Beyond Fest 2026 Review: “Erie"

Found-footage movies have never really been my thing. I understand why the format has remained popular since “The Blair Witch Project,” but too often the shaky cameras, improvised conversations, and deliberately rough presentation feel more like gimmicks than storytelling tools. So when “Erie” began, I was already prepared to keep the film at arm’s length.

To my surprise, director Alison-Eve Hammersley won me over.

Set during the final days of 1999, “Erie” follows siblings Stella (Carly Stewart) and Oscar (Grant Crater), who begin investigating the mysterious death of their sister. Their search eventually connects her death to a disturbing string of local suicides, raising the question of whether something supernatural is at work or whether grief has pushed them toward an explanation they desperately need to believe.

Making her feature directorial debut, Hammersley understands that found footage works best when the camera feels necessary, not convenient. The late-'90s setting helps tremendously. Instead of characters constantly recording themselves because the screenplay demands it, the technology and the story's investigative nature give the footage a believable reason to exist.

There is also something refreshing about watching a period piece set in 1999 that does not spend every scene screaming, “Remember the '90s?” Hammersley uses the era to build atmosphere, letting the dated technology and pre-social-media world become part of the mystery rather than simple nostalgia bait.

Stewart and Crater also sell the sibling dynamic without turning every emotional moment into an acting showcase. Their performances feel appropriately raw, which is essential for this type of filmmaking. As their investigation grows more unsettling, “Erie” builds tension gradually instead of relying exclusively on cheap jump scares.

What impressed me most was Hammersley’s restraint. She understands that uncertainty can be more frightening than confirmation. The possibility that something supernatural is happening remains compelling because the film never forgets that its characters are also dealing with very human grief.

“Erie” did not suddenly turn me into the world’s biggest found-footage fan, but it reminded me why the format can still work when a filmmaker has a clear reason for using it. Hammersley delivers an assured feature debut that combines grief, mystery, and late-'90s paranoia into an effective genre thriller.

For someone who usually avoids found footage, that might be the biggest compliment I can give it.

Final Grade: B