'Man Finds Tape' Review: A Promising Found Footage Debut With a Flawed Finish
- Becca Johnson
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Becca Johnson - January 12, 2026
A feature debut from directors Paul Gandersman and Peter S. Hall, Man Finds Tape is a found footage horror movie with a unique, sci-fi edge. The story follows a brother and sister named Lucas and Lynn Page, who team up to investigate events portrayed in a series of strange and unexplainable video clips. The footage leads them to discover a shocking secret that’s overtaking their small-town Texas community. With believable performances, tangible suspense and an enjoyable mockumentary filmmaking approach, Man Finds Tape is a solid directorial debut. However, the further the storyline progresses, the further it devolves.
Man Finds Tape has an intriguing setup that hooks you in from the first minute. The mystery is a solid one, with the weird, creepy clips leaving the audience with many questions that beg for an answer. The unsettling tone is set from the first few frames. The two central performances from Kelsey Pribilski and William Magnuson are also a big reason as to why the film instantly captures your attention; not only are they impressive for a movie of this budget, but their sibling bond is magnetic and believable. The pair really do feel like they have unspoken words and hefty baggage between them, giving the script another solid hook. It's is ambitious with its themes, introducing ideas of small-town community culture, internet culture, religion and the power of repressed memories. It explores said themes by pairing a mockumentary style of filmmaking with found footage clips to keep the film engaging throughout. The themes are certainly heavy, but all are explored with thought and care. Man Finds Tape gets off to a great start, that first act setting you up for a great time.
The aspect that ensures that this lingers is the horror. Similarly to the story, it starts off very strong, with some genuinely unsettling found footage-esque clips that manage to get under your skin. One in particular, featuring a hit and run that passers-by seem to be oblivious to, is especially eerie. There is a dark tone carried throughout, exacerbated by the original score from Jimmy LaValle (The Endless) that works wonders. The slow burn dread and uncomfortable atmosphere marry together to create some genuinely unsettling horror. Unfortunately, once said horror begins to take centre stage and become more apparent, it loses much of its fear factor. The sci-fi blend that the script adds is unique and fun, but doesn’t always work well. The effects don’t live up to what the filmmakers are going for due to budget limitations, which means they fail to provide the scares required. Furthermore, due to the documentary style that the storyline follows, we know early on who makes it out alive. This minimizes the stakes and alters the amount of suspense you’re able to feel on behalf of these characters. What starts as an unsettling movie winds up a mildly scary watch by the end.
It’s not just the horror that lacks punch as the mystery starts to unveil, but the story itself. The further the run-time progresses, the more threads and ideas added in, so by the time the true threat is revealed, the plot feels overstuffed with ideas and far too convoluted. Many horrors fall into the trap of boasting a great set-up, but falling apart by the third act. Unfortunately, Man Finds Tape also becomes a victim of this. A third act of convolution and an all-over-the-place story finishes with a conclusion that may be unsatisfying for many, especially those that like their horror movies to pack a frightful punch at the end. Better and far more effective when more simplistic and straightforward, it has some good ideas at play, but perhaps a few too many.
For a debut feature film, Man Finds Tape puts directors Gandersman and Hall on the map, and is rather impressive. Their direction is great, the ideas intriguing and the found footage filmmaking delivers everything you’d expect. Pairing that with an unsettling atmosphere and believable performances creates a serviceable flick that gives audiences plenty to chew on. Unfortunately, it cannot stick the landing as the cosmic horror doesn’t have the desired effect, but the journey makes the destination worth it.
'Man Finds Tape' releases on digital platforms January 19 from Vertigo Releasing.
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