PRIMAL DARKNESS (2026)

Streaming from Horror Dadz Productions on Found TV!
Directed/Written by Dillon Brown.
Check out the trailer here!

Cole (writer/director Dillon Brown) is filming the second season of his YouTube hunting channel, “Primal Instinct” when he suddenly goes missing while filming a segment in the middle of Nevada. Only his camera and the footage inside of it were found.

Are the actors successfully acting like they aren’t acting?
Filmmaker Dillon Brown seems comfortable and candid in front of the camera. He gives a believable performance with some unexpected nuance as his character Cole is going through a divorce and doesn’t reveal much about it. But the script helps reveal that the reason he is taking these trips and making these videos is that it is some kind of distraction for him. Brown seems believable, as if he isn’t acting or reading from a script. The other two actors in the film, Maxwell Golden and Blake Hyer, feel a little more stiff at times, but do a decent job as a couple who appear on a recording on a phone Cole finds in the desert. They’re fine, but at times, it feels like they are reading required lines. Overall, though, the acting is strong and conducive to making it all feel like these are real people.

Does the footage found seem authentic and untouched by additional production?
Yes, for the most part. Towards the end, there are some sound effects added in that may or may not be diegetic or occurring within the fictional world of the movie. It is basically strange noises that accompany the final attack which do succeed in making things creepier, much more than the usual synth score you see in less authentic feeling found footagers. This is presented as information gathered by a third party, police investigators, who are looking at the two sources of footage (that being Cole’s camera and the couple’s cell phone) to piece together what happened to the missing people. All in all, though, this feels authentic from start to finish, even though it might have cheated a bit by adding sound effects during the climax.

Why don’t they just drop the camera and get the hell out of there?
The couple are filming for research while Cole is getting footage for his YouTube channel. Both valid reasons to keep the cameras rolling. Later, when the shit goes down and we encounter the threat, Cole is wearing a body cam that is left on during the attack.

Are there any found footage cliches like an up-nose BLAIR WITCH confessional or a REC-drag away from the camera?
Nothing BLAIR WITCH-y, but there is a tent scene that’s somewhat reminiscent of WILLOW CREEK’s iconic tent scene. The tent scene in PRIMAL DARKNESS isn’t as long, but it does have some nice suspense and some downright chilling imagery. There isn’t any cliched confessional, but Cole talks to the camera quite a bit since there is no one else to talk to and it is all a part of his show.

Does anything actually happen? Is the lead in too long and the payoff too short?
PRIMAL DARKNESS has a lot going on. The film starts out with a compelling mystery. What happened to Cole and the missing couple? And I am faced with a moral conundrum as I am tempted to say more, but it really doesn’t give a lot of clues as to what the threat is in this film. Something is in the Nevada hills, but the film takes an awful long time before it reveals just what it is. Is it aliens? Is it a skinwalker? A chupalupacabra? A serial killer? Well, given that I also do a series of videos focusing on a certain hairy monster, I feel safe to say that this film turned out to be interesting to me. It’s not exactly Bigfoot, but it’s something close enough for me to include this film in my Toes of Terror ranking. All I will say is that the mystery is parsed out nicely and even in the down moments, I was enrapt with anticipation as to what was going on. The ending does move fast, but it is a satisfying and shocking payoff to the buildup.

Does the film add anything to the subgenre and is it worth watching?
PRIMAL DARKNESS has an unconventional threat and does a fantastic job of leading up to the reveal. It has a compelling cast and while there is a lot of shaky cam in the final act, it is done in a thrilling and suspenseful way. This is a gruesome little film. Because of the location, it reminded me a lot of HORROR IN THE HIGH DESERT, the first one, the good one. For those of you curious about how it stacks up in my Toes of Terror ranking, I’d give PRIMAL DARKNESS Four Feets and a toe. It’s not revolutionary, but does everything right to cause thrills, chills, investment, and authenticity. This low fi found footager makes it all feel real and scary. See PRIMAL DARKNESS. It’s one of the good ones.