@reyvynnightveil1706]

I also feel like a key factor wasn't even considered when judging the majority of these scenes: that these kids would know they are on camera... People, especially kids, are going to largely act a lot different when they know they're being recorded or watched than they will when no one is around. I still think the film just goes way too into gross territory with underage girls when merely suggestive allusion would have done the job better. I think "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" did a better job at this, because it was a mockumentary. As kids, we used to act stupid like this a lot. Trying to act older, tougher, more wild, etc to impress our friends or even just to prove to ourselves that we could. With age comes the wisdom to look back and see how stupid most of it was.

[@spiderbug7615]

@@michaelsinger4638 i mean, I feel like there is still a certain point where you find a character annoying and should still sympathize with their plight. I feel like if you're watching someone get brutalized onscreen and don't care at all, simply because they're annoying, it's a little ridiculous. That's not to say that writers shouldn't still attempt to make the characters interesting, of course, I just think that theres a point where people should care regardless.🤷

[@MrMetalforever5]

I don’t think the movie or the people behind it are deplorable. Extreme horror has its place, I’ve read a few extreme horror novels that helped me appreciate people and life mor. It’s just bad. Really bad, like so bad that I’m disappointed that THIS is the movie that got popular and trumpeted on social media. A movie as wide and deep as a Petri dish.

[@nexosstories]

I remember watching this as a young teen girl, I was hyper fixated on found footage films at the time. I didn't expect the ending, I thought it was going to be totally different and I honestly didn't know what to think when I saw it. It was hard to kinda rationalize what I saw

[@raeoverhere923]

I remember thinking it would be more of a traditional horror film when I first sat down to watch it, but found footage wasn't a genre I minded, so I stayed optimistic. The way these 14-year-olds were talking and acting threw me off immediately, and when Megan walked out for the last time leaving her webcam on, I rolled my eyes so hard. Who the hell leaves their webcam on when they're leaving the house?? The ending made me so angry, like, unreasonably so. There was nothing about this film that justified the voyeurism of Amy's torture, and I fast-forwarded through almost the entire thing. But also, why would a serial murderer record himself doing these things, and then throw the camera away in the same spot she was abducted from?? Even if he was going to throw the camera out, why leave the footage intact?? Why throw it away somewhere that the police would absolutely be looking?? It was so poorly thought out.

[@DeGBitch]

When it comes to the dangers teenagers face online, Trust (2010) did it best and did it without resorting to disgusting shock tactics like this. It was realistic and well acted and in my opinion, a must watch movie.

[@natedoggcata]

I really like how that movie handled the rape scene with it just being images that the father can't get out of his head no matter how hard he tries. And I really like how that movie focuses on the trauma rape can cause and how it can completely destroy a family

[@MeonLights]

GENUINELY did not expect Diamanda at all. Neither did I expect FilmBrain. I know you are technically not far from one another, but my worlds still collided. What a delight :D

[@kenziecullen4434]

Every movie that uses the excuse that it’s trying to “spread awareness” always has the most tone-deaf view of their target audience. What teenager is going to relate to Megan, whose entire personality is just “hedonism,” or Amy, who is basically a 9-year old in high school? They don’t play sports, they don’t do homework, they don’t watch tv, they don’t listen to music, they don’t work part-time jobs; they just sit around at home staring at their phones and computers until somebody on the other side offers to video chat or asks them to a party. Teenagers should be insulted by such a shallow portrayal.

[@murphmanfa]

Diamanda's style doesn't really vibe with what I'm looking for but it's a treat to have another personality present to bounce ideas off of. This is a great takedown of the movie and it seems like you two had a fun time making it! Edit: and to clarify- there's an audience for what she does, and it's not me, but she does it well and I was happy to give her the view on the other video from this collab. I felt like it came across nastier than I meant it and my anxiety brain wouldn't let it be.

[@nicole9volt]

I feel the same way, not really a fan of the Nostalgia Critic scripted skit stuff

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

It was kinda jarring as I haven't engaged with this style of review for nearly a decade, but still kind of a fun throw-back

[@JackieTheCatfox]

@@murphmanfa I didn't read your comment as nasty, you worded it pretty respectfully :)

[@NeepNeepPohn]

D tier Channel Awesome creators aren't exactly known for their compelling characters or high brow humor

[@longlivethesheet4561]

More Megan is Missing bashing? Diamanda Hagan? Christmas has come early

[@NathanLeeJames]

Ugh, the corpse shot is more disturbing than the other shots to me!

