Crispy

🎥 Synopsis

Crispy portrays Ricky, a sharp-witted teen who, despite Maya’s telepathic warning, manages to persuade his friends to join him on a treasure-hunting adventure in the woods. His adventure quickly evolves from a fun filled escapade to a heart racing chaotically terrifying adventure when he and his friends discover that they are being pursued by a cannibalistic murderer.

The films guides its viewers thorugh the reckless and mischievous yet terrifying adventure while exposing the teens to their worst nightmares.

🌟 Main Casting

• Colson Branum as Ricky: the headstrong and self-confident teen whose thirst for adventure takes his friends into trouble.
• Saoirse Tiernan as Melanie: Ricky’s nonverbal sibling, whose unwarranted guidance was simply naiively ignored.
• Jake Murphy as Tate: a skeptical friend who amidst the doubts decides to join the fun.
• Luke Ryan as Damien: Among the first to excitedly volunteer for the treasure hunt but clearly lacking the prerequisites to survive the horror.
• Gabriel Medeiros as Louie: The ordinarily levelheaded troupe member who adds chaos to the group.
• Jessica Frew as Harmony: A fierce and determined girl who remains calm under oppression.
• Kerwin Johnson Jr. as Adam – One of the most realistic characters and voices of the group.
• Shane Ryan as Benny – The most aged and enigmatic participant in the mystery.
• Cole Ryan as Brett – A reserved adolescent who succumbs to external pressures.

🖋️ Themes and Tone

Crispy combines elements of survival horror and teenage adventure. The thematic focus is on,

The rebellion of youth vs. consequences

The capriciousness of natural forces and the paranormal

Siblings and gut feelings

The unnerving silence and feeling of seclusion

While the tone begins playfully, it swiftly becomes darker and more ominous through the use of handheld camera work, silence, and strikingly realistic acting.

🎞️ Style and Cinematography

Crispy employs the found footage style which takes a more raw, lo-fi approach to border on realism. The frenetic and rough visuals make it feel like the viewer is actually in the dangerous scenario, struggling to escape the woods.

The forest location is stunning, but also intimidating, contributing to the growing sensation of being hunted. Tension is added through the use of sounds that are filled with shallow silence coupled with sudden, loud bangs and crashes.

⭐ Reception

Crispy has garnered a mixed bag of reviews from horror aficionados and indie film lovers.

Praise for:

Jessica Frew’s emotionally resonant and grounded performance

Creative budget management and commitment to the found-footage style

Genuinely suspenseful moments with unpredictably placed dramatic turns

Criticism for:

The midsection contains pacing lags

A few of the supporting characters feel undernourished

Conventional tropes without minimal alterations

Even with its shortcomings, Crispy has managed to capture a niche audience who enjoy its raw horror appeal.

📺 Final Thoughts

Crispy does not disappoint fans of found-footage horror; it offers an intense and gritty experience. Although it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it combines youthful stupidity with supernatural horror and slasher elements, delivering a compact, powerful indie story.

Ideal for a late-night viewing in the dark, as long as you skip the post-watch hikes. Would you like more found-footage films or an in-depth character analysis?