Mocking Monsters: ‘Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project‘ Filmmakers Get Real About Their Bigfoot Tale.
I recently caught up with creative team behind ‘Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project‘, a strange and funny mockumentary that takes a fresh spin on horror. Directed by Max Tzannes, who co-wrote the film with David San Miguel, and it features standout cinematography and editing by Jacob Souza. Together, this team has put together something that feels like a mash-up of comedy and real dread—both a send-up of indie film and a love letter to it.
Produced by Tyler Friesen in collaboration with Radio Silence, the team behind ‘Scream‘ and ‘Scream VI‘, the film draws clear inspiration from cult classics like ‘The Blair Witch Project‘ and ‘This Is Spinal Tap‘. It has the DIY spirit and awkward charm of American Movie and the smart silliness of What We Do in the Shadows. Whether you’re into horror or not, there’s something here for you.
The film follows a fictional director named Chase Bradner (Brennan Keel Cook), who sets out to make his first horror movie about Bigfoot. He drags a ragtag crew to a remote cabin in Camp Nelson, CA, hoping to create the next great found footage movie. The production is a mess from the start from budget problems, oddball personalities and mounting stress, but things take a sharp turn when strange and creepy events begin happening on set.
The story is told through the eyes of a French documentary crew, hired by the fictional Le Musée d’Orange (The Orange Museum) to film behind the scenes. At first, it’s all awkward interviews and low-budget antics, but it slowly turns into something much darker. In the film 0n June 24, 2022 (2 years to the day of the movie’s release), the entire film crew vanished without a trace. Local authorities recovered footage from the shoot, but found nothing conclusive. In line with local legend, they even had a witch doctor burn the tapes as part of a cleansing ritual.
What they didn’t know was that a second set of footage survived, captured by the documentary team. That material was eventually recovered by the museum and edited together. What they uncovered painted a far more disturbing picture: the filmmakers may have triggered something real and evil during the shoot. The last days of filming reveal events so strange and terrifying that even the museum reportedly refused to fully document them.
When I spoke with Tzannes, San Miguel and Souza, they explained that making the film felt oddly similar to the story they were telling. It was a small crew, a lot of passion, and not much money. But unlike the characters in the movie, they made it out in one piece. The team leaned into the chaotic, indie vibe of the project, which only added to its authenticity.
Souza’s camera work and editing are a big part of what makes the movie click. The visuals feel gritty and real, while the pacing keeps the tone bouncing between laugh-out-loud moments and genuinely creepy sequences. You’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s part of the joke—which is exactly the point.
‘Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project‘ is a smart, fun, and creepy ride that plays with the horror genre in all the best ways. It’s a movie about filmmaking, about fear, and about what happens when you get in over your head. Whether you’re a horror fan or just love weird indie films, this one’s worth checking out. Just maybe don’t watch it alone.
‘Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project‘ is in theaters and on VOD now.
Visit: https://thepattersonproject.org/ for more information or call 1-(844)-PAT-PROJ.