[@revolution724]

I haven't seen this movie and I don't plan to, but I have been a 14 year old girl in the USA and that was back in the Stone Age, 1990. I don't think y'all are fully grasping how insecure, naive, and susceptible to peer pressure young girls are at that age, especially in a world where the internet was newer. Young teenagers don't have fully developed brains and often don't think through consequences even when they should know better, and at that time, they would have had less ability to know better than kids born in 2010 would. Also 14 year old girls are ROUTINELY horrible to each other, including when they're besties. Might be interesting to contrast this one with Thirteen or Kids. That said, I don't doubt that incredibly misguided and poor choices were made by the creators of the movie, but I don't necessarily agree that what you're describing of the characters' actions and ways of interacting are as unrealistic as you say.

[@katherinehebert6523]

Megan is Missing was so bad it pissed me off. No one ever talks about how this film is LITERALLY OFFENSIVE

[@dylanb.8459]

this film goes to show that a good cinematographer is not always a good filmmaker (i dont think hes a particularly good cinematographer but hes successful enough as one)

[@coolboyyo654]

what movie could he be- [sees name Megan] oh no

[@spamreciever4208]

I once worked for a call center doing tech support for a home security/automation company we'll call Wivint based out of SLC (avoid them like the plague). While there, literally on my last day, I helped Michael Goi (the man who wrote, shot, directed this film) change the batteries in his door lock. I had just watched the YMS episode on this film, so I said, "Huh, you share a name with a filmmaker." "Oh, you must be an American Horror Story fan." "I actually know you from Meghan is Missing." "Oh... feel good movie of the year, that was" (said with an almost defeated tone) "something like that." And then the call was over. That was 6 years ago, and I still think about it sometimes . I didn't have the heart to tell him this film is dogshit lol.

[@cheekyguza]

1:41 'The fu*king pronunciation, heewwaaaveeeaarr' 😂😂

[@troygarcia6674]

I've never seen the movie but i remember watching a review on it that stuck with me. I was actually confused cause I could have sworn that was a Ryan video. So I had to look up reviews cause I thought I was crazy. It was Amanda the Jedi if anyone's curious lol

[@robbyroba]

And the director actually talked to teenage girls about how they talked to each other.

[@Pewpewpew182]

I gotta get a lot of work done, but Ryan shows up with a video and totally redeems the day!! ❤

[@RyanHollinger]

I apologise in advance

[@Pewpewpew182]

@@RyanHollinger Not necessary!! 😊 I’ll be okay!

[@matrixiekitty2127]

What I don’t get either is why is it set in 2007?? How much does that really impact the story especially when they’re using elements that just did not really work back then ( 7:28 on a video call while walking around outside what??) And sure the wardrobe is correct-ish but the camera quality is not it! It’s too clean too fluid, you can tell it’s not a consumer level camera from the jump! Nobody’s camera quality was that clean back then, especially not the webcams!

[@OomaGooma]

Never watched this movie. It’s gonna stay that way.

[@Gauldoth]

Amen. These reviews do us all a great service: they save us from watching this drek out of curiosity

[@inory5460]

tbh, the ending traumatized me

[@darkdust]

One of those films where just knowing the synopsis is enough for me to know I'll never be able to watch it.

[@dommyboysmith]

It's a brutal slog of a movie. You can just watch the last 15 minutes and that's basically the entire movie.

[@juannaym8488]

it's honestly just gross but not particularly disturbing. Very boring too

[@poplottie]

I love that you avoided it cause of YMS 😂That is just so accurate

[@docsaico]

I saw this when I was around fourteen and honestly, it scarred me. That ending was devastating, and I’ve always been pretty active online, not always in the smartest ways. It resonated with me, even not being the best movie ever, lol.

[@Mergerie_Smithaton]

9:19 This reminds me of my favorite line from YMS's review. "Oh my god! There's a chair in this house?"

[@nuffnuff6333]

I've never seen Diamanda Hagan's content before and I hope I never have to again. Insufferable to listen to‬

[@BackInBlack5]

With you right there buddy.

[@Barakon]

This movie looks like something Lily Orchard would enjoy.

[@andrewb6194]

NGL, I wasn’t expecting to see her name come up

[@UlshaRS]

Not covering this film is totally an option *A wild Diamanda appears* Like I said not covering it is totally NOT an option

[@jeremysmith4620]

This feels like the director's personal yank flick.

[@WhaleManMan]

This movie was basically made as fearmongering propaganda

[@EveryFairyDies]

I fully expect Ryan's next video to be filmed with him still in that hotel room, still wrapped in tape.

[@MasterMemo]

I like this breakdown and analysis. YMS's review was good for breaking down why it didn't work as found footage, and how it takes you out of it. This video is good for how it doesn't work as a story and film. Good on ya. Great video for sure

[@ddlovesjc1]

I cannot believe you actually covered this movie!!! Fantastic video as per usual. And the Boys if County Hell addition...chef's kiss!!!

[@FilmBrain]

I do my own accidental stunts.

[@margaretwilkerson3140]

I really don’t understand how this film tries to send a message about young teens being exploited while become exploitative with an assault scene lasting three minutes and showing underage characters in their underwear and in bondage devices for several minutes

[@TyroneBruinsmaFilms]

I feel like Michael Goi (who does have a respectable cinematographer and tv career) wanted to make a sincere film, but ultimately failed and made something closer to unintentional bad porn or a modern equivalent to Reefer Madness. Anyone who claims the film is challenging, dark or genuinely disturbing has never truly seen challenging, dark or disturbing works.

[@lucasacosta2104]

unforgivable because how bad it was like, it´s very difficult to made a film this bad

[@leahp8445]

Aaaaah diamanda hagan!!! Love to see my favorite Irish KZbinrs teaming up❤

[@Silvermoon424]

Adam of YMS made a video on this movie, I highly recommend watching it after Ryan's video because it goes into how exploitative everything is.

[@russellspaulding1279]

Well, at least this got me to watch "Shadow of the Vampire", "If it's not in frame it doesn't exist" is a banger of line!

[@thebeetleball]

Megan is Missing is like living proof that just because something includes dark themes and *says* it's exploring them doesn't at all mean it actually does nor does it treat them with respect. Lately I feel like people like to tout horror that's more "real" as inherently superior when it's just as capable of being poorly written as any other genre under the sun, not to mention how many people are unwilling to be critical of how said themes are handled

[@Mordrevious]

I generally try to be positive but like, the skits with this Hagan guy felt a lot like old Nostalgia Critic skits. That's not a complement. I'm sure he's a nice guy and was fun to work with but all the crossover stuff just sucked the energy out of this video and messed up the pacing.

[@downey2k16]

Found this movie on my own, no tiktok needed. Those pictures of Megan being trapped...still haunt me to this day

[@CheLGaZm]

Hard Candy is better

[@zab416]

I mean, it's basically a two person play with a couple of skilled actors, so yeah that does wonders for believability and watchability. Very disturbing but some good acting from Page and Wilson.

[@VonDiesel3768]

I know they always have older actors play younger characters in horror movies, but in a found footage movie it's much harder to believe. I mean one of the two main girls was 21 when this came out and the other was 23 when it came out when it came out. So I guess they were 20 and 22 when they were filming, but that is worlds away from 14. Maybe you could buy it more if this was an 80s horror movie where everybody was 15 years older than they were supposed to be..

[@ironmaster6496]

I thank YMS's review for being my first exposure to this garbage because every other video about it triws to make it look like the most disturbing and realistic film ever

[@HarmlessHagoftheWoods]

I normally won't judge horror movie tastes, but anytime someone tries to tell me that "Megan is Missing is just so scary and real. You need to watch it." I just have to roll my eyes.

[@tmamone83]

I saw a video review of this movie that pointed out you can clearly hear the director say "Action" at the beginning of one scene (I can't remember which scene, though).

[@loganmurray8810]

Old CA fan glad to see diamanda still surviving in this hellscape called youtube

[@Axle911]

gonna be honest (And not trying to be mean) The skit stuff isn't working for me