‘Transmission’ FrightFest 2023 Review: A Sadly One-Note Attempt At Found Footage
There aren’t a lot of genre stones left unturned when it comes to horror, so when FrightFest announced the World Premiere of the first-ever channel-surfing horror film, it was met with intrigue. Transmission, written and directed by Michael Hurst, begins with one viewer, settling into his armchair in the modern age to flick through the channels late at night. As he continues to switch between stations, connections become clear between the News Channel reporters stationed at a hostage scene, a documentary about a long-missing horror director, Frank Tadross Roth (Vernon Wells), and his last unfinished film of the same name.
Transmission may technically be the first of its kind, but film has long been implementing television clips and found footage to advance its narrative. Many with much more disturbing moments, from recent additions like Incantation (2022) to the subliminal messaging snapshots that flicker almost imperceivably in Fight Club. Transmission is so focused on detailing its narrative surrounding the mysterious director and his occult research, that there are no chilling snapshots to be had. Although according to its antagonist “evil finds a way”, there’s not a single glimpse of what could be in store for audiences, nothing jumps into view or leaves us questioning what we’ve just seen. There is no consequence for those who have deigned to watch Transmission, despite its insistence on a cursed plotline similar to The Ring. With no jumpscares or evidence of the evil presence, the viewer feels no dread.
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In fact, Transmission’s borrowing of the distribution and audience involvement structure is where its awareness of the genre it originates from ends. As the film forgets found footage allows filmmakers to show its story rather than tell it. Through the documentary talking heads (Nicole Cinaglia, Charles Chudabala, and Sadie Katz) the audience is constantly reminded of the director’s odd behavior.
Despite many moments of behind-the-scenes footage, we never get to see a glimpse of his cruelty. The lack of visual development continues throughout the film as Transmission refuses to trust the viewer to piece the puzzle together. Instead, it insists on keeping us on track through explanations from the documentarians and reporters. A pretty simple plot line emerges, but being spoon-fed the plot quickly becomes monotonous.
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Transmission is tonally confused. As the viewer is taken from a sci-fi-horror film to a televangelist’s (Ben Stobber) commercial to a spoof of a romantic comedy, you struggle to connect with each scene. The realism of the documentary and live coverage is marred by the parodical style of the films our watcher jumps between. The only redeeming channel is the kids’ puppet show, which makes meta jokes about the puzzle pieces coming together. But in a world where the creepy Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared exists, these furry creatures don’t even come close. Nor do Transmission’s creators even consider the freaky potential for this channel, or any of the others.
While the channel-surfing concept was promising, Transmission does little with that opportunity. It takes from the archive of greater found footage horrors and adds nothing new into the mix. While so many archival horrors comment on the relationship between the viewer and creator, Transmission neglects its audience. It fails to even highlight the rarity that channel surfing has become given our streaming-dominated TV landscape. It seems as if the first-of-its-kind channel-surfing horror, much like the outdated viewing method itself, will go extinct before it gets the chance to evolve.
Summary
While the channel-surfing concept was promising, Transmission does little with that opportunity.
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