The Atticus Institute (2015)

(In French, On Cable TV, July 2020) In the fine tradition of horror films puffing themselves up with made-up “based on a true story” hokum, horror mockumentary The Atticus Institute purports to tell us about “the only case of possession ever recorded by the United States Government.” In this case, a parapsychology institute studies a woman exhibiting paranormal powers that are later revealed to be the work of a demon possessing her. Cue the US Army taking control of the institute in an effort to weaponize the demon, which (as five out of five scientists will tell you) is a terrifyingly bad idea. It goes where you expect it to go, with the demon going on a rampage inside the institute and everyone being powerless to stop it. Writer-director Chris Sparling handles the mockumentary aspect reasonably well, without too many questions as to how or why the footage exists, and the mid-1970s period convincingly recreated—although some of the camcorders have a strong 1980s vintage air to them. I have issues with some of the grandiose dialogue from the characters, but that’s almost part of the fun. At least it’s short enough not to overstay its welcome. The Atticus Institute is not all that good as a movie, but I’ve seen quite a bit worse in the found-footage horror subgenre.