Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Pedro Kos (Rebel Hearts) makes the jump into narrative features with his new Found Footage slow burn In Our Blood – a methodical mockumentary that follows a daughter documenting her attempt to reconnect with her mother after years of scare tissue and drug abuse. Set in the forgotten underbelly of Las Cruces, New Mexico In Our Blood travels lonely city streets populated with lost souls, deadly street gangs, and unsympathetic cops. It’s stunningly photographed and delivers one hell of a punch for patient viewers ready for a slow-release mystery.
Black Christmas (2019)‘s Brittany O’Grady stars as Emily, returning to her childhood home for the first time in years after receiving an apology letter from her mother Sam (Alanna Ubach, Legally Blonde). With her sound guy/cameraman/voice of reason Danny (E.J Bonilla, The Exorcist: Believer) along for the ride, she makes her way back home for an awkward but hopefully healing Thanksgiving weekend. That is until Emily‘s mother goes missing and the new focus of the film is investigating her disappearance. What was supposed to be a heartfelt exploration of trauma suddenly sends them both down a rabbit hole of conspiracies, organized crime, and a sinister secret operating in plain sight.
“If not for the horror elements of the story, In Our Blood could just as easily be a documentary about addiction.”
If ever there was a type of filmmaker I would want to see take a big swing in the Found Footage space it’s easily a documentarian, and Kos does not disappoint. If not for the horror elements of the story, In Our Blood could just as easily be a doc shining a light on the forgotten members of our communities struggling with addiction, mental illness, and homelessness. His time in the non-fiction world prepared him for an authenticity that works best in Found Footage, and hot damn if this isn’t one of the better shot documentary-style Found Footage movies of the decade. Even simple camera setups where our Danny is gathering b-roll of their motel looks AMAZIING thanks to the work of cinematographer Camilo Monsalve (Unidentified Objects).
Beyond that, the interviews with members of the Las Cruces community are genuine, weaving in real-life people with the actors that only adds to the movie’s main goal of exposing an overlooked crisis in bordertowns all across the US. Of course, it’s much more entertaining to watch some characters investigate a monster or a supernatural evil or a serial killer than it is get shine on light on real-world problems, but it’s a cinematic world woven from a foundation of realism that really adds an authenticity to the setting.
“…one of the best shot Found Footage movies of the decade…”
Story wise, In Our Blood has a very deliberate pace, never wanting to move faster than a real-life investigation might. It’s a slow building story, and one that doesn’t offer much beyond suspicious interactions and vague threats until it finally comes out guns blazin’ in the finale. It’s a long wait to get what you came for but it’s a satisfying finish.
Independant journalism and Found Footage movies are often both amateur detective stories, but with a little sprinkle of Horror In Our Blood becomes something else entirely. The pacing feels very real-to-life which can make that shift into the genre space feel like too much too fast but rest assured, there are darker discovers to be made in this simmering expose on the people society feels all too comfortable throwing to the wolves.
“…a reality-blending slice of slow burn, Found Footage horror”
Pedro Kos’ In Our Blood celebrated its World Premiere at the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival. Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of the festival and be sure to let us know if you’re excited to see this reality-blending slow burn slice of Found Footage horror over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord!
