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The best found footage horror movies tend to generate word of mouth when reviews and social media talk about how chilling it was watching that realistic horror film. Eventually, those movies get a wide theatrical release expansion, followed by hitting streaming and other digital platforms. However, a new indie found footage film called It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This prefers to take its own approach with the filmmakers’ refusal to give it an online release. Of course, this is only making fans want to see it more.
According to Variety, small-town filmmakers Nick Toti, Rachel Kempf and their friend Christian made a unique pact before shooting their passion project: It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This will never see the light of day on streaming, digital, or a physical release. If you want to see this new found footage film, you’ll only find it on the big screen if it’s lucky enough to hit your local theater. Naturally, this very limited released movie is only attracting more attention among horror fans to want to see it more. Toti mentioned his innovative strategy was for that exact purpose compared to how obscure his previous indie releases went:
It’s not like I haven’t tried to get people interested in the movies. I just don’t really have a very commercial sensibility and I don’t go about things in a very commercial way most of the time. With this one, it was like, ‘Well, this is horror, so already there’s like more of a built-in audience for it,’ which is a problem that pretty much every movie I’ve ever made has had. We know there’s found footage fans especially, so we know we can connect with those people. But we realized that there’s also a gimmick there, and it’s a gimmick that can be exploited. The movie getting really big was never the goal, but when the movie started getting more attention, there were certain sea change moments for us.
One popular movie you can thank as inspiration for the theater-only decision is none other than The Blair Witch Project. The small-budget film became a big hit after its marketing said the film’s subjects were either “missing” or “deceased.” As you might expect, word got out online during the early days of the internet, and it became one of the highest-grossing supernatural horror films, earning more than 25 times its budget. However, after controversy occurred when the OG cast demanded better compensation since their names and likeness were used for promotional purposes of the franchise’s future movies, the filmmakers decided for their new movie to stay away from any online brouhaha.
The trailer for It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This shows horror enthusiasts who bought an old movie theater to shoot their new film, only to see cult members in a trance-like state gathering around it. The most eye-raising part of the trailer was at the end when a caption reads the DieDieVideo Productions film “will never be released online.”
As streaming and online rentals have been taking over, it seems like an unusual decision for the found footage flick not to try to find its way towards a streaming service or even premiere on YouTube for more buzz like the $800-budget horror film Milk & Serial did. But, history has shown a limited release just generates more engagement like how Lady Bird did really well in four theaters, which led to a wide expansion, and Uncut Gems hit a studio box office record of over $525,000 in just five theaters before expanding. So a limited-release approach has proven to make film fanatics’ excitement for a new movie grow more and more.
So far, It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This has been traveling to the theaters of small towns like North Carolina’s Queer Fear Film Festival, Unnamed Footage Festival, Salem Horror Fest, and eventually made its way to TIFF with a mixed review reception. Online debates have sparked in its limited distribution from people who live in small towns and don’t get easy access to live screenings. Here was Nick Toti’s response:
They’re coming at from such a defeatist attitude of, ‘Oh, screw you guys because this isn’t fair to people like me.’ But we are people like you. If you had a different attitude about it instead of complaining… They’re either completely defeatist, pessimistic attitudes or they’re bad faith arguments.
It’s clear that the Missouri-native filmmaker stands by his decision for It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This’ exclusivity to remain in limited theater screenings only, favoring the moviegoing experience viewers will have. However, it appears that Toti’s strategy is working, as the Kirksville-set film’s profile has been surging with screening requests coming alive. The found footage horror film is set to have a 10-city screening at Alamo Drafthouses nationwide with several showtimes sold out, and cities like L.A. and Austin are expanding their showtimes.
If an indie horror film gets attention after refusing to find its way toward an eventual online space, it proves a film’s scarcity will only leave an audience wanting more. As It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This is still generating buzz despite no social media presence, distributor or big marketing budget. It shows that mystique and curiosity can be powerful marketing tools of their own. Hopefully with enough attention, the found footage film will lead to an expansion that will expose the masses to what everyone’s talking about. Until then, take a look at our upcoming horror films that you can find in your local theater and streaming services.