Rating: 3/5
December 16, 1995
A film crew went to the New Jersey Pine Barrens to film an episode of Fact or Fiction on the Jersey Devil. Only one of them came out alive.
Later, the police discovered mutilated bodies and pinned their murders on the lone survivor, Jim Suerd.
This “documentary” looks at the evidence for and against this theory, building on testimony, found footage, and other technologies.
The TV documentary vibe is the film’s most significant success. How much of that is intentional versus budgetary is up for debate.
I also appreciate how they pulled in contemporary technology of the time — IRC, teleconferencing, and text-to-speech.
These indirections and simulacra enhance the themes at the film’s center — that agendas can manipulate or recontextualize documents and documentation.
The tape reconstruction is a great plot conceit. The segments coming together piece by piece add a lot of tension.
The finale of this movie is an immense disappointment.
While thematically consistent, the material undermines the entire film up to that point.
Still, I liked a lot about this.