Horror Movie Review: Infernum (2019)

A good example of how found footage horror can still result in a decent movie, Infernum comes from writer/director Dutch Marich. It stars Suziey Block, Michael Barbuto, Clinton Roper Elledge, and Sarah Schoofs.

Blending elements of a mockumentary with classic found footage elements and making sound a focal point of its horror. Infernum isn’t perfect but compared to the non-stop unoriginal rubbish this genre often delivers, it stands out for not only trying to be frightening, but actually managing to be at times.

The story revolves around Camille (Suziey Block) whose parents disappeared while camping. It appears they left their tent having been disturbed by a sudden and mysterious loud noise. A grinding, moaning, and deafening noise. When it stopped, they were gone, and Camille has been trying to find out where they went ever since.

This. It’s this that Infernum does so well. The mystery elements. Setting the imagination aflame with dark and twisted thoughts.

Twenty years later, Camille is in art school and has been using the mysterious phenomenon as inspiration for her work. She is obsessed, planning interviews with others who experienced it, much to her boyfriend Hunter’s (Michael Barbuto) annoyance. Not because he’s unsupportive, but because she booked interviews on their anniversary and because he’s a little jealous of the time she is spending with her filmmaker friend James (Clinton Roper Elledge).

After arguing, Camille and James head off to Nevada, camera in hand, as the phenomenon seems to have started again. It’s too perfect of an opportunity, even if the pair are forced to take a train, The Northern Nevada Railway tour train specifically.

It’s late so the train is pretty much deserted aside from another passenger named Rita (Sarah Schoofs) and Hunter, who followed Camille wanting to make up for the argument and spend their anniversary together. Which, of course, creates tension between him and James.

That’s the least of their problems though as, after falling asleep, they wake up to find the train has stopped, the engines are off, and they are in a tunnel. The mysterious sound is all around them, and things are getting stranger on the train.

Infernum relies heavily on your own imagination, choosing to not show you much at all, and instead asking you to conjure up your own images of what might be going on. Sound is key to the horror of this movie, and it is done very well. Creating an extremely unsettling atmosphere that wraps around the mind. This is even more impressive when you consider it is a found-footage horror.

Alongside that, Infernum also has a strong cast with realistic characters, keeping it small so they can be completely in focus. Some of the best scenes are simple, such as the awkwardness felt between Hunter and James when left alone.

Those hoping for ‘in your face’ jump scares or an ending that explains things will come away disappointed. That’s not Infernum’s way and it’s better for it. Its frights comes from how thick the atmosphere is and how it makes your mind create images of horror that are beyond reasonable comprehension. If that doesn’t make it clear that it’s a worthwhile watch, nothing will.