Lance Weiler and Stefan Avalos's 1998 film The Last Broadcast in many ways could probably considered one of the most influential films of the last decade or so.  The film was the first effort completely shot and distributed using digital technology; there was no film involved with any process of the filming and commercial release of the film.  It's also pretty interesting as a definitely watchable (and actually, quite captivating) movie that was made for a whopping $900. 

Drawing somewhat obvious influence from films such as Cannibal Holocaust, The Last Broadcast starts off by introducing us to a documentary film maker who sets out to investigate the disappearance and murder of the hosts of a cable access show.  "Fact or Fiction" was a no-budget TV show that focused on paranormal and strange activity.  Hosted by Locus Wheeler and Stephen Avkast, the show had run into problems developing new material, and had taken a request from a viewer to do a show about the Jersey Devil.  Thus, on December 15, 1995, the hosts, along with a Jim Suerd (a psychic used as a guide on the trip) and Rein Clackin (an audio engineer who could record paranormal occurrences), set out into the desolate Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey for a live broadcast.

Sometime during the course of the night, Clackin and Wheeler are hideously murdered, with the remains of Avkast never found.  Upon making his way out of the barrens, Suerd was immediately arrested and subsequently charged with the murders.  Now, film maker David Leigh sets out to do his own investigation into the crimes in an attempt to prove Suerd's innocence.

Weiler and Avalos's film makes the most of its modest resources.  Being shot on consumer-grade equipment, the film has a home-made kind of look that benefits the story immensely.  Much of the film is the first-person footage shot by Wheeler and Avkast in the Pine Barrens, and this footage is appropriately dilapidated and amateurish at times.  The presentation of this footage in The Last Broadcast really cements the illusion of the film; a viewer unfamiliar with this film would probably assume that the entire film was actually a documentary. 

The co-directors clearly did their homework with regard to the conventions of the documentary film since the film-within-a-film (the pseudo-documentary by David Leigh) is filmed and put together like a crime documentary along the lines of  Joe Berlinger's 1996 work Paradise Lost.  The film presents a series of interviews with a variety of subjects who give their own views on the people and situations involved in the story.  The acting in the film is very realistic and convincing; most of the "talking heads" come across as very authentic, and the "Fact or Fiction" hosts are quite likable which further involves the audience into the film.

As The Last Broadcast goes on, additional pieces of footage are recovered by would-be documentarian Leigh, who sends this essentially destroyed footage to a media recovery expert who attempts to repair the images.  Eventually, it becomes evident that the identity of the killer will be revealed in this footage, making the film more tense and suspenseful for an audience as we wait for the case to be solved.

A big point of The Last Broadcast is the idea of how reality is manipulated through the media.  While the material in the film is convincing and probably would fool many viewers watching the film, it obviously has been set-up and manipulated to get a certain reaction from the audience.  The idea that people will believe just about anything they see in the media is perhaps even more relevant today with the dispersion of information via the Internet as well as the prevalence of "reality" TV.  While most of these programs and various websites claim to be accurate representations of the truth, the people responsible for these things usually have some ulterior motive, angle, or bias that ultimately is reflected in the piece. 

The idea that people will believe just about anything any form of media provides for them was hammered home to me recently when, upon exiting a screening of Paranormal Activity in a theater filled with teenyboppers, I found one of them having a heated discussion with a theater employee about the authenticity of the film.  Frankly, it's disturbing that more people don't try and evaluate the various media that they consume on a regular basis, and it seems like the producers of The Last Broadcast seemed to want to satirize "reality"-based media with their work on the film.

Average viewer entering this film would inevitably compare the piece to The Blair Witch Project, which is a fair comparison, but for my money, I think that The Last Broadcast better confuses its audience into thinking it's authentic.  Since this film includes both first-person and documentary-like footage, the bigger picture of the film seems more authentic since we have faux interviews with people involved with the case.  The actual first person footage, shot in the Pine Barrens, also I feel is better handled in this film, with the complete isolation of the characters represented quite well.  What is unseen in the darkness of the barrens is really what makes The Last Broadcast quite chilling at times, and the grainy and distorted nature of the video footage makes the situation all the more unnerving and dire.

That the illusion of reality in The Last Broadcast is set up so well only makes its ending, which essentially goes off into an entirely different (and for me, groan-inducing) direction, all the more disappointing.  The first time I saw this film, I was literally on the edge of my seat waiting for the killer to be revealed, only to be let down by the conclusion of this piece.  The ending really ruins much of the mystique of the work, and while there are plenty of clues that would lead the viewer to the truth, I still find it to be too standard and convenient an ending for a film that is fairly cutting edge.  The ending really is the only problem I have with this film, but the way the climax of The Last Broadcast is handled, it threatens to ruin the rest of the film, making it way less scary and impactful.

Heretic Films's DVD of this film includes a wide range of bonus features.  Two separate full length commentaries from the co-directors is included which provide a lot of background about the way the piece was filmed and assembled.  There are three "behind the scenes" programs that discuss the production, post-production and distribution of the film, as well as raw interview footage, additional "Fact or Fiction" segments, "Jim Suerd: Alive and Well,"  and more.  All in all, it's a very worthwhile disc for a generally good film.

This film, while not rated and nowhere near as bloody as most horror efforts, is pretty creepy at times and does have some violent and gorey images in it.  There's also some language in the film, so I wouldn't recommend it for younger audiences.

The Last Broadcast for the most part has been ignored for the ten-plus years since its release, which is kind of a shame.  The film is certainly one of the more intriguing truly independent films of the past fifteen years, and is masterfully produced in a manner that would convince many a viewer that the footage in it is authentic.  In spite of the quality set-up and escalation in the film's story, the ending is a big letdown, and threatens to ruin much of the impact the film had up to that point.  Still, I'd have to say that this film would be well worth a look for those interested in indie films, particularly of the horror variety.  This isn't the standard horror effort, but it still has the power to chill and creep out its audience.

***
An entry in the Bunnylicious Wicked Hallows Write Off

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age