A few weeks ago, Screambox mentioned some summer fun movies — all about Cryptids. I asked what they recommended and they said to watch their latest exclusive: Frogman. I went in blind and found myself deep in the world of a man trying to find himself in the quest for a local monster.
Three friends in search of the Loveland Frogman find out that he is more than just a local legend.
IMDB, Frogman
Starting with some 90s home movie footage, Dallas and his family are traveling through Loveland having a not-so-great time. As they stop to look at a map, Dallas and his sister see something strange in the woods: a giant frog-like creature. Camera distortions let you know something is definitely up with this frog. Many years later, the legend of the Loveland Frogman are all over he internet. Dallas’ footage is famous, but many people call him a liar and deem the footage a hoax. In an attempt to get out of a rut and prove to the world that what he saw was real, Dallas recruits two of his friends, Scotty and love interest Amy to shoot a documentary about the creature. As they travel back to Loveland, they slowly discover a mix of fakeries and conspiracies surrounding the cryptid, and they soon find themselves wrapped up in a slimy, green situation.
What can I say, I love found footage. If done right, it can certainly add to the movie. Frogman gets it right, sticking to the 90s feel; I’ll even say that it was a really smart move to have Dallas insist on using his old digital camera for the documentary, as it relates to the story of his famous footage and also hides any camera trickery from the audience. Some of the trickery is good, other stuff could be better. For example, you could say that it’s lazy to not show action when characters are running around screaming about something. You could also say that the sound design made up for it. Some scenes were held a little too long for my taste, but I’ll let that pass.
Character-wise, everything was good! I felt Dallas’ reasoning for wanting to make a documentary was genuine, and Scotty and Amy made the trio feel like real friends. Though some of the dialogue felt a bit forced and “written,” a lot of the interviews of Loveland locals were some of my favorites. As one person is explaining the paranormal, sexual side of Frogman, he says “Frogman fucks!” I audibly laughed at that. For every bad chunk of dialog, Frogman has loads of good chunks.
The story was fun as well. Like I said, found footage is always a fun ride for me. The reasoning behind Dallas wanting to make a film was there, so there were no let’s keep filming just because moments. The big climax totally took me by surprise. I was slowly leaning towards Frogman being either a regular ol’ cryptid flick à la Mothman or Bigfoot, but it turned into a conspiracy/mystery and then into cult-like craziness. Finally, we are pulled out of the movie into a non-POV portion, which I found to be a nice touch.
If you’re looking for more action, more monsters, or just a bigger, blockbuster feel, sit Frogman out. This is a stay-at-home movie night kind of deal. I think Frogman is a great entry to cryptid horror and one that will turn your thoughts on found footage upside down.
What did you think of Frogman? Let us know in the comments!
Frogman is available to stream on Screambox.
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