Horror Movie Review: The Truth Will Out (2020)

Written and directed by Jessica Hunt and Sam Mason-Bell, The Truth Will Out is a low-budget found-footage horror with a distinctly British flavour. It sees the host of a TV series that focuses on the real lives of British people agree to base his new episode on a supposed family of witches. He, along with is two-man crew end up staying at the family’s house and get way more than they bargained for.

Let’s talk about the good things in The Truth Will Out first. The most notable thing being its presentation. Yes, you read that right. I am about to praise found-footage. Don’t get me wrong, the film looks like crap but that’s the point. This series that the group are presenting is gritty and low-budget. It’s supposed to reflect British life and that we begin on a rainy, grey day is all the more fitting.

Later, when strange things begin to happen, camera use is justified as the host wants to get all the stuff they’re experiencing on camera for the show. Whereas his two crew-members want to prove to viewers that said host is a sleazy piece of crap. It really does work.

Kevin Cordell plays Thomas, the TV show presenter and does a fantastic job. A man who thinks he is far bigger than he is. A man who treats his crew with disdain and his hosts with detached disgust. He is instantly unlikable and as the film goes on, he just becomes more and more despicable.

Once a certain event occurs, the writing is on the wall for him especially as it invokes the ire of this witchy family. Something that is cleverly presented as cultural differences and beliefs at first but eventually takes on a sinister tone.

That’s the good stuff but it also suffers from problems too.

A bit too dry at times, there’s a clear point where the film looked to be slowing down and rather than change tact, it just chugs along at the same pace. The slow-burn tension fails to ratchet up and instead, begins to dissipate unfortunately.

Are the women actually witches? The film will pay off that question and while the end results are satisfying for one reason, it does lack a knockout punch unfortunately. There’s the overriding thought of ‘is that it?’ come the end. That’s never a good thought to end a movie on.