‘Invoking Yell’ Review – Found Footage Outing Fuses Horror With Black Metal

Three members of a black metal band ‘Invoking Yell’ venture into the woods to shoot a demo tape. What begins as a relatively innocent trip into the woods turns into a dark and satanic love letter. They hope to record paranormal phenomena as part of their album. The trio goes to unusual lengths to achieve this process and, as a result, tap into sinister forces. Invoking Yell is a found footage horror film that is slow to start but does find its footing to unleash a chill-inducing and downright creepy tale.

The setting and story of Invoking Yell are confined and straightforward. Three members of a metal band, Ruth (Andrea Ozuljevich), Andrea (María Jesús Marcone), and Tania (Macarena Carrere), venture into the woods with the hopes of recording a phenomenon for their band. Right off the bat, thanks to the found-footage narrative, the movie creates an immediate claustrophobic intimacy. The deeper the characters venture into the woods, the more the feeling takes hold. While short on outright scares, the film excels at building tension through atmosphere in both sound and sight.

Much of the film’s first half is devoted to the girl’s musings. As the trio makes their videotape, we are treated to some exposition and their philosophies. Given that we are experiencing a film with found footage, the trajectory is sometimes rather pedestrian. However, the film plays with our imaginations long enough to instill creepy vibes. This execution is often more effective than the elements presented later, leaving the audience feeling uneasy and apprehensive. Nothing in the movie is particularly groundbreaking. However, the setting of 1997 and the nostalgic use of a camcorder allow the audience to enter this world and stay for the terrorizing pleasure.

The movie builds its suspense on a foundation of impending doom. Each layer takes us to the peak where we experience an eruption of terrifying and arresting hell on earth. Through ceremonial practices, the audience is never sure what the cause of the strange happening is. Is it the occult influences of the band? Are supernatural forces at work? Or is the dark side of human nature creeping up from the depths of psychosis?

The film is brilliant in playing it coy and allowing the forced perspective brought on by the found footage to enable the audience to render a final judgment. The film has delicate clues that astute eyes will need to watch. Even when the items are mere window dressings, there is a creepiness in every frame that stays with the audience long after the film ends.

Something is unsettling about the woods. On a superficial level, the woods conjure up whispers of dark fairy tales. There is an element of creepiness that supplants even more traditional settings like a haunted house or a rundown asylum. The element of mystery lurks behind every tree. The leaves bristle in the wind and crunch on the cold ground. Noises are ubiquitous. Here, the woods are very much the plot and story of the film. Indeed, something wicked this way comes.

Immediately, a found-footage film evokes the timeless classic The Blair Witch Project. While no movie of this kind has surpassed the 1999 horror triumph, Invoking Yell doesn’t pretend to be a pale imitator. Though it borrows from the aesthetic and utilizes the controlled creep factor of a single camera operator, the movie finds its own twisted voice. The evoking of black metal allows for a sinister and wholly original take that leaves the audience white-knuckled and gasping by the end credits.

The movie knows what is going on with the concept of found footage and, therefore, can take some risks with the limited storyline. Not all the angles plan out, and there is a slow burn aspect that a tighter storyline could alleviate. However, for a twisted take on the concept, Invoking Yell emotes darkness, terror, and wicked fun.

Invoking Yell will be available on Digital platforms on September 20, 2024, courtesy of Welcome Villain Films.